Autism Awareness Day

The United Nations World Autism Awareness Day aims to increase people’s awareness about people, especially children, with autism.

Who celebrates?

Everyone – it’s a global awareness day!

How do people celebrate?

• The day often features educational events for teachers, health care workers and parents, as well as exhibitions showcasing work created by children with autism
• Organisations raise awareness of the needs of employees, volunteers and service users who have autism and celebrate role models.

What should I know?

• Autism is more frequently diagnosed in boys as it presents differently in girls and often is incorrectly diagnosed
• Although there are some common traits that autistic people experience, autism affects different people in different ways
• There is no reliable statistic for how many people have autism in the UK, but studies suggest it could be up to 3%.

How can I support others?

• Do not assume that everyone experiences autism in the same way and beware of stereotypes
• Use the additional resources to educate yourself about autism
• Talk to your colleagues about the disability representation among your volunteer, employee and service user population and what you’re doing to ensure you are representative
• Make your colleagues and service users aware of the accessibility and adjustments available in your organisation.

Gov. Autism statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/autism-statistics

Mind: Supporting people with autism and mental health problems: https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/4259/autism-guide-web-version.pdf

National Autistic Society: What is Autism: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism

TedX: Women and Autism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MA7o6FgPRU