Autism awareness week – how can you make a difference?

We are marking World Autism Awareness Week 2019 by encouraging everyone to get involved in creating a better world for people with autism.

There are around 700,000 people in the UK who are on the autism spectrum, and 1 in 10 young people are living with autism.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. This can mean they see, hear and feel the world differently to others.

Autism is what is known as a spectrum condition, meaning it affects individuals in different ways. Some autistic people, for example, also have learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions.

Here are some key facts about autism in the UK:

• There are around 700,000 people on the autism spectrum in the UK – that’s more than 1 in 100.
• 34% of children on the autism spectrum say that the worst thing about being at school is being picked on.
• At least one in three autistic adults are experiencing severe mental health difficulties due to a lack of support
• Only 16% of autistic adults in the UK are in full-time paid employment, and only 32% are in some kind of paid work
• 17% of autistic children have been suspended from school; 48% of these had been suspended three or more times; 4% had been expelled from one or more schools

At Aspiration Training, we believe that a little knowledge and understanding can go a really long way, and can help to improve some of the above statistics.

Having a clear understanding of the misconceptions, diagnoses and support surrounding autism are just some of the essential skills needed when working in childcare, teaching or health and social care.

We offer a fully funded and nationally recognised qualification ‘Certificate in understanding autism’ which can really help to start understanding autism.