Stuart Jacob, Director of Falkland House School, member of the SCSC, writes in the Edinburgh Evening News on World Autism Awareness Week:
This week marks World Autism Awareness Week, where campaigners will seek to raise further awareness of the condition and improve the lives of those affected by it.
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. If you are autistic, you are autistic for life; autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured’. Often people feel being autistic is a fundamental aspect of their identity.
Autism is also much more common than most people think. There are around 700,000 people in the UK living with autism – that’s more than one in 100. People from all nationalities and cultural, religious and social backgrounds can be autistic, although it appears to affect more men than women.
The prevalence is currently rising in many countries around the world as we witness a dramatic increase in numbers of children with autism, particularly in the early years. This rise can be explained, in part, by improved public recognition of autism, improved clinical understanding and developments in diagnosis.
Awareness raising, such as through World Autism Awareness Week and the associated events that it generates, are to be welcomed as more and more people gain a better understanding of the condition and how we can support young people with autism.
However, there is much work still to be done. We are concerned, like many, at the level of cutbacks in services supporting those with autism, and while as an organisation we support a presumption to mainstream – that those with additional support needs such as autism be taught in mainstream classes – we have raised our worries over the amount of training and resources dedicated to this.
Teaching in as mainstream class may also not be right for every child, the alternative being to teach such pupils in specialist units within mainstream schools or in dedicated specialist schools such as our own. Ultimately the focus must be on the needs of the child or young person concerned.
So, whether it’s a walk or cycle, a cake sale, a quiz or other challenge, use this week to make it a better world for autistic people.
Related Posts
- Budget call as figures show more than 1,500 children have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment ( March 2, 2021 )
- Letter of support for appointment of an autism commissioner ( February 3, 2021 )
- Coalition urges action as figures highlight a more than 50 per cent drop in legal support for children with complex needs ( December 24, 2020 )
- Concerns raised as a third of pupils identified with additional support needs while support falls ( December 15, 2020 )
- Mental health emergency warning as more than 1,000 children have been waiting more than a year for treatment ( December 1, 2020 )
- World Mental Health Day ( October 10, 2020 )
- Call for a ‘national crusade’ as requests for mental health support slump ( September 4, 2020 )
- Coalition raises major concerns over falling levels of school leavers with additional support needs in positive destinations ( June 16, 2020 )
- Latest waiting time figures highlight perfect COVID-19 storm for children’s mental health ( June 2, 2020 )
- Let’s be mindful of the impact on mental health that crisis will have ( April 17, 2020 )
Archives
- March 2021
- February 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- June 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015