Description

Autism is a form of neurodiversity which affects how people see the world and how they communicate and interact. Autistic people will often experience some mental health challenges if their support needs are not being met. According to the National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceIt (NICE) it is estimated that around 70% of autistic people have one mental health condition (such as anxiety, ADHD, depression or OCD) and around 40% of the 70% will have more than one. Some of these mental health conditions begin in childhood and are sometimes referred to as co-occurring or co-existing conditions. Early intervention can be extremely effective at limiting the effects of these co-existing mental health conditions. Watch our film which features an interview with Professor Emily Simonoff, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at King’s College London, to find out more about autism and co-existing mental health conditions.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn the Key characteristics of Autism; restricted and repetitive behaviour, hyper and hypo- sensitivity, and Social Communication

2. Learn about and identify co-existing Mental Health Conditions

3. Learn about Risk Factors and Triggers

4. Learn about the Importance of Early Intervention

5. Understand the difficulty in diagnosis of Autism and ADHD 6. Strategies for teachers in the classroom