Phoenix at ERC marks Autism Awareness Day
Sunday 2 April 2023
This year, Autism Awareness Week takes place during week Monday 27 March to Sunday 2 April and the theme is COLOUR.
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental condition which affects how people communicate and relate to the world around them.
This can affect how Autistic people communicate with others and also how they deal with sights, sounds and changes in their environment.
Autism is known as an invisible disability, because you cannot tell just by looking at someone that they have autism.
Autism can present itself in different ways in different people and all Autistic people will likely have different experiences of how Autistic Spectrum Condition impacts them.
How can we be aware?
For some Autistic people, routines can be very important to their everyday lives because it relieves the stress of the unknown and make life seem less overwhelming.
Many Autistic children can attend mainstream schools but others may go to schools that are dedicated to special educational needs.
Another common experience of some Autistic people is overstimulation of the senses or sensory overload. Lots of loud noises, which some of us may not even notice can sometimes be experienced in an entirely different way by an Autistic person.
Even though ASC is very common, there are still lots of people who do not fully understand what it is or why some people react or behave in different ways than others. This is why events like Autism Awareness Week are really important for spreading awareness and helping to make the world a more accepting place.