World Autism Awareness Day

Today April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. A time to celebrate and while in the past the aim of the day was to to raise awareness around Autism. Now however thanks in part to the tireless work of Organisations and advocates we now embrace Acceptance over Awareness looking to support people with Autism and advocating for their rights.

When it comes to Employment it’s clear we still have a long way to go. With a recorded 22% of Adults with Autism in employment there’s more to do to ensure everyone gets the chance to find meaningful employment.

First off what exactly is Autism?

Autism is a neurological condition that impacts the way you interact with the world around you. Sometimes it affects your communication, your senses or even your behaviour. It varies from person to person and is the reason we call it a Spectrum Condition. It’s been called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and you might have also heard it been called ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’, but we no longer use that terminology.

While it impacts people differently there are common factors that affect people with a diagnosis.

Need for Routine: You’ll find yourself wanting a routine and anything that affects that might cause you to become overwhelmed.

Sensory Needs: You might have acute hearing or struggle with flashing lights and need to avoid being exposed to such environments.

Social Interaction: Stereotypically people on the Spectrum are classed as Anti-Social but in reality you just need a little help understanding others. Almost like playing a game where everyone else knows the rules but you.

Autism and Employment

It’s easy to dismiss those with Autism, especially when it comes to Employment, but by doing so, you’ll be robbing yourself of talented individuals. People with Autism have plenty to offer employers and a wide array of skills. The image below is from our Autism Training session we offer to staff to give them the knowledge they need to support our clients on their Employment Journey.

You might not have even thought of these traits when you think of Autism. But in reality people with Autism bring to the table such an amazing set of skills and while it’s true they might require more support the pay off in the long run will leave you with a motivated employee who will bring their very best and isn’t that worth it in the end?

Working Well Trust Kingston

Working Well Trust Kingston is our supported employment team for the Royal Borough of Kingston. We work with our clients Autistic and not to support their employment journey. You can find out more about the team by clicking here. What you need to know is that if you are a resident of the Royal Borough of Kingston with a diagnosis of Autism looking to make that step we’ll be there to support you.