7 things to be done to improve the lives of those who have autism
Written on 19th Dec 2013 by Sylvia Lowery
- In a previous post I talked about the way autism was misunderstood 30 years ago and how things have improved. Yet there is still a long way to go. Here are 7 things that can be improved.
Children with autism receive therapy and specialist education today.
1. Individuals with autism may not be sat on when they have a meltdown, yet “Chill out rooms” are used in institutions and schools throughout the UK. These rooms are often use to lock the individual in the room during a meltdown and can be as small as a broom cupboard. Autism Eye are campaigning for a change in the law. You can read about it here.
2. Murder and abuse of individuals with autism. Individuals with face bullying on an unbelievable scale. According to research carried out by the National Autistic society 81% of respondents who had a diagnosis of autism had faced verbal bullying and staggering 47% had been victims of a physical assault. See here
3. Employment – According to the National Autistic Society on 15% of individuals with autism are in full time paid employment. This is a shocking statistic.
4. Support to live independently in adulthood – A number of local authorities are still using the IQ test to decide if an adult with autism gets help. An IQ of 70 is the cut off point, this approach is leaving a lot of adults with autism alone and isolated. A lot of the work and effort that has gone into educating children with autism is lost because adulthood means all the help and support is removed.
5. There are still a lot of myths about autism that are held by society. Alex talks about 10 of the myths he has faced here.
6. Irresponsible coverage by the press should be curtailed because it increases prejudice and can lead to the general population being afraid of autism. There are some positive things happening with the press. The Huffington Post ran a really positive article recently. You can read it here. Yet there is a false link that is drawn between autism and mass murder. You can read a very good article about it here. There is no evidence to suggest that individuals with autism are more likely to commit murder. However there is clear evidence of individuals with autism facing abuse and murder by their carers and society.
7. Technology has improved the lives of individuals with autism. The I Pad and apps like Proloquo have provided individuals with autism with a voice. It is fantastic to hear from individuals with non-verbal autism who are able to give amazing insights into their thoughts and feelings. Yet more can be done to raise understanding within wider society and open the door for many more individuals with autism.
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