To mark World Autism Day and World Autism Acceptance Month, the National Autistic Society (NAS) has launched a new campaign that highlights how the general public can make autistic people feel more accepted.
The new campaign, It’s How You Show Up, aims to improve public understanding of autism and change attitudes and behaviour towards autistic people.
It comes as a new survey from the charity reveals more than half of autistic people avoid going out because of negative reactions from the public. A quarter of respondents also said they usually get a negative reaction when they say they are autistic. In addition, nine in 10 autistic people have experienced poor mental health due to attitudes or perceptions of autism, and 84% have experienced social isolation.
The YouGov survey found the public recognises the negative impact that a lack of understanding of autism can have on autistic people, with nearly half of UK adults thinking autistic people receive negative reactions from others when they share their autism diagnosis.
Peter Watt, Managing Director of National Programmes at the National Autistic Society, said: “Although autism understanding has improved massively in recent years, autistic people and their families still face negative perceptions that can make it harder to get helpful adjustments in their day-to-day lives, at school and work, or even preventing them from going out at all.
“There are many simple, everyday ways the public can make a huge difference to autistic people and their families. Whether that’s taking steps to understand an autistic person’s experience of the world, allowing time for them to process information and space to regulate, or advocating for autistic colleagues in the workplace. We have lots of information and advice available on our website and invite everyone to get involved and show up for autistic people this World Autism Acceptance Month.”
The top three changes autistic people wish the public would make to better support autistic people are:
The NAS has also created a new film to share as part of the campaign’s launch. The film features the Wakeman family, including autistic father and daughter Chris and nine-year-old Penny. Elements of the family’s real lives were incorporated into the film, including Chris’s powerful emotion when talking about his hopes for his daughter’s future in a more autism-friendly world.
Chris Packham, National Autistic Society Celebrity Ambassador, added: “Autism doesn’t always look how you may think it looks. Autistic people are capable, intelligent, sensitive and able – don’t judge us. People have shown up for me at work by having a better understanding of me and how to be empathetic.
“We wanted to be a part of this campaign because, as a late diagnosed autistic man, it is important for us to help identify and show that it has been really difficult just to get to this point. We are all committed to raising the profile of autism, particularly in girls, and how to identify it and deal with it empathetically without setting people apart.
“People showed up for me and it not only improved my life, it made my life possible, and sometimes it’s the smallest, simplest things which can make the biggest difference.”
