Rebecca's Blogs

Autism has become much more widely discussed and heard about in recent years. Many people, including myself have now been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum.

There’s a  lot of talk and occasional criticism about how much we’re intensely relying on our computer tablets and smartphones and the negative impact it's having on social skills. However, as someone with Autism my iPad is a very important device in regards to controlling my anxiety and enabling me to get more of my career work done.

Due to my autism I naturally find change very difficult. Unexpected changes can leave me anxious so routine has always been a comfort to me, however despite feeling content with repetition, I do still become bored with it.

 

Whenever something unexpected occurs which leaves me with no other choice than to change my timetable, I experience extreme anxiety and often have a meltdown as a result. In addition to having autism I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which multiplies those challenges by two.

Autism is a very common condition to have. Organisations such as Autism Speaks estimate that tens of millions of people worldwide are (known to be) affected by autism, and the number increases steadily with every passing year.

The number of autism diagnoses at the moment are climbing higher every year. So much so that it’s being described by many as an epidemic. The media are indeed paying attention to this. But there is one particular word that many reports are including, which still continues to give us misconceptions. Many are reporting autism as a childhood developmental disability.