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About autism

More than 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people. It's something you're born with. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life. Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure". But some people need support to help them with certain things.

Autism is a hidden or invisible disability. You can't see if someone is autistic just by looking at them and some people might not have been diagnosed when you meet them. There are some behaviours and ways of communication that an autistic person may use but these aren't universal as every autistic person is different.

Coming into hospital can be a stressful experience for anyone, however, for an autistic person, the hospital environment can present even more challenges that lead to increased anxiety. Autistic people experience the world differently to non-autistic people.

The hospital environment can cause difficulties for an autistic person in the following ways:

  • Routine - having a routine is particularly important for autistic people. In hospital there is a set routine that may be in direct conflict with the autistic person's routine e.g. mealtimes, visiting times, medication rounds. However, it can also be unpredictable at times e.g. medical interventions, delays, ward moves
  • Communication - the majority of the staff are non-autistic and will have different approaches to communication which can lead to difficulties in social interaction and giving and receiving information. The amount of information required from the person by the hospital staff can feel overwhelming and demanding, also the amount of information given to the patient can be similarly overwhelming.
  • Environment - the hospital is loud, busy, noisy and bright. Autistic people often have a different sensory experience and may become overwhelmed by the amount of different noises, smells, and interventions that require physical touch.

To find out how we can help to make the hospital experience less stressful, please read the Support at our hospitals page.