Michael Baron: The Solicitor Who Transformed Autism Support in the UK
The London solicitor Michael Baron, who has died at the age of 96, was a pioneering figure whose work fundamentally improved the lives of autistic people across the United Kingdom. At a time when autism was scarcely understood, Baron became a driving force in raising awareness, securing funding, and establishing vital support structures that continue to benefit the community today.
Early Inspiration and Advocacy
Baron's journey into autism advocacy was deeply personal, inspired by the plight of his son, Timothy, born in 1956. As a toddler, Timothy exhibited limited speech, aloofness, and behavioural challenges that puzzled medical professionals. After consulting a paediatrician familiar with the work of American doctor Leo Kanner, Baron learned his son likely had autism—a condition virtually unknown in the UK at the time.
Refusing to accept bleak prognoses that labelled Timothy as "ineducable" or ill, Baron was convinced his son simply experienced the world differently and could thrive in the right educational environment. This conviction propelled him into activism, leading him to join the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children, where he connected with other parents facing similar struggles.
Founding a National Charity
In January 1962, Baron, alongside psychiatrist Lorna Wing and several other parents, convened to create an autism-specific charity. Initially named the "Society for Psychotic Children" due to the widespread unfamiliarity with the term "autism," Baron successfully argued for it to be called the National Society for Autistic Children. This organisation later evolved into the National Autistic Society (NAS) in 1975, reflecting the lifelong nature of the condition.
As the first chair of the charity, Baron leveraged his legal expertise and networking skills to publicise autism and raise essential funds. His efforts were significantly boosted when the Beatles visited one of the early schools he helped establish, with John Lennon donating £1,000—a substantial sum that drew considerable media attention.
Groundbreaking Educational and Residential Initiatives
Baron's practical achievements were monumental. In 1965, he secured premises in Ealing, west London, to open what would become the Sybil Elgar school—the world's first autism-specific educational institution. Timothy Baron and Lorna Wing's daughter, Susan, were among its first pupils.
Recognising that support should not end in childhood, Baron later championed the creation of Somerset Court in 1974, the world's first residential community for autistic adults. Located near Brent Knoll in Somerset, this facility provided lifelong accommodation and care for 21 residents, including his son Timothy.
Legal Campaigns and Later Advocacy
Baron's legal background proved instrumental in broader societal change. He was part of a group of lawyers who campaigned for the Education (Handicapped Children) Act 1970, which guaranteed all children, regardless of disability, the right to an education—a landmark victory for inclusive schooling.
In his later years, Baron expressed concern that the needs of severely autistic individuals, like his son, might be overlooked as understanding of the autism spectrum expanded. He advocated passionately for more learning disability nurses within the NHS and greater awareness of welfare deputies to support disabled people without family assistance.
Personal Life and Legacy
Born in Willesden, north-west London, in 1928, Michael Baron was the son of a lawyer and a doctor. He attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, before qualifying as a solicitor and establishing his own practice in Twickenham.
He was married twice: first to Mie Wadsted, with whom he had three children, and later to social worker Hetty Thieme. After selling his law firm in 1990, he moved to the Lake District, where he campaigned against nuclear waste disposal and supported local conservation efforts. He also helped establish the Words by the Water literary festival in Keswick and published a poetry anthology, The Gingko Tree and Other Poems, in 2023.
Baron was appointed MBE in 1980 for his services to autism. Carol Povey, a former director of the Centre for Autism at NAS, described him and his contemporaries as "formidable—a force of nature" who were "admirable, fierce and so skilled at making change happen."
He is survived by his son Timothy, daughter Saskia, grandson Jacob, and sister Margaret. His legacy endures through the countless lives touched by the institutions and awareness he helped build, ensuring that autism is met with understanding and support rather than ignorance and neglect.
