Monday 29 March to Sunday 4 April is World Autism Awareness Week and we’re joining organisations around the country to raise awareness of the condition and to help make the world a friendlier place for those who are affected.
Our aim is to help autistic people to be accepted, understood and treated fairly within their communities.
Autism is many things but, at its simplest, it is a different way of viewing and experiencing the world.
Autism is a neurological condition and a developmental disorder, not a disease, and around 1 in 100 – 700,000 - people in the UK have autism. It is something that a person is born with and which will impact them throughout their lives. This means that autism is often referred to as a neurodevelopmental condition - it is something you can’t change with medicine and there is no cure for autism.
Autism is a spectrum condition, meaning that people with autism share certain characteristics but are also very individual in their areas of strength, needs and what they like.
Autism is a disorder that affect a person’s communication skills and social interactions, including repetitive behaviours and activities. This can include communication: difficulties using and interpreting speech, written words and non-verbal language such as gestures; difficulties expressing emotions and recognising or understanding the feeling and intentions of others (‘reading’ other people) and being highly focused on particular subjects, objects, routines and rituals.
You can find out more about autism and get support and advice via the National Autistic Society website or please visit the Norfolk Autism Partnership website .