Report shows over a third of people with autism suffered discrimination in past year

Chief executive of AsIAm, Adam Harris, said: 'This year’s report highlights the huge gaps between the aspirations that the Irish public have towards the autistic community and harsh realities that autistic people live with each and every day when engaging with all aspects of life in Ireland.'

More than a third of people with autism suffered discrimination in the last 12 months, a new report by Ireland's autism charity has found.

AsIAm said that the findings of its Same Chance Report, launched on Tuesday to mark World Autism Day, showed the "huge gaps" between Irish people's aspirations for the autistic community and the "harsh realities" that their members faced.

The report covered a range of topics including education, healthcare, housing, life in the community, safety and the cost of living.

It is the most comprehensive report into autism in Ireland so far — with insights taken from 1,700 people with autism, parents, family members and carers together with the views of 1,000 members of the public.

Chief executive of AsIAm, Adam Harris, said: "This year’s report highlights the huge gaps between the aspirations that the Irish public have towards the autistic community and harsh realities that autistic people live with each and every day when engaging with all aspects of life in Ireland.

“While it is encouraging to see aspirations for greater inclusion continue to grow, the lived experiences for so many of our members do not match those aspirations. 

"Moreover, Government policy does not support the autistic community. Much much more needs to be done to genuinely see real improvement in the lives of autistic people throughout Ireland.”

The report's key findings include:

• 51% of autistic people don’t believe the education system is inclusive 
• 29% of autistic children experienced a reduced school timetable without the consent of the parent 
• 71% don’t believe the healthcare system is inclusive
• 60% are on waiting lists to access services 
• 53% accessed their diagnosis privately.
• 36% believe they have experienced discrimination in the past 12 months 
• 74% report that being autistic makes the cost-of-living crisis worse

While the majority (80%) of the public believe that life should be inclusive, 57% feel that if someone can’t sit still or stay quiet in the cinema or theatre, they shouldn’t go. 

Just under one in two (48%) would feel a bit uncomfortable if they saw an adult pacing or rocking back and forth in a public place. This is also reflected in the findings when it comes to the workplace for autism inclusivity.

While four out of five people want everyone to feel comfortable in the workplace, 45% would find it ‘over the top’ to have a work colleague ask for a picture of a meeting room in advance and 55% said it would be annoying if people expected every detail to be outlined before they accepted a social invitation.

While almost everyone believes in clear communications, nearly 60% would feel uncomfortable interacting with someone who avoids eye contact. 

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Some 20% would be offended if someone they were talking to was very direct in what they said and 35% would find it unprofessional if a colleague asked to email them instead of talking to them via phone or in person.

In 2021, one in 65 people in Ireland were on the autism spectrum. The report from AsIAm coincides coincides with the start of World Autism Month.

It forms part of the ongoing activity to support AsIAm as it marks the 10th anniversary of the charity throughout 2024. The charity will be hosting a range of events throughout April, with further information on www.asiam.ie.