Today, 2 April 2024, is World Autism Awareness Day. This year’s theme is ‘Moving from Surviving to Thriving’. It emphasises the importance of shifting the focus from simply understanding autism to creating an environment where autistic individuals can truly thrive.
We are proud to foster a safe space where autistic people are empowered to be their authentic selves, celebrated for their unique talents and supported to achieve their goals.
Meet Emily. She has attended Castle Hill Learning and Lifestyle (L&L) hub since it first opened in NSW over seven years ago. Before this, she was part of our Skill Up program, a job readiness course for young people with disability.
During her early days at the L&L, Emily struggled with changing routines and mental rigidity. She was insistent on the same schedule, sitting in the same chair, and interacting with the same staff. She found it frustrating if plans changed throughout the day and found it difficult to move on afterwards.
Emily’s desire to become more flexible stemmed from her transition to the L&L service. Support Worker, Jodie Fuda, supported Emily to achieve this goal. She discussed known changes ahead of time to give Emily time to adapt. This included giving her a copy of the hub’s activity calendar to prepare her for program changes throughout the year.
“I would tell Emily that every day is different and if you allow for changes in your day, it will be easier,” Jodie said.
Other staff members at Castle Hill L&L also implemented the same techniques to give Emily consistent support. Over time they noticed Emily becoming more adaptive to changes in her routine. She understood that furniture would move sometimes, that staff could be away, that new people would join the hub, and that it would be okay if plans changed.
Emily’s adaptability flourished even further as she adjusted to sitting in different seats during lunchtime and became more open-minded about going to different venues during holiday programs. This marked considerable progress compared to her time in the Skill Up program where she had to use the same venue and sit in the same chair.
With new flexibility unlocked, Emily is now less frustrated when things don’t go to plan and can move on more easily when unexpected events occur.
Her increased adaptability has also improved her confidence and social skills. Previously, Emily wouldn’t engage in conversations. Emily now opens up more to staff and communicates when she needs help. She even shows affection towards her friends at the hub and will converse with people.
These skills have supported Emily to thrive outside of her L&L too. She likes to remind her Mum that even though she is autistic, she can adjust to different situations more easily.
Her Mum was thrilled when Emily expressed the desire to add more household tasks to her routine, like washing dishes.
Emily’s improved adaptability emphasises what is possible when we empower people to embrace their authentic selves and create an environment where autistic people feel comfortable discussing their needs and preferences. By fostering a culture of inclusivity and understanding, we can support autistic people to thrive, not just today, but every day.
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