I was alerted by email to a reply quoting Anil but asking what NAS could do to help, but this reply seems to have been withdrawn - or has been entered as a new thread.
But I did feel I needed to follow up, not with respect to what NAS can do directly, but to further emphasise the need for action on the homeless, by looking at the charities that do.
I couldn't find anything on autism searching through the websites for Samaritans and Shelter. The knowledge may exist but information about it is not in the public domain. Samaritans say they train employers and other organisations, but who trains Samaritans about people with autism?
I searched autism on Salvation Army, and got one statement dated18th June 2013. They have a list of disabilities which includes autism. But their explanation is a little strange, and proves my point.
It says "they do not obey the unwritten rules of society" - maybe, but isn't that because they don't pick up on these unwritten rules, not that they are being intentionally disobedient.....
"Common features are repetitive behaviour, obsessive interest and resistance (often accompanied by distress) to changes in routine."
"There is a tendency to need to focus on only one thing at a time (either looking or listening, rather than doing both at once). This is one reason for finding eye contact difficult."
"Clear service order sheets or service booklets may help autistic people to follow what is going on"
"Many autistic people dislike being touched. Be aware of this if your welcomers usually greet people by shaking their hand and, similarly, if your church practises sharing the peace"
Well I'm glad we've got these little inconveniences out of the way, but to what extent does the Salvation Army REALLY understand autism?
Someone needs to offer some (free?) autism awareness training to the help and homeless charities, pronto pronto.
I was alerted by email to a reply quoting Anil but asking what NAS could do to help, but this reply seems to have been withdrawn - or has been entered as a new thread.
But I did feel I needed to follow up, not with respect to what NAS can do directly, but to further emphasise the need for action on the homeless, by looking at the charities that do.
I couldn't find anything on autism searching through the websites for Samaritans and Shelter. The knowledge may exist but information about it is not in the public domain. Samaritans say they train employers and other organisations, but who trains Samaritans about people with autism?
I searched autism on Salvation Army, and got one statement dated18th June 2013. They have a list of disabilities which includes autism. But their explanation is a little strange, and proves my point.
It says "they do not obey the unwritten rules of society" - maybe, but isn't that because they don't pick up on these unwritten rules, not that they are being intentionally disobedient.....
"Common features are repetitive behaviour, obsessive interest and resistance (often accompanied by distress) to changes in routine."
"There is a tendency to need to focus on only one thing at a time (either looking or listening, rather than doing both at once). This is one reason for finding eye contact difficult."
"Clear service order sheets or service booklets may help autistic people to follow what is going on"
"Many autistic people dislike being touched. Be aware of this if your welcomers usually greet people by shaking their hand and, similarly, if your church practises sharing the peace"
Well I'm glad we've got these little inconveniences out of the way, but to what extent does the Salvation Army REALLY understand autism?
Someone needs to offer some (free?) autism awareness training to the help and homeless charities, pronto pronto.
