1/Children & young people with autism and learning disabilities who could be living in the community with specialist support are languishing for years in Assessment & Treatment Units, some of them locked up 24/7 in isolation rooms, bec of severe financial pressure on Local Auths 2/ At the same time, private providers running these ATUs are raking in profits, being paid £452m per yr in what has become a market driven provision where autistic and LD people are little more than commodities