ED&INEWS
Your quarterly equality, diversity and inclusion newsletter
WHAT IS AUTISM?
The theme for our May 2023 newsletter is Autism. This month we are raising awareness of and providing support and advice about autism whilst covering topics such as sensory overload, misdiagnosis, common symptoms, and the important effort to remove the stigmatised labels associated with the condition.
IN THIS ISSUE:
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF THOSE LIVING WITH AUTISM
DISCOVER HOW TO BEST SUPPORT SOMEONE WITH AUTISM
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental condition that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others People with ASD often have difficulty with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests. It's important to note as a spectrum condition, the experience of people with autism varies from individual to individual as we'll explore in a bit more detail.
USEFUL CONTACTS FOR AUTISM SUPPORT
DISCOVER AUTISM FRIENDLY DAYS OUT IN YOUR AREA
MAY 2023 ISSUE THREE ED&I NEWSLETTER © Apprenticeship Connect May 2023
WHAT IS SENSORY OVERLOAD?
Sensory overload can be a common symptom of autism. This is where a person’s senses take in more information than a person can process, for example; background noises can be loud and overbearing, faint smells can be strong and pungent, and the eyes may take in an abundance of details really quickly.
When our senses take in too much, too quickly it can cause an overload, meaning people can feel overwhelmed, anxious, scared or even feel physical pain A person's response to this can differ, as can the signs of someone having a sensory overload
TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT A HYPERSENSITIVITY TO SOUND FEELS LIKE
THERE A WAY TO OVERCOME IT?
One of the common responses to sensory overload is stimming (self-stimulatory behaviours). These are repetitive behaviours that are both distracting and self-soothing. Examples include hand-flapping, rocking or repeating words or phrases. These can often help but not cure the symptoms
ED&I NEWSLETTER © Apprenticeship Connect May 2023
IS
WHAT ARE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM IN ADULTS
Autism is a wide and varied condition that effects adults and children and men and women in a hugely different way. The following list comprises of common examples of positive characteristics of an individual with autism's identity.
PROBLEM SOLVING ROUTINE
Individuals with autism often have preferences for sameness making them punctual, organised and reliable colleagues.
People with autism may be good at seeing patterns or solutions, and be good at seeing solutions to problems that other people might not have
HIGHLY FOCUSED INTERESTS RETAINING INFORMATION
People with autism may have highly-focused interests which can make them very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Individuals with autism are often very good at paying attention to detail, meaning their work is consistently high quality
OBJECTIVE THINKERS
People with autism often have a very objective way of thinking meaning they often make fair judgements using knowledge rather than feelings and emotions.
It's common for people with autism to be able to memorise and recall information really well
TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK
We would just like you to take a minute to think about how you have heard people with autism described. Has it always been positive? If not consider how the consistent use of negative labels could effect how an individual views themselves and their position within society Do you think celebrating an individual's unique qualities and removing stigmatised labels is important for more people to feel accepted in society?
| 3 ISSUE THREE
WHAT SOME OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS HAVE HAD TO SAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH AUTISM
WHAT DOES AUTISM MEAN TO YOU?
"Growing up it seemed a bit of a stigma, you get that label across your head, and you're seen as less able than others I feel like sometimes I stand out for the wrong reasons because autism is overlooked sometimes by people they’ll think that I won’t be able to do this or that when actually some of the cleverest people in the world are autistic."
Apprenticeship Connect Learner
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE?
"I’ve had a lot of difficulties during school, I couldn’t go to a mainstream school because it was too difficult. I couldn’t cope, there was a lot of bullying, a lot of stigma and people didn’t understand me. Both kids and teachers presumed that if you had a meltdown you were a naughty boy. I do still struggle to get out of the house each day just because of the social anxiety which is partly a result of my autism."
Apprenticeship Connect Learner
DID ANYTHING CHANGE FOR YOU TO START BECOMING MORE ACCEPTING TOWARDS YOUR AUTISM?
"For me, the reason I started to be more open was that I started to become defined in a certain way which was typically negative such as unemotional and serious. I then realised that now I need to take ownership of this and tell people why so they can begin to understand this isn’t someone trying to be a certain way this is just who I am."
Apprenticeship Connect Colleague HOW, AS A SOCIETY CAN WE LOOK AT SUPPORTING OTHERS WHO HAVE AUTISM?
"We’ve all got facets about us that are disadvantaged across society, what we need to do is find a way of equalising and not having those become a factor to work towards equal treatment for all."
Apprenticeship Connect Colleague
ED&I NEWSLETTER
IN THE NEWS: RAMADAN ON THE SPECTRUM - 'HOW AUTISM AFFECTS HOW I CELEBRATE THE HOLY MONTH'
Hassaan Mohammad, from Birmingham, is autistic and says he struggles with the change to his daily routine during Ramadan
“I've always found the change in routine difficult as I struggle with sleeping at the best of times,” he says “There's not the usual routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner so occupying myself is harderthis is part of the challenge for me. ”
READ MORE ABOUT THE STORY HERE
IN THE NEWS: AUTISTIC WOMAN WHO WASN'T DIAGNOSED UNTIL AGE 22 REVEALS SIX WARNING SIGNS OF THE DISORDER THAT ARE OFTEN IGNORED IN GIRLS
RESOURCES FOR DIAGNOSIS ON THE NEXT PAGE
A 23-year-old who didn't find out she was autistic until adulthood has shared six lesserknown signs of the disorder that are often disregarded in girls.
Jennifer, has been sharing her experience with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) since she was diagnosed last year on her own TikTok channel
READMOREABOUTTHESTORYHERE
| 5 ISSUE THREE
RESOURCES
On the next pages, you will find resources that will help support your own, your colleagues or your classmates understanding of autism. It's important to remember that autism is a spectrum condition which means while individuals with autism may share certain difficulties, autism will affect people in different ways, so please consider what support needs the individual will require if any at all. The resources are there as guidance.
AUTISM DIAGNOSIS HELP AND SUPPORT
The symptoms of autism aren't always noticed and can in fact be misdiagnosed in early childhood. If you, a friend or family member or one of your colleagues or classmates are showing signs or autism take a look at the website below for more information on how to breach the topic, the process of diagnosis, post-diagnosis support and much more.
TAKE A LOOK
ED&I NEWSLETTER © Apprenticeship Connect May 2023
TAKE A LOOK HERE
AUTISM FRIENDLY DAYS OUT
Although days out for those living with autism don’t always require specific alterations to environments and surroundings, there are some attractions across the UK which cater specifically for those living with autism. You may want to keep these in mind before planning a day out with a friend, family member or colleague who has autism.
AUTISM SUPPORT CONTACT DETAILS
Autism isn’t a mental health problem but individuals with autism may be more likely to experience a mental health condition To
| 7 ISSUE THREE *StatisticprovidedbytheOfficeofNationalStatistics(ONS)
