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During the first week of April, people all over the UK will be marking Autism Awareness Week. The event was set up by the National Autistic Society and works to raise funds to encourages people to fund campaigns that work to enrich the lives of those with autism. The week is arranged around World Autism Day, which is internationally recognised on April 2 every year.
According to the National Autism Society, 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 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.
According to statistics, there are around 700,000 people on the autism spectrum in the UK. Despite this, at least one in three adults with autism have said they have experienced severe mental health difficulties due to a lack of support. Similarly, 34% of children on the autism spectrum say they are picked on at school, 17% of children with autism have been suspended from school because of a lack of understanding and support for their behaviour and only 16% of adults with autism are in full time paid employment and only 32% are in some kind of paid work.
Speaking to reporters, Mark Lever, the Chief Executive of the NAS, said: "World Autism Week is a unique time for everyone to learn more about autism, whether it's the general public, teachers or politicians.
"Almost everyone has heard of autism now but we continue to hear from autistic people and their families who miss out on an education, struggle to find work or become extremely isolated, often due to misunderstandings about autism could transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of autistic people.
"We encourage everyone to visit our website, watch our new film and learn about the big five things autistic people and families tell us what they want the public to understand."
