Thread by @autisticartclub

We have come up with a short guide on making your events more autism friendly. Thread. #AutismFriendly #AutismAcceptance #WorldAutismMonth

Prepare us! Share photos of the event space with us before hand. This can help us prepare for the space we will be socialising in. Will there be food? Sharing a menu with us helps so much. Especially as many of us have a hard time with new or unfamiliar foods.

Give us information on who else has been invited. This gives us an idea on how many others will be in the space, and if we might know some others being invited so we can connect with them beforehand.

Quiet space! Organise a space that can act as a quiet space for us if we get overwhelmed. This can be a smaller room for us to breathe and gather energy. This doesn't need to be complicated. Allocating a small room for this purpose is so helpful for us to feel comfortable.

Traffic light system! Organising badges or stickers for all guests to wear at the social event is a really simple way of making it autism friendly. Some of us will only feel comfortable talking to those that we know, whereas some of us will find initiating conversation hard...

But will really want to be a part of the conversation. These badges/stickers are a simple effort to show that you want us to feel comfortable at your social gathering.

Last minute changes? Please tell us! We know that running social events can be full of last minute changes. However insignificant you think it might be, letting us know as soon as possible will help us to adapt and prepare ahead of time.

Not sure how you can make us feel more comfortable? Just ask us! All autistic people are different, and whilst these tips can help make your event more autism friendly, there could be other ideas too, if you just ask.

We are always more than happy to support anyone in making their social event more autism friendly. These are just a few of our suggestions and there are lots more for all different kinds of events.

All in all. Include us. Too many autistic people have been left in corners whilst others gather together. This is not acceptable. Socialising may come easily to you. But for us, navigating these types of situations is tricky and anxiety inducing.

Be aware of your own cliques and how you might welcome someone into your circle. I hope this helps.