Autism Awareness Week 2021

This year’s World Autism Awareness Week (29 March – 4 April) feels more important than ever. It’s an opportunity to think about the society we want to live in when we leave lockdown – and the small things we can all do to make it work better for autistic children, adults and their families.

What is autism?

Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. There are approximately 700,000 autistic people in the UK, and only 16 per cent of autistic adults are in full-time employment.

Autistic people:

• need more time to process questions, requests and instructions
• may struggle meeting new people
• may struggle to pick up on the unwritten rules
• may find office environments overwhelming
• may struggle with small talk and workplace relationships.

Autistic strengths:

• intense focus
• attention to detail
• considered and reflective approach
• honesty and integrity
• creative thinking.

How to help autistic colleagues:

• give clear instructions and put important points in writing for clarification
• don’t rely on body language or facial expressions to communicate
• give anxious or agitated colleagues space and time to recover
• offer to be a buddy for work social events.

1. Autistic people can feel anxiety about changes or unexpected events 

You can imagine how tough the disruption and frequent rule changes of the past 12 months have been. The easing of the lockdown rules will be welcome for many but will mean more change and some autistic people will be anxious about this.

Tip: Always try to give notice about upcoming changes to plans. Be specific about what is changing, why and what the new plan or rules are.

2. Autistic people can be under or over sensitive to sound, smells, light, taste and touch (this is called sensory sensitivity)

One of the hard-fought changes to government rules were that those autistic people who could not wear a face covering, usually for sensory reasons, did not have to. We can all make similar allowances in everyday life to support autistic people with sensory sensitives, once the lockdown ends. 

Tip: If someone you know has sensory sensitivities, ask them what you could do to help. There is often a simple fix to the environment, like dimming a light, turning down music or letting an autistic student or colleague wear ear defenders if they need to.  

3. Autistic people need clear communication and time to process information, like questions or instructions 

Many autistic people found the pace and number of new rules around coronavirus overwhelming, and the abstract language and metaphors used in government guidance hard to understand. They were overloaded by too much information.   

Tip: Think about how you can keep your language direct and clear, especially at school or in the workplace and for the most important instructions.  

4. Autistic people can face high levels of anxiety in social situations 

Early in the pandemic, there were assumptions that lockdown might be preferable for autistic people. This has been true for some people. But for many it has compounded the loneliness they experienced before.   

Tip: Make sure you’re putting in the effort to include your autistic friends or family members in the ways they’d like to be included.  

5. Autistic people can have difficulties communicating and interacting with others

Some autistic people will be anxious about being overloaded by the sudden increase in interactions and worried they’ll end up feeling left out and still isolated.  

Tip: If someone is feeling overwhelmed, give them the space and time they need to quietly recover. And, if possible, think about if there is anything you can do to help them to feel less overwhelmed in the future.  

Any of these five challenges could leave autistic people feeling on the edge of overload, and even lead to a meltdown or a shutdown. 

Thanks to everyone who is supporting World Autism Awareness Week this year, and helping us to create a better society for autistic people.