This PowerPoint is to celebrate autism awareness week and to help you further understand autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Awareness.
What is autism.
This section of the PowerPoint will be discussing what autism is.
What is autism? • Autism is much more common than most people think, with about 1 in 100 suffering from it, meaning that around 700,000 people suffer from autism in the UK alone. Autism is not always immediately apparent in those that suffer with it, as it is a lifelong developmental disability and the symptoms can be more severe for some than others. Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to the rest of us and things that might seem straightforward such as language or metaphors can be confusing. Autism is also a spectrum condition, which means that although there are common difficulties, people with autism will be affected in a different variety of ways.
Autism figures: There are around 700,000 people in the UK living with autism, that’s more than 1 in 100 people, so it is likely you know someone with it. 34% of children with autism say the worst about school is being picked on and a massive 48% of children with autism have been suspended from school 3 or more times! 70% of autistic adults say they are not getting the help/ support they need and only 32% of adults with autism are in some kind of paid work.
Autism as a spectrum explained:
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Some people describe autism as a spectrum, with Asperger's syndrome at one end and "classic" autism at the other end. This particular picture describes the autism spectrum as a rainbow to help show people it in a visual way. Asperger's syndrome is seen as the higher functioning part of the spectrum compared the other end which is more lower functioning.
Video on autism Autism: Graeme’s story https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/autism/Pages/autismhome.aspx
Please click the link and watch his story, I found it very upsetting, but with the right treatment, he got through it
Asperger's syndrome explained Asperger's is a life long development disability that effects how a person perceives the world and interacts with others. Although you can not tell a person has Asperger's just by looking at them, it plays a big part in their life. Some things people with Asperger's may find difficult are: • Social communication- they don’t understand jokes & sarcasm and may find it difficult to interpret facial expressions and tone of voice. • Social interaction- they may appear to be insensitive and find it difficult to be around people for long periods of time. They may also appear to behave strangely or in a way thought to be socially inappropriate People with Asperger's often have one or two things they are really interested in which they talk about a lot and know everything about. These interests can change or sometimes be life long. With encouragement and the right support many people with Asperger's use this interest to get a job. Although its kind of cringy this video explains Asperger’s syndrome
Sensory issues and autism Many people with autism suffer from sensory problems. They may be over or under sensitive to light, sound, touch, taste, smells, colors, temperature and pain. Here is a short video to show what it is like for an autistic person with sensory problems. https://youtu.be/Lr4_dOorquQ
Autism and change Many people with autism find change very difficult to deal with from change of plan to change of seating in a classroom. Change can cause great distress and anxiety to a person with autism. People with autism usually have a very rigid routine and get upset when it is changed some examples of change that can upset someone with autism are: • Change in seating • Supply teachers • Change in routine
Autism in the media There are lots of television programmes and films with autistic characters in. I think it is good how they portray people with autism in the media. It helps to give wider awareness and acceptance of autism. Some autistic characters you may know are: • Sam Gardner- Atypical • Shawn Murphy- the good doctor • Carl- Arthur • Dr Sheldon Cooper- the big bang theory • Daniel Conolly- P.S I love you • Joe- the A word • Raymond Babbitt- Rain man However most of the characters in the media who are autistic are boys which is a problem as girls can be autistic too.
Autism and “meltdowns” What is a Autism meltdown? A meltdown is not the same as a temper tantrum. It is when a person is completely overwhelmed, and their condition means it is difficult to express that in appropriate way, it is understandable that the result is a meltdown. How can you help someone when they are having a meltdown: • Give them some time- it may take a while to recover from an information or sensory overload • Calmly ask them if they are ok but bear in mind it may take them some time to respond • Make space- ask people to move along and stop staring, turn down bright music, turn down the lights etc… What does a meltdown look like? A person who is having a meltdown may be crying, shouting, kicking, lashing out or they could be the complete opposite and they may look “spaced out” or not be able to talk.
What is autism awareness day supposed to teach people? Autism awareness day is supposed to teach people, What Autism actually is, And it is supposed to make people not to be horrible to autistic people for the way they act.
thankyou! Thankyou for watching our PowerPoint and we hope you have learned something new about autism today. Remember please do not judge someone with autism and autism isn’t a joke or something to be laughed about. We hope you enjoyed it and have a great rest of your day!
To find out more about autism you can visit the national autistic society website.