This is a debate post. The post expresses the writer’s own views.
Today, Tuesday 2 April, is “World Autism Day”, officially called the UN day for awareness of autism and autism spectrum diagnoses. The day was adopted in 2007, and was first marked in 2008. Blue is a central color for the day, and one of the most famous markings is the “Light It Up Blue” campaign where famous landmarks are lit up with blue light to mark their support for autism day.
The Autism Association in Norway works according to the vision: Permanently good quality of life in a diverse society. This means that we update ourselves through good contact with members and specialist communities and that we emphasize experience- and evidence-based knowledge. In this work, it is crucial that we are visible both in order to influence and have impact. Quality, equality and commitment are therefore important values for us.
Research shows that 1-2% of the world’s population has an autism spectrum diagnosis. In Europe, this amounts to close to 7 million people.
For people with autism, it is important that you are respected for who you are, that you see the whole person. You are not invisible, although the difficulties may actually be. It is common for people with autism to mask their difficulties to try to fit in. This requires a lot of time and energy, and can be very exhausting. In the worst case, it can lead to a number of serious health problems. This is precisely why it is so important that society has the knowledge and skills to make the best possible arrangements for people with autism.
Unfortunately, it is also the case that there are still a number of stereotyped beliefs about what autism looks like, and who can be autistic. This leads to adults, and especially women and girls, struggling to get a diagnosis. The consequence is that they are prevented from accessing the support they need.
Without fully knowing why, we know there is an increasing incidence of children with autism. But what we actually know is that the right help at the right time contributes to an increased quality of life. For children with autism, it is therefore important that the “team” around the child has knowledge about autism, so that measures can be initiated as early as possible. This applies to everything from healthcare personnel, such as healthcare nurses, to nursery staff and teachers. Bearing in mind that the proportion of children with autism who develop involuntary absences from school is very high, early help and facilitation will be particularly crucial to prevent high absences. Pupils with autism have the right to an individually adapted everyday school life characterized by quality, inclusion and well-being.
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It is important to emphasize that autism is a lifelong diagnosis, but to quote Frambu (competence center for rare diagnoses): “When the situation cannot be changed, you have to see the possibilities, not just the limitations. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of work to accept life as it was, find new ways to a better everyday life and still feel mastery”.
