From the 2nd to the 8th of April, it is World Autism Acceptance Week! This is a yearly week dedicated to raising awareness about Autism and educating people about what being autistic may truly mean for someone. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to talk about many of the challenges that people with autism may experience in their day-to-day lives, but also celebrate the triumphs that they experience too!
Autism is what is known as a spectrum condition, meaning that it can affect people in very different ways and it is currently thought that around 1 in 100 people are on the autistic spectrum. Whilst what people can experience varies, certain traits are quite common…
- People with autism may have difficulty recognising or understanding other people’s emotions, and expressing their own.
- They can also often become overstimulated after experiencing things like bright lights, loud noises and crowded spaces.
- They can become hyper-fixated on interests and hobbies.
- Sometimes it may take a little longer to process information.
- Preferring familiar routines, and finding it difficult when something may happen to disrupt that routine or perhaps they are put into unfamiliar surroundings.
At Burton and District Mind, our focus is on mental health, which can impact everyone in some shape or form. Due to some of the challenges that people with autism face, they can often struggle with their mental health too. The National Autistic Society say that 70% of autistic people experience mental health problems.
Why might this be?
People with autism may often find it hard to fit in with non-neurodiverse people, especially when non-neurodiverse people may not understand the difficulties that autistic people may be experiencing. This could cause increased feelings of loneliness, and as we’ve spoken about before that is something that could impact someone’s mental health.
Unfortunately, there is also quite a lot of stigma and discrimination surrounding Autism, which is why it is so important that on weeks like this, we take the time to truly provide as much education as possible!
For a lot of people with autism, it may also be quite difficult for them to get the support that they need, especially regarding their mental health.
However, we also feel it’s important to mention that just because someone has Autism, that does not make them any less capable. It is quite the opposite, so it is so important that we remember to offer extra understanding and empathy, but also remembering not to belittle.
At Burton and District Mind, we are proud to have a diverse team, who are willing to go out of their way to adapt to the needs of the people who need our help, so that we can provide the best possible support.
We are truly here for everyone so please if you need support, come and talk to us. We will help you!
For more information about how you can get involved with World Autism Acceptance Week, you can find lots of information and resources available at the National Autism Society website, which can be found here -> https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money/world-autism-acceptance-week-2024
If you need support for your mental health, please reach out to us today, you can find our contact info here -> https://www.burtonmind.co.uk/contact-us
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If you’d like to read more about the services that we have available, you can find more info here -> https://www.burtonmind.co.uk/ourservices