What is Autisim
Autism spectrum condition is usually something that is diagnosed in the early years of a child’s life, but not always.
Being autistic means that the way you think about and experience the world is different to most people.
This means you can behave differently to most people and have different strengths and difficulties. For example, some autism characteristics (things you think, feel and do) can make it hard to express yourself in social situations, but you may also be particularly knowledgeable and passionate about topics that interest you.
Autism is highly variable. The word ‘spectrum’ refers to how autism is experienced differently by different people. Autism is considered a spectrum because it’s different for every autistic person; some autistic people might need more support than others to live the lives they want to lead.
The way autism affects you can change as you grow and develop and experience different environments.
Parents of autistic children are often met with hostility for ‘not controlling’ their child when that child may be having a difficult time because of something beyond their control. Autistic adults can be similarly met with confusion or irritation for having a hard time coping with their environment or circumstances.
Imagine being squeezed in from all sides by lots of people, mostly strangers, and there is nowhere to move or escape. You might start to panic and lose control of how you respond – a fight or flight situation in which you can’t really do either. So, what do you do?
This is what it can be like for a person on the spectrum, except instead of people closing in, it might be sounds, lights or smells closing in and invading their headspace.
The individual might panic or shut down. Just as it would be for any of us, this panic will have physical and emotional symptoms unique to every individual, whether on the spectrum or not.
Autism Advocacy was started for this reason. On the one hand, we want to help the general public appreciate the strengths and challenges that individuals on the spectrum can experience.
On the other hand, we want to help communities and businesses in Bristol become more inclusive for people with unseen disabilities like autism.
That can mean making simple changes that will mostly go unnoticed by the public, and yet, these changes can make all the difference to autistic individuals and their families.
At Autism Advocacy, we believe that everyone benefits from a more inclusive society.
