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The films aim to raise awareness of autism
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The National Autistic Society (NAS) has launched a series of online films to tackle the discrimination and lack of public awareness of people with autism.
Benet Middleton, Director of Communications at the NAS said: “As a lifelong social and communication disability, living with autism can be an isolating experience and people affected by the condition tell us that they frequently encounter a lack of understanding.
"By encouraging people to think differently and understand more about autism, the NAS hopes to improve the lives of thousands of people with the disability.
"What’s great about this campaign is that our supporters can help deliver the message for us and many people with autism do feel comfortable using on-line communications.”
The second film, released on 26th November, will see a man with autism turning up for his first day at a new job, whom mistakenly appears to be preoccupied with the cleavage of the receptionist.
The film highlights how easily the behaviour of people with autism may be misinterpreted, which can lead to damaging misconceptions about the condition.
This is compounded by the fact that it is a ‘hidden’ disability and it is not always possible to tell that people have autism.
The scripts for the films were developed with input from adults and carers living with autism to reflect their real life experiences. The first film in the series depicts a man with autism experiencing ‘sensory overload’ on a routine bus journey.
The Think Differently – Act Positively report, based on a survey of 2024 people across the UK, revealed considerable confusion about who is affected by autism and how.
Twenty-seven percent of those who had heard of autism mistakenly believed it mostly affects children and general understanding of the disability was worringly low.
Knowledge of autism was often limited or wrong and a small but significant proportion thought people with autism were intentionally rude (10%) and that children with autism are not disabled, they’re just badly behaved (13%).
As part of the think differently about autism campaign, the NAS is asking people to sign a petition calling on the UK Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and take specific action to increase awareness and understanding of autism, tackle discrimination and improve training.
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