Making Sure That People With Autism Are Included
World Autism Acceptance Week is from 28 March to 3 April 2022. It’s all about helping to create a world that accepts autistic people as they are, and for who they are. It incorporates World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April: on this day we celebrate everything that people with autism have achieved.
What is Autism?
Autism, or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a lifelong developmental condition that is on a spectrum, from severe to mild. The signs of autism differ from person to person, but they often relate to:
- social development and skills
- communication
- being sensitive to stimuli, such as loud noises, bright lights, unfamiliar foods or taste
- feeling overwhelmed in some situations
- difficulty making friends
- disliking changes in routine.
We probably all know someone with autism: one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum, and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.
Being diagnosed early can allow someone with autism to access support that will help them to live a full, happy life. Child Autism UK has been providing help and support to autistic children and their parents in the UK for twenty years. If you have any questions about autism, why not contact them?
How Can We Celebrate World Autism Awareness Day?
There are lots of options! You could raise funds for an autism charity, campaign to raise awareness, run a marathon, abseil for autism, or help your business to become more autism friendly. You might also like to get involved in the Kindness Campaign or wear blue on 2 April to show your support for people with autism.
What’s The Theme This Year?
This year the United Nations has chosen ‘Inclusion in the workplace: Challenges and opportunities in a post-pandemic world’ as its theme. This links back to our last month’s blog post on Down syndrome and inclusion.
The UN is holding a virtual event on Thursday 8 April 2021 from 3–4pm (UK time). It will include panel discussions with people with autism all about work. The pandemic has changed the way we work. Many more of us now work remotely. This may be beneficial for many people with autism, so there has never been a better time for employers to look at their policies around autism.
Myths About Autism
There are many myths around autism: some are not helpful and could even be damaging. Here are some of them – along with the truth.
Myth 1. Autistic People Have a Special Talent.
You’ve probably seen the film Rain Man, where Dustin Hoffman’s character Raymond has an incredible mathematical ability. However, being autistic doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a genius. Research suggests that around 28% of autistic people have a special talent – but scientists don’t yet know why this is.
Myth 2. Autistic People Are Antisocial.
This is not true. Autistic people see and experience the world differently to neurotypical people, that’s all. Some autistic people may be quiet, shy or anxious in social situations, but can’t we all react like this? People with autism may also find body language, tone of voice and sarcasm (non-verbal communication) difficult to interpret (‘Is he being serious? Or is he joking?’).
Myth 3. Only Boys Are Autistic.
Again, this is not accurate. Autism may seem to be more common in boys, but girls with autism tend to be better at ‘masking’ – learning social skills that they copy.
Most importantly, people with autism just want to be treated the same as you’d treat anyone else: with kindness, consideration and care.