Autism Acceptance Week

People with autism may:

• Be over or under-sensitive to light, sound and pain
• Have a very literal understanding of language
• Find open-ended questions difficult to answer
• Need more time to process information
• Respond to medication very individually
• Find it very stressful when appointments run late

Adjustments need to be tailored to each individual, but consider:

• Asking clear, specific questions
• Giving people time to process what you’ve said before asking more questions
• Checking people understand what you’ve said even if they appear to have done so
• Adjusting to any sensory needs – e.g. reducing electric lighting if possible
• Scheduling appointments at the start of the day to reduce delays and time spent in the waiting room.

For more information visit www.autism.org.uk

​​​​​​Even if you mean well, these are some common things to avoid saying to someone with autism:

• You don’t look autistic
• We’re all a bit autistic aren’t we?
• Where on the spectrum are you?
• I’ll be back in a minute (unless you really will be back in 60 seconds exactly)
• What’s your special ability?

Watch this BBC video to see some more examples

This information has been shared with us by Joanna* and is about her experiences of having autism:

*Name has been changed.

When I was 10, I found out that I am autistic. It made me feel relieved as it gave me an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of myself and answered lots of questions in my mind. My diagnosis means I’m now able to access various kinds of support and I’ve learnt much more about autism.

Did you know that many more males are currently diagnosed as autistic than females? Statistics show that there are three males for every one female diagnosed which leads Many people think that autism is more prevalent in males than females. But this is not necessarily the case, so why is it that more males are diagnosed than females? Many autistic girls receive late diagnoses and are also more likely to be described as ‘anxious’ with an actual diagnosis often being ignored. This is because many girls have developed an ability to mask their difficulties, like behaving in a particular way because they have learnt that other people do the same.

However, times are changing and more and more girls are receiving a diagnosis, which helps girls to understand themselves better and develop a more positive attitude to their differences. People often misunderstand what autism actually is, because the spectrum is so wide and presents differently in every individual. So what actually is it?

Autism spectrum condition is a neurological condition that effects the way a person’s brain processes information. Many autistic people find social communication and interaction very challenging. Here are some other challenges faced by autistic girls, but remember – the spectrum presents differently in everyone:

• Difficulty forming new friendships – Believe it or not, in the comfort of my own home, I rarely shut up! I can seem shy and quiet at first, but this is because I take a long time to become comfortable around new people, and the thought of talking to new people causes me extreme anxiety and stress.
• Difficulty in the ability to adapt – I have a very specific order and routine for almost everything I do and if something unexpected happens I find it very hard to change my routine, which can sometimes cause meltdowns.
• Literal understanding of information – Autistic people sometimes take information literally, meaning that they struggle to have conversations because they often don’t understand things like metaphors, sarcasm and figure of speech. For example, when I was about four, I arrived home and my mum told me to put my bag in the toilet (meaning the toilet room). Me, taking it literally, actually put my bag in the toilet. That was the end of my Peppa Pig bag! Even now, as a 15 year old, I experience similar confusion on a daily basis, especially with sarcasm and figures of speech.
• Sensory processing issues – I could write a whole speech on sensory processing issues. But to name one, I can’t filter out noise. For example, if I am trying to listen to a teacher in a noisy classroom, or my friends in the canteen, my brain will tune into insignificant noises – one minute all I can hear is the clock ticking, and the next, I’ll randomly tune in to someone else’s conversation on the other side of the room.
• Avoiding eye contact – The chances are, if you insist that I look at you when you are talking to me, I won’t be able to process what you are saying. You might think I am daydreaming or being rude, but really I am concentrating, because making eye contact in any situation makes me very uncomfortable.

However, there are definite benefits of being autistic:

• Memory skills – When revising, I can often memorise my notes just by reading them a few times. Sometimes this happens without me even realising. Another example is I can listen to a song a couple of times and learn all the words without trying to.
• Special interests – When an autistic person is interested in something, they will probably know everything there is to know about that specific subject and want to talk about it all day. But because they are so interested, and can apply themselves fully to this interest, many autistic people grow up to become experts in their field. For example, Greta Thunberg.
• Organisation – I, like many autistic people, am very organised. My bedroom is never a mess, I do everything in order and I always have to keep everything in the same place. If this can’t happen, it can sometimes make me stressed, but also means that I am always organised for school and could also help me be a good employee in the future.