
World Autism Acceptance Week is between 28 March and 3 April 2022. It was set up by the National Autistic Society and this year the society celebrates its 60th birthday.
The National Autistic Society website has a large amount of information abut autism and information on what it is like to live with autism. Autism affects people for a lifetime and can affect how people communicate and interact with the world. It is a spectrum disorder and can affect people to varying degrees and in different ways.
Autistic people may.
- Struggle with social communication and social interaction – from having limited speech or not being able to speak to not understanding sarcasm. Autistic people may have difficulties ‘reading’ other people.
- Engage in repetitive and restrictive behaviour – because the world can seem an unpredictable place Autistic people can prefer to have their own routines for doing things. Changes in routine can be distressing.
- Find themselves over or under sensitive to light, sound, taste or touch.
- Have highly focussed interests or hobbies. Autistic people may gain a huge amount of pleasure from these interests, but it may mean they neglect other areas of their lives.
- Experience high anxiety when faced with change.
- Experience meltdowns and shutdowns – when everything becomes too much for an autistic person, they can have a meltdown or shut down. These experiences can be very intense and tiring.
Online Resources
NHS – Autism Support Directory
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