As many as four in every five young people with autism (80 per cent) have experienced mental health problems, new research shows.
And more than two thirds, or 68 per cent, lack confidence to get support.
One of the contributors: Georgia Harper, a youth patron at Ambitious about Autism, says the Know Your Normal toolkit is designed to be “part of the solution” to mental health problems
These are among key findings from a report by the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), at University College London (UCL).
Youth patrons of the charity Ambitious about Autism commissioned the research. It focuses on how a ‘normal day’ for someone with autism might be very different from that of a neurotypical person.
The report is titled Know your normal: young people with autism’s experience of mental health.
Behaviour changes
It suggests that when anyone’s behaviour changes from their usual pattern they may need help.
The research asked young people how they felt usually and about their mental health experiences.
The youth patrons have produced a ‘Know Your Normal’ toolkit. They designed it to help professionals understand young autistic people struggling with mental health.
Georgia Harper, 23, is a youth patron at Ambitious about Autism and worked closely with CRAE.
She said they designed the toolkit to be “part of the solution”.
The report also found that nine out of ten (90 per cent) of the young people with autism who took part in the research felt uncomfortable disclosing mental health issues to education professionals.
‘Subtle’ indication of problems
Dr Laura Crane is one of the authors of the research at CRAE. She said that indicators of mental health problems can be subtle, which makes them difficult to identify.
“This is a particular issue since young autistic people often reported finding it hard to express their needs,” she said.
The report makes three key points that young autistic people believe will make the greatest difference.
These are support in communicating how they feel, reducing stigma and accessing support.
CRAE questioned 130 people aged 16 to 25.
We asked the Department of Health to comment, but it did not respond.
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Published: 6 July 2017
