This week we have been celebrating World Autism Acceptance Week at St Thomas More.
We used to have National Autism Awareness Day in the UK, which became worldwide, stretched to a week, and is now in its current form: World Autism Acceptance Week.
The most recent published statistics are very old and remain that 1-in-100 children have a diagnosed Autistic Spectrum Condition. At St Thomas More, we have approximately 1-in-50 students with a diagnosis.
In preparation for the week, refresher training was provided to staff in January and March, sharing strategies to support all students. Families and carers of autistic students were invited to the first of several coffee mornings to be held across the remainder of the year, to share the work we have been doing.
Autistic staff and students created artwork on the theme of “masking”. We all have masks that we hide behind, every time we say we’re okay but really, we are not. This work was displayed in the school entrance on Monday and remained throughout the week.
