The government has announced measures to prevent people abusing disabled parking badges. The Department for Transport is also to make Blue Badges available to very young severely disabled children and people with upper limb disabilities.
High levels of a male sex hormone in foetuses are linked to a higher chance of developing autistic traits in childhood, scientists say. The findings come from an eight-year study relating the development of 253 children to levels of testosterone they were exposed to in the womb.
People with conditions such as back pain and arthritis need to stay in work as much as possible, a report says. The Work Foundation says the evidence suggests that being able to work helps sufferers of musculoskeletal disorders recover more quickly. Yet many GPs and employers wrongly believe a sufferer must be "100% well" before any return to work, it says.
Depression is a more disabling condition than angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes, World Health Organization research shows. And those with depression plus a chronic illness, such as diabetes, fare particularly badly, the study of more than 245,000 people suggests.
A new online service which makes it easier for disabled people to get specialist equipment has been launched.
A charity called for more custodial sentences for carers who steal Almost a quarter of care agencies fail to protect disabled and elderly people from thefts in their own homes by carers, the BBC has discovered.
