"It’s MY LIFE!”

Three words most parents will be all too familiar with.

But for the mums, dads and family members of people with an Autism Spectrum Condition, while these words may stay unspoken, the sentiment remains: it is their life.

So this year, to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week (March 27 onwards), we are launching a new campaign to not only raise awareness of autism and the amazing work of NEAS, but to explore life with autism from the inside out.

The “My Life” campaign will run throughout the year but during WAAW we’ll seek to understand what life is like for the children, young people and adults in our region impacted by autism, by hearing from the people themselves.

A lifelong neurological condition thought to affect at least one in every 100 people, autism is still something many know nothing much about. So for WAAW we will be exploring the following topics:

• My life: at home (life at home with parents, in residential care, for family members and siblings)
• My life: at school / college (educational opportunities and experiences)
• My life: out and about (navigating travel and journeys we would take for granted)
• My life: day-to-day (routine tasks like shopping and visiting the dentist)
• My life: is fun! (leisure and recreational activities, opportunities to feel fulfilled and challenged)
• My life: healthy and whole (health and wellbeing challenges)
• My life: at work (autism in the workplace, career opportunities, roadblocks to employment)

Told through the voices of experts, carers, families and most importantly, the people with autism themselves, the campaign will both inform and inspire.

We want autism to be talked about, to be understood and to be embraced in our communities.

To do this with integrity, we’ve chosen to include true accounts from parents and children affected by autism. Terminology, feelings and phrasing is chosen by the people who live with autism every day. It’s their voice. It’s their life.

Please tune into our live Q and A sessions on Facebook, visit the website daily for new articles, interviews and insights and please share far and wide.

Let’s make sure those in our world become more aware of autism, and those who have an autism spectrum condition feel empowered to communicate: ‘It’s MY LIFE!’

Join us on from Monday, 27 March and for the rest of next week. We’ve given autism a voice. Those with autism need not stand alone. We’re with them.

Please follow us on Facebook and share our content during Autism Awareness Week.