Want to Do One Thing for Autism?
This is the place. Discover the top 6 things that people with autism would like other people to be aware of and simple things you can do to help. Click the button and Do One Thing For Autism now.
98% of Australians have heard of autism, but only 15% of autistic people believe non-autistic people really understand how autism affects them.
One thing you could do for autism is to take our quiz and test your understanding of autism.
Autistic people can find social situations incredibly challenging.
Expressions and sayings can create confusion due to the literal way autistic people process language. Autistic people can become exhausted trying to “keep up” with conversations. Talking clearly and unambiguously about one thing at a time is one thing you can do to ease social anxiety.
Knowing exactly what is going to happen is important for many autistic people.
Changes to routines and unexpected demands can be distressing and create anxiety in autistic people. Providing schedules, making lists, creating clear outcomes and step-by-step plans can really help. Explaining changes to routines or plans ahead of time is one thing you can do to reduce change related anxiety.
People who are autistic tend to be aware of more things going on around them – visually, audibly, physically and aromatically.
Allowing consideration time when asking an autistic person a question, or giving instructions, is fantastic.
Providing processing time is one thing you can do ensure situations don’t become overwhelming.
Acute awareness of light, sound, texture, touch, taste or smell is something many autistic people experience.
To avoid overexposure autistic people may use hats, hoodies, headphones or other sensory avoidant techniques.
Asking an autistic person if they have any sensory sensitivity is a great thing to do.
A stimulation overload as commonly experienced in a shopping centre or busy train station can overwhelm an autistic person and trigger a meltdown.
For an autistic person, a meltdown is an extremely distressing, painful and uncontrollable response.
Giving someone in meltdown space, and not judging them, are simple things you can do to help.
Something that autistic people do to keep themselves calm is repeat behaviour or stimming.
Stimming enables autistic people to deal with anxious situations and avoid becoming overwhelmed. It can be, but is not restricted to, things like twirling, fidgeting, rocking or talking to themselves.
Being okay with an autistic person stimming to quieten themselves is an awesome thing to do.
Want to know more?
Get the high level facts from Amaze’s groundbreaking research in an easy to read fast facts format.
If you want to deep dive for more comprehensive information, you can download our ground-breaking Australian autism research report around ‘General awareness, knowledge and understanding of autism and social isolation’.
1 in 100 Australians are on the autism spectrum.
Yet there is still great misunderstanding around autism and how it impacts people. A helpful introduction to what autism is, access a diagnosis definition here.
Get real insights around the challenges facing autistic people with our real stories. In one story, Sarah, diagnosed as autistic as an adult, and a mother of an autistic primary school aged boy, shares how having an understanding of autism creates greater opportunities for all.
Autistic people want the community to understand 6 ways autism affects people and simple ways you can support them and help create an autism friendly world.
From being supportive in social situations, to providing more time to process information at work and at school, to getting an understanding of what stimming is, there are a range of simple ‘one things’ we can all do to make a world of difference.