For World Autism Awareness Day, we’re sharing insights from staff and friends of Seashell about their experience with autism.
Amber is a spokesperson and advocate, who works as a Public Engagement Assistant for Venture Arts. Oliver is a Residential Support Worker who works in the residential houses at Seashell. Amber and Oliver share how sensory sensitivity, communication, and routines affect their daily life, highlighting where their experiences are similar and where they differ.
Sensory Sensitivity
Sensory sensitivity affects up to 90% of autistic people, involving hypersensitivity (over-reactivity), hyposensitivity (under-reactivity), or sensory-seeking behaviours. Ways to manage sensory sensitivities can include using headphones or ear defenders, and having access to quiet spaces. Oliver explains that he sometimes needs to isolate in a quiet room to relax and destress, and how this relates to the children and young adults at Seashell.
“Often, the students we work with will do the same thing. Every time you work with someone new, you have to figure out how they react to situations and how they de-stress from situations.”
Communication
People on the autistic spectrum often experience verbal and non-verbal communication differently from non-autistic people. This can include issues understanding social cues, sarcasm, taking turns, or the use of phrases and idioms.
“I took the language literally, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve had to memorise these phrases to figure out what they mean,” said Oliver. “It can be difficult for me because I think, why don’t you say what you mean instead of using this phrase?”
Autistic individuals may communicate literally, experience speech delays, or have difficulty initiating conversations. Support often includes using direct language, visual aids, and allowing extra processing time.
“I believe everyone has different communication needs,” said Amber. “For me, I find it difficult to give eye contact. Using simple language helps me to understand what is being said, and using bullet points and Easy Reads helps me as well.”
Oliver explains that he often needs extra processing time when receiving lots of information at once.
“If I’m in a situation where there’s lots of noise, lots going on, and someone says something to me, it can take about five seconds for me to fully understand what they’re saying.”
“It’s almost like a lag – like when you’re playing a computer game, it has all this stuff to process, and doing it all at the same time can cause a delay. That’s basically how my brain works.”
Routines and Structure
Autistic people may prefer following set routines or rituals, knowing what is going to happen in advance and for rules to be the same for everyone. These can be ways of coping with stress, support self-regulation, manage energy levels, and reduce anxiety around things being unpredictable.
Amber said: “At work, I go through my diary with my manager so I know what tasks I need to do. My regular commitments are really important to me so I know what my week is going to look like.”
Oliver said: “Routines and structure really help me when it comes to figuring out my day and how I’m going to feel, because I know what to expect and what energy levels I need for the day.”
When asked what piece of advice they would give to new members of staff coming to Seashell, Amber said:
“[New staff should] get to know the individual so they can support them to achieve the best outcomes they can in life.”
Oliver explained that there may be lots of ‘trial and error’ when supporting someone new.
“You’re going to get it wrong at some point and you just have to keep trying and try and figure out what is what work for that person,” he said.
Autism Support at Seashell
Many of our students here at Seashell are autistic, and we believe ourselves to be leaders in creating inclusive environments and delivering the best support possible. This knowledge and expertise is shared with colleagues across the Trust, as well as individuals and organisations externally through our training and development programmes.
Seashell has been Autism Accredited with the National Autistic Society for a number of years and has received ’Advanced Status’ across the Trust. This means that our services are deemed to provide highly creative and very personalised support to enable each autistic person to achieve positive outcomes.
Blogs:
How to communicate with someone with autism? | Seashell
