Let’s talk about Autism! Around 1-2% of the UK’s population is Autistic. It’s important to have conversations about Autism in your organisation or workplace, but it’s not always easy. So, how can you confidently engage in and start conversations about Autism and neurodiversity?  

Every individual has a different experience with Autism so it’s important to not generalise conversations. Instead, make sure you are having conversations on an individual’s experience, a specific topic with many perspectives and experiences (to name a few)  

When talking about Autism it’s important that you are using correct terminology.  

Use Terminology Such As: 

• Many individuals prefer to be referred to as an Autistic person rather than a person with Autism. – However, it’s important to note that not every individual uses the same terminology to describe who they are and their experiences. You may come across people who prefer to describe themselves as “person with Autism” rather than “Autistic person” so make sure you always listen and ask how an individual prefers to be addressed.  
• “neurodiversity” “neurotypical” “neurodivergent” 

Avoid Terminology Such As: 

• Referring to Autism as a disorder, instead use terminology such as, condition or disability.  
• Mild or Severe – Low or High functioning, instead use descriptions based on one individual at a time, e.g “she struggles with…”  
• “Suffering from Autism” 

Despite the information listed above, the most important advice we can give you on terminology is to always as the individual you are addressing on what they prefer and listen to what they tell you.

Stimming, masking, and sensory overload  

Stimming can look like head-banging, hand-flapping, rocking, jumping etc and is often done for enjoyment, to deal with stress or anxiety, putting thoughts back into order or reduce sensory input to name a few.  

Masking is known as a survival strategy to be accepted by society in places where autism is not welcomed or understood and a lot of the time this is nearly everywhere. Masking can become a tiring and overwhelming experience although it often helps autistic people avoid being harassed at work or school for example.  

Masking looks different from person to person and is most likely done by women. Masking can include behaviours such as:  

• Hiding or minimising personal interests  

• Mimicking gestures of others 
• Scripting conversations 
• Forcing or faking eye contact during conversations 
• Forcing themselves through intense sensory difficulties such as loud noises or extremely bright lights 

Sensory overload happens when getting more input from the 5 senses than your brain can sort through and process, which in turn makes someone become extremely overwhelmed. Sensory overload can happen to anyone, but is commonly paired with the autism spectrum.

When an autistic person becomes overwhelmed, they may experience a meltdown, which is when someone temporarily loses behavioural control when overwhelmed by the environment they are in/situations they are facing. This results in someone crying, screaming, or running away, to name a few.

Symptoms of sensory overload include: 

• A sense of discomfort 
• Difficulty focusing  
• Extreme sensitivity to clothing or other textures 
• Becoming easily overwhelmed or restlessness  
• Experiencing an increase in stress or anxiety 

Are you looking to expand your knowledge or your staff team’s knowledge on Autism? View our available Autism training HERE

Keep an eye out for our upcoming courses on Autism by visiting www.halostaffing.co.uk