Autism Acceptance Week falls between the 27th March and 2nd April this year, with World Autism Acceptance Day itself on the 2nd of April.
What is Autism Acceptance week?
The name of the celebratory week has changed in recent years, from Autism Awareness to Autism Acceptance. This change was made to encourage the active inclusion and celebration of autistic people in all settings, and to promote the acceptance of autistic people as diverse individuals.
How can the internet be a positive tool for autistic children and young people?
The internet is a fantastic tool for all people to find connections, express themselves and learn about the world. It also offers a range of positive experiences and tools for autistic people:
Neurodivergent influencers and support communities
Social media has allowed many autistic people to create spaces that work for them, where they can express their interests, connect with others and share tips and strategies to help navigate the world.
Social media has also become a powerful tool that allows autistic people to express the diversity of their experiences and support needs, and for them to connect with other autistic people in their area.
Autistic influencers and creators have helped to further the autistic acceptance movement and are often positive role models for autistic children and young people, who can sometimes feel isolated and excluded from other spaces.
Special interest spaces
One feature of autism can be having very intense interests, often called ‘special interests’ in the autistic and neurodiverse community. Engaging in special interests can be an important way for autistic people to maintain their mental health and wellbeing.
While not every autistic person has a special interest, many do, and the internet can be a great place to engage in these.
Fan sites, blogs and forums are spaces where people can learn more about specific topics and connect to people who have the same interests as them.
No matter what someone’s special interest is, there will probably be a space online where they can engage with a subject which brings them joy.
Resources, specialists and communication aids
Autistic people often use resources available online to support them in their day to day lives. These could be less obvious support resources, such as filters to soften the bright colours on screens or visual to-do lists for breaking down tasks, or they could be more obvious support aids, like text-to-speech apps or devices for non-speaking autistic people.
The internet has helped to make these support aids more accessible for autistic people and their families, and specialist organisations like the National Autistic Society often use their online spaces to help raise awareness of these tools and their uses.
How can we support autistic children and young people in using the internet safely?
The internet is a great tool that can help autistic people thrive in their everyday lives. However, all children need guidance on using the internet safely.
Autistic children, and other children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may need more tailored support to help them stay safe online.
Below are a few tips and resources those living or working with autistic children can use to support them online.
Share online safety messages in their communication style
Everybody communicates in their own way, and this is especially true for autistic people. When sharing online safety messages, it is important that this is done in a way that suits the child or children you are working with.
This could be through social stories or comic strip conversations, other online activities, or their own communication tools.
It is important to note that autistic children may struggle to understand messages that are shared in the form of metaphors or euphemisms.
Often, when communicating with autistic people, plain and clear language is best used to make sure your point is understood. However, every autistic person is different, so work with them to find communication strategies that work best.
Use Childnet’s Thrive Online resources
The Thrive Online resources cover the important topics of healthy relationships, digital wellbeing and online pornography and are designed to equip educators, parents and carers to support young people aged 11 and over with SEND.
For educators, each topic contains three lesson plans, slides and films designed to start discussion and help young people navigate online spaces, learn strategies to keep themselves safe, and understand the impact of their choices online.
For parents and carers, our Thrive Online resources have a series of short films which provide answers to important questions around supporting young people in their online relationships, managing their digital wellbeing and how to tackle issues around online pornography.
Listen to autistic voices
The internet is a great tool for everyone to learn more about each other. You could:
• Look for supportive organisations that prioritise autistic people’s voices and experiences in their work.
• Seek out autistic and neurodivergent influencers who use the hashtag ‘#actuallyautistic’ to advocate for themselves and others.
• Reach out to groups for autistic people and their families or carers near you.
There are groups for autistic people of all ages and backgrounds, with online and offline groups that connect and support LGBTQ+ autistic people and autistic people of colour.
For more information about autism or supporting autistic people online, please visit:
• The National Autistic Society website
• The UK Safer Internet Centre’s resources for supporting young people with SEND
