Autism

We must recognise that just because a person is completely independent, it does not mean they do not have difficulties or support needs. This world and society are made for neurotypical people, which can make things very difficult for Autistic people to thrive.

Despite their wish to work, the latest data from the Labour Force Survey (2022/2023) shows that only around 3 in 10 working-age autistic people are in employment, compared with around 5 in 10 for all disabled people and 8 in 10 for non-disabled people.

Autism is often described as having a spikey profile, one Autistic person can be a professor at a university but need reminders to remember to eat or to take care of themselves, some can be very sporty and friendly, whereas others struggle with social anxiety. No two people are alike, just like no two neurotypical people are alike.

Many Autistic people have “special interests”, which are a large part of their well-being and is important they have the time to attend to these interests because it makes them happy and helps them relax. Some find (but not all) that they can turn these interests into a possible career direction and in some cases it can help them interact with others as a way of accessing or starting a conversation about their interest.

Autism very often has co-occurring differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, PDA and ADHD (also known as AuDHD when occurring together) among others.

Many Autistic people struggle with sensory difficulties such as smell, sounds, touch, and sight, this can lead to overwhelm due to too much stimulation which can show itself in many different ways. Overstimulation can be the brain needing to shut down, so they may wish to take themselves away to a quiet/safe place and be alone. Some can lash out emotionally, often known as meltdowns.

Autistic people often struggle with social interactions with neurotypical people as they do not communicate in the same way. Social cues can be misinterpreted and sometimes offence can be given. This can be both ways, the neurotypical person can inadvertently offend an autistic person and the autistic person can accidentally offend the neurotypical person due to that communication difference.

With counselling many Autistic people need support with anxiety and navigating the world in a way that works with their autism rather than against it. We need to work out their strengths, what their triggers are, and learn to recognise when they need to “recharge their batteries” before they go into overwhelm.

There are many Autistic people out there, who do not know they are Autistic, many worry about having a label, some wish to explore or learn more about themselves, this is something we can do together. A label of Autism is so much better than being labelled, “stupid”, “lazy”, “slow”, “weird” or labelling yourself as “not being good enough” or berating yourself because “they can do it, so you should be able to do it too!!”