AUTISM

AND SOCIAL
INCLUSION
What is autism and how to make
people with autism feel safe
and comfortable around you
 What are the most common variations of autism?
In the autism spectrum, there are several different types of
neurodevelopmental conditions, such as:
1. Autistic disorder – often referred to as “common autism”
2. Asperger syndrome – a “milder variation” of autistic
disorder
3. PSS-NOS – Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise
specified
 What are the most common symptoms of autism?

NOTE: The symptoms may vary from person to person. All

symptoms do not apply to everyone in the autism spectrum.
The manifestation of the symptoms can also vary.
- Abnormal posture or tone of voice
- Repeating words, phrases or movements
- Social withdrawal, lack of empathy
- Avoiding or poor eye contact
- Behavioral and sleep disturbances
- Meltdowns
Symptoms are not limited to the ones mentioned above.
 How to make people with autism feel safe and comfortable

1. General respect – Respect people in the spectrum as

respectfully as possible.
2. Don’t be too inquisitive
3. If you see someone in the spectrum do something
“unusual”, do not stare at them.
4. Don’t judge what people in the spectrum do, be
understanding.
5. Help and defend when it’s needed, but don’t be intrusive
6. Don’t take rude behavior personally. People in the
spectrum don’t intend to be mean.
 Autism and meltdowns
Meltdown is an intense response to an overwhelming situation. There
are various things that can trigger meltdowns. Some situations can
be overwhelming to some people and can therefore cause a meltdown.
Triggers vary from person to person, but some common reasons for
meltdowns can be:

1. Sensory overload – Too much simulation of a certain sense can

trigger a meltdown
2. Information overload – Too much information can trigger some
people in the spectrum.
3. Emotional overload – Person in the spectrum may have difficulties
with expressing their emotions
 Preventing and helping during meltdowns

Preventing

Easy way to prevent causing meltdowns is to get the person

away from anything that triggers them and giving them space
and silence to calm down afterwards and be patient; they
might take longer to answer than you may think.

Helping

You must try to remain calm. You should move to a safe and
quiet environment where they can’t hurt themselves. You may
also try to give the person some fidgets which can possibly
help the person to calm down.
 Sources

● https://www.autismeurope.org/what-we-do/areas-of-action/s
ocial-inclusion/#:~:text=People%20with%20autism%20often%2
0experience,often%20denied%20access%20to%20schools
.
● https://pecsusa.com/download/Teaching%20Social%20Skills-C
hapter%205.pdf
● https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/rwss/2016/chapter1.pdf
● http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/wcfh/Pages/autism/spectrum.asp
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