World Autism Acceptance Week

By Amber Parker

27th March – 2nd April 2023

Only 16% of individuals with autism and their families believe that the public have a meaningful understanding of autism. Therefore, this week it is important for us to spread awareness of what it means for people to live with autism, how we can support them and how we can encourage a more inclusive society.

Autism is a developmental learning difficulty, meaning it tends to be diagnosed early on in an individual’s life and is a life-long condition. With an estimated 700,000 adults and children in the UK living with the  condition, it is important we consider how this may impact their day to day lives. With senses being heightened and environments that are typically easy for us to navigate becoming hugely overwhelming to someone with autism, the following video depicts what life can be like through their eyes when seeking employment.

Here at RHG, we strive to recognise everyone’s individual differences and support them as best as we can. We reached out to a few of our learners who have Autism and asked them about the support they received whilst on their apprenticeship:

“I’ve received lots of support both from RHG and my employer. My employer has given me a day to work from home so that I can really concentrate on my work with fewer distractions, my line manager and HR are always making sure that everything is working for me and if I need any more adjustments. My learning coach has been supportive and is always making sure I understand anything and is always happy to have some extra 121’s so that any questions I have can be clarified, my learning coach has also organised for me to have so 121’s with RHG’s functional skills learning coach to help me with my confidence when it comes to presenting so that I feel completely prepared for my EPA. The support has been really beneficial and has helped with my anxiety, it has also helped me stop getting overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do.”

And

“I had massive support. My learning coach specifically did an amazing job – not only making sure that I was up to date with all of my course work by helping me out with things that I may have missed out, but she also helped me revise for my exam by having meetings where we prepare, she helped me with the projects and was also really helpful with my professional discussion. At my old workplace, my manager helped a lot with the knowledge side of things like the explanations, laws and theories. My advisor helped me with the practical side like how to do the inspections which I eventually then did myself, which all helped to complete my qualification and get a distinction. All of those things combined with the support of my coach meant I stayed on track and got my qualification, not just at a pass level but at a distinction level.”

One of our learners also shared the following advice to anyone who has a learning difficulty:

“Just tell people if you need extra time in exams, a reader or anything that could possibly help in the future. Don’t be afraid to ask.”

Everybody is different, those with autism simply have a unique view of the world. Whilst this unique view can sometimes make things more challenging, it can also create some of the most successful, highly skilled individuals. This is because a common trait in those with Autism is that they are highly focused on specific skills and hobbies, usually from a young age. Here are some examples based on people you may know:

• Albert Einstein – Although it is unable to be confirmed, Albert Einstein is believed to have had autism. With a hugely impressive IQ of around 160, this clearly did not stop him from becoming viewed as the most influential physicists of all time.
• Greta Thunberg – Greta quickly rose to fame for her climate activism in 2018, aged just 15. Speaking of her disability, she has said “I have Asperger’s and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And given the right circumstances – being different is a superpower.”
• Dr Vernon Smith – The Nobel Prize-winning Professor of Economics has stated “I don’t feel any social pressure to do things the way other people are doing them, professionally. So I have been more open to different ways of looking at a lot of the problems in economics.”

We hope this blog has broadened your knowledge and given you an idea of what it would be like to live with this condition. Next time you meet someone with autism, whether in the workplace or socially, be a little more understanding and show a little more patience.