Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Today’s post is on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. More than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. Anybody can be diagnosed as Autistic at any age.  With a statistic like this, I’m sure there are people at LB who know or support someone on the spectrum.

Autism is generally defined as a spectrum disorder, which means that it can manifest differently in each person. Any given individual is likely to show some, but not all of the characteristics associated with it, and may exhibit them to varying degrees.

Autistic people may act in a different way to other people

Autistic people may:

• find it hard to communicate and interact with other people
• find it hard to understand how other people think or feel
• find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable
• get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events
• take longer to understand information
• do or think the same things over and over

People with Autism are intelligent problem solvers with a unique skill set.  With high attention to detail, this means Autistic people can bring unique perspectives and solve problems differently within a workplace.

We may not know the person we are talking to is on the spectrum, some people may not feel comfortable disclosing this.

It is our responsibility to show empathy and understanding, by embracing everyone’s differences and abilities so that we can build a positive and inclusive working environment for all.

For more information on Autism, please visit the following links:

What is autism

Autism – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Autism Together – Services for adults with autism and their loved ones