‘It’s easier to show up for autistic people than you might think’, shares the National Autistic Society.
April is World Autism Acceptance Month, an opportunity to work together to change attitudes towards autism, with increased awareness, understanding and support for autistic people – where acceptance is fostered. As the National Autistic Society explains, “Your support can help create a world that works for autistic people and their families.” 1
‘It’s How You Show Up’
The National Autistic Society has launched a public campaign that focuses on how you can be there for the autistic people in your life. This campaign was created to help breach the gap in understanding and supporting autistic people and their families. 2
Here are some statistics from the survey conducted into public understanding of autism (UK):
- 25% of autistic people said they get a negative reaction when they tell people they are autistic
- 90% of autistic people have experienced poor mental health due to attitudes/perceptions of autism
- 84% have experienced social isolation because of this
- 62% of adults want to learn how to help autistic people feel more accepted. 3
Examples of how educators can ‘show up’
- Giving an autistic person time and space to regulate.
- Advocating for autistic colleagues and pupils in school.
- Providing reasonable adjustments for staff as well as pupils.
- Providing staff training to improve awareness and understanding.
- Understand individual needs – know that each autistic person’s experience of autism is different.
- Ensure families of autistic pupils are involved every step of the way in the support you provide to make it the best fit for home and school.
- Provide reassurance in times of distress – ensure you’re clear that you are not judging, only providing help/support. 2, 3
On the campaign page there are a few more specific examples of support you can explore for more inspiration.
How will you show up?
You can support the campaign by leaving a pledge on the ‘Pledge wall’. This is a space for you to think about how you will show up for others and commit to making a small change to better support autistic people. The Pledge Wall is also a great source of inspiration for ideas on how to show up, as there are already over 400 pledges on there!
There are also free resources available for schools which can be used for assemblies, classroom activities or sharing information with parents and colleagues.
References
- National Autistic Society (2025) ‘World Autism Acceptance Month April 2025’. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/acceptance-and-awareness/world-autism-acceptance-month (Accessed: 17 April 2025)
- National Autistic Society (2025) ‘It’s How You Show Up’. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/acceptance-and-awareness/how-you-show-up (Accessed: 17 April 2025)
- Chymera-Holloway, C. (2025) ‘It’s how you show up: our latest national campaign is here’. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/blog/its-how-you-show-up (Accessed: 17 April 2025)
