World Autism Awareness Week 2021

Written by Claire Cooper, 2021

*This blog has been written by a neurotypical professional working closely with autistic children and young people. Throughout this blog, the term ‘autistic people’ has been used, as an abundance of research suggests this is preferred by autistic individuals. *

Happy World Autism Awareness Week! Since last year’s celebration, children and young people with across the world have been significantly affected, especially those on the autism spectrum.

For many autistic children and young people, a significant challenge that has been faced this year is the disruption to routine and established structures which they are used to and rely upon. In addition to this, socialisation has become extremely limited due to the need for social distancing, leading to increased feelings of social withdrawal. Access to support and family provisions have been temporarily reduced, despite the hard work of those supporting autistic children and young people. This has led to increased demand on families of autistic children. Despite these challenges, autistic children and young people have shown significant resilience and strength in adversity through adapting and coping with these changes, and for that reason this year’s World Autism Awareness Week is even more cause for celebration!

So, what is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) is an umbrella term that can be used to describe a number of symptoms/behaviours which can affect how individuals process and understand the world around them. The term ASC is inclusive of conditions such as autism, Asperger syndrome and other developmental disorders. Individuals with a diagnosis of autism are often referred to as being neurodiverse; those without a diagnosis of autism are referred to as being neurotypical. The severity of symptoms, and way in which autistic individuals behave, vary hugely within the autistic population. This is why ASC is referred to as a spectrum condition, as individuals can be in any position along the spectrum in different areas of their functioning, such as non-verbal communication, stimming and eye contact to name a few. Individuals on the autism spectrum often have particular strengths and abilities, such as special interests, trustworthyness and reliability.

Does autism affect people across the world?

Yes! Autism is a relatively common condition, predicted to affect 1 in 160 people globally - (World Health Organization, 2021) though estimates of prevalence vary significantly throughout the scientific literature (1). The extent to which autism affects the individual is linked to the society in which the individual lives. For example, ease of access to diagnosis can impact the rate of diagnosis within a country. Limited access to medical care can create challenges for diagnosis, meaning children may get diagnosed later in life. Research suggests there is a global range for age of diagnosis between 38 and 120 months (van ’t Hof et al., 2020) (2). Early support is repeatedly seen to be crucial for positive outcomes for autistic people and their families.

Variations in access to support, age of diagnosis and outcomes are also seen to be due to gender, with girl’s and boy’s diagnostic varying greatly, at a ratio of 1:4 respectively, however more recent estimates suggest this could be 1:3 as awareness of female autism increases (Ratto et al., 2017) (3). One of the reasons for the differences in gender diagnoses is that girls who present autistic behaviours and traits are simply often overlooked - the original model of autism was orientated around male behaviours. This means girls will often not meet the specific assessment criteria due to the wording of the criteria. Girls are also often misdiagnosed, as they are able to ‘mask’ their behaviours and are often seen to fit within the crowd. This can cause significant problems for these girls, including depression, anxiety and low self-esteem (Arky, 2021) (4)

How can I help?

Educate yourself and others!

The purpose of World Autism Awareness week is to raise awareness about how to make the world more inclusive for autistic people. A key way to do this is through educating yourself and others about experiences from the perspective of autistic people where possible. It is important to remember that one autistic person’s experience is not necessarily the same for all, and therefore taking time to learn from many perspectives is essential. Online there are many blogs, educational and social media pages where you can learn about the experiences of those on the autistic spectrum and how you can support them.  A few examples of these include:

• https://life-with-aspergers.blogspot.com
• https://theinvisiblestrings.com
• https://storiesaboutautism.com
• @TheAutismDaddy (Twitter)
• @FindingCoopersVoice (Instagram)

Support family or friends who are caregivers for an autistic person

Caring for and/or supporting an autistic person can be extremely rewarding, creating a sense of fulfillment and life satisfaction.  This work can also be demanding. An important way to show support to family or friends in this position is by giving them a break from their daily routine, even in small ways such as cooking, cleaning and providing childcare.

Support an autistic co-worker

The theme for World Autism Awareness Week 2021 is ‘Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World’. Have a think about your workplace and whether there is anything you can do to make it more accessible for an autistic colleague. Remember, autism can be an ‘invisible’ condition and therefore you may not know if a colleague is autistic. For this reason, it is important that all workplaces are supportive environments. Think about the kind of discussions you have and whether you could implement any changes to make your workplace more inclusive, in particular addressing the challenges colleagues may have in the post-pandemic world.

Respect

Above all, treat autistic people with dignity and respect. Interactions with autistic people may vary greatly depending on where the person is on the spectrum, and therefore all interactions should be patient, calm and mindful. Asking appropriate questions about their experience and how you can help in future is a way of demonstrating respect. Respect can be shown in non-verbal ways too, by giving autistic people control and autonomy over their own lives and providing opportunity for choice. 

For more information about World Autism Awareness Week, please visit:

https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money/world-autism-awareness-week

Click here for more information on School Staff Training courses.

References: 

Arky, B., 2021. Why Many Autistic Girls Are Overlooked. [online] Child Mind Institute. Available at: <https://childmind.org/article/autistic-girls-overlooked-undiagnosed-autism/> [Accessed 21 March 2021].

Van ’t Hof, M., Tisseur, C., van Berckelear-Onnes, I., van Nieuwenhuyzen, A., Daniels, A., Deen, M., Hoek, H. and Ester, W., 2020. Age at autism spectrum disorder diagnosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2012 to 2019. Autism, p.136236132097110.

Ratto, A., Kenworthy, L., Yerys, B., Bascom, J., Wieckowski, A., White, S., Wallace, G., Pugliese, C., Schultz, R., Ollendick, T., Scarpa, A., Seese, S., Register-Brown, K., Martin, A. and Anthony, L., 2017. What About the Girls? Sex-Based Differences in Autistic Traits and Adaptive Skills. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(5), pp.1698-1711.

World Health Organization, 2021. Autism spectrum disorders. [online] Who.int. Available at: <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders> [Accessed 21 March 2021].