Is autism everyone's business?

How good are public services at recognising behaviours associated with autism?

“Parents have slammed the British police force for assaulting a young boy with autism. They are calling for police training in how to handle someone with the condition — or risk causing a severe or even fatal injury.”

The call follows a High Court case involving the Metropolitan Police Force (the Met) being found guilty of assaulting a 16-year-old boy who has severe autism and epilepsy at a swimming pool. The boy, referred to only as ZH in the court, has been awarded £28,250 in damages.

The assault happened during a school trip in Acton, West London in 2008 after the boy jumped into the pool fully clothed. Police officers forcibly removed him, put him in handcuffs and leg restraints and placed him in a cage in a police van – without speaking to the young man’s carer.” (See more at: http://www.autismeye.com/parents-call-for-police-training)

How good are schools at identifying children with autism?

The ability of schools to diagnose and identify children with autism has come a long way. Most schools have one or more children with autism (ASC, ASD, Asperger’s Syndrome) – statistics suggest that 1 in every 68 people is on the autistic spectrum – but, depending on staff knowledge and understanding, the level of awareness and support they experience is still a lottery. Fortunately, there is now a vast network of training courses and resources, and more and more teachers and support staff are now accessing them.

I’ve worked with hundreds of children in schools, every one of them different, and it’s clear that the real beneficiaries of training are the children themselves. The truth is that the most effective way to support children and young people, is for staff to have:

• an understanding of autism and how it affects the child
• a knowledge of basic support strategies and how to adapt them

An understanding of autism amongst other pupils is important too and, where this has been achieved, children with autism benefit greatly.

Not just in school

Children and adults with autism are children and adults with autism wherever they are or wherever they go – not just in school. They have the same sensory issues, communication difficulties, social differences and rigid thought patterns or interests whether at home, school and/or in the community.

So many parents of children and adults who have autism say that people’s lack of understanding is a major issue, causing them to judge behaviours and needs as naughty, rude or disruptive.

Society as a whole needs to understand autism. The chances are that people working in social services, the NHS, the police, charities, voluntary organisations and any other organisation dealing with the public, will meet people with autism regularly. We are all potentially part of the barrier to joining and accessing services that people with autism face. Autism awareness training in all areas of the community will help bring the barrier down.

How can we improve autism awareness?

‘Implementing fulfilling and rewarding lives: Statutory guidance for local authorities and NHS organisations to support implementation of the autism strategy’ (Department of Health, Dec 2010) emphasises the need for local authorities and the NHS to make autism awareness training available for all staff working in health and social care…

…“local areas should develop or provide specialist training for those in key roles that have a direct impact on access to services for adults with autism – such as GPs or community care assessors – and those whose career pathways focus on working with adults with autism … [so that] within each area, there are some staff who have clear expertise in autism”.

This requires a multi-tiered training framework to meet the varying needs of professionals working with people on the autism spectrum. In addition, we need to consider different and more flexible models of training to ensure provision for the wider workforce on a rolling basis.

Manchester Airport provides one example of good practice. Staff have undertaken training, and videos about visiting the airport are available on the website for passengers who have autism. Children and adults with autism are also provided with wristbands so that they can be fast-tracked through check in to prevent long waiting and queueing times. These simple adjustments, according to more than one family I know, make all the difference to the holiday experience.

I believe that simple adjustments like these could lead to more children:

• accessing community groups such as Scouts or Guides
• having better experiences at the hospital, doctors or dentist and
• receiving fairer treatment from public, social and commercial services – from police officers to pool attendants

We have a long way to go, but I’m encouraged by TV programmes like The Autistic Gardener that show people with autism in a positive light. We need a society that includes autistic people, sees the positive contributions they can make and listens when they tell us how we can work together to make our society more accepting and relevant to us all.

This blog was originally posted on staffrm.io.

About the author

Lynn McCann, an autism specialist, teacher and consultant, explores why autism is everyone’s business.