Autism Awareness Week
World Autism Awareness Week Monday 26th March to Monday 2nd April
At least 1 in 100 people in the UK have autism... so there are autistic people at your school, who you see every day. We know that indifference and hostility towards autistic people and their families leads to social isolation, mental illness and unhappy lives. But we also know that helping young people – and teachers – to understand autism as they grow up will equip them to accept and empathise with autistic people.
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.
Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways.
World Autism Awareness Week
World Autism Awareness Week aims to increase public understanding of autism and is from 26 March to 2 April, ending on World Autism Awareness Day.
The National Autistic Society are encouraging schools, workplaces and individuals or families to get involved and fundraise for the charity. To find out more, visit:
http://www.autism.org.uk/gWorls et-involved/world-autism-awareness-week.aspx.
Top tips when communicating
Speak clearly and precisely using short sentences. A child with autism can find it difficult to filter out the less important information.
Don’t use too many questions. Children with autism may find ‘where’, ‘when’, and ‘who’ questions difficult. ‘Why’ questions may not be useful.
Be aware of the environment (noisy/crowded) that you are in. It may be affecting how much a child can process.
Always use the child’s name at the beginning, when you are saying something, so that they know you are talking to them.
Using visual supports (drawings, gesture, symbols, photos, written words) can be a useful way to help children to understand and use language
How can I find out more?
Visit National Autistic society:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asd.aspx
The Autism Education Trust
www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk
The Autism Research Centre
Sesame Street and Autism