DOZENS of teachers and carers descended on Torbay for a national conference on autism.

More than 40 delegates from around the country attended the national Understanding Autism conference at the Riviera International Centre.

Organisers said the focus of the one-day event was to help develop teaching skills and knowledge to 'better identify the needs of children and young people with autism' and better include autistic children in mainstream schools.

This is the third conference of its kind to be organised by the National Association for Special Educational Needs this year.

Mary Daly, programme leader for the Inclusion Development Programme, which is part of the Government's strategy for improving lives of children with special needs and disabilities, said many people did not understand autism.

She said: "If you have a physical disability and trip over, people understand. But if you have autism, it's like falling over in your own mind. It's not obvious for other people."

Addressing the conference she added: "There's never been such a big emphasis on children with special needs. It's a great opportunity to understand how children learn and engage with them and better include them in mainstream education."

Mrs Daly said the conference would hopefully raise the educational achievements of all children while narrowing the gap between children from different backgrounds.

The IDP is a £31million two-year research programme pioneered in 10 local education authorities in the country and across 450 schools. It is part of the Government's Children's Plan.