Notes to editors The National Autistic Society The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading charity for autistic people. We are here to transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people. Since 1962, we have been campaigning for autistic people’s rights and providing support and advice to autistic people and their families. To find out more about autism or the charity, visit www.autism.org.uk. Follow the National Autistic Society on Twitter @Autism or Facebook. What is autism? Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. There are approximately 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. All autistic people have difficulties with communication and social interaction. Autism is a spectrum condition. This means autistic people have their own strengths and varying and complex needs, from 24-hour care to simply needing clearer communication and a little longer to do things at work and school. Although everyone is different, people on the autism spectrum may: Be under or oversensitive to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours, which can make everyday life extremely difficult be unable to or find it harder to speak, need longer to process information or find it hard to hold conversations experience intense anxiety around unexpected change and in social situations become so overwhelmed that they experience debilitating physical and emotional ‘meltdowns’ or ‘shutdowns’. Without the right support or understanding, autistic people can miss out on an education, struggle to find work and become extremely isolated.