Anyone in Nieuwegein who is looking for a contact person about autism can now visit the autism walk-in morning in the second floor library. That can be someone with autism, but also someone who helps someone else with autism. Someone who has questions. A family member or another close person. We want to connect people. You can go there with questions, if you are looking for information, or if you want to catch up. Experience experts Ellie Maarse and Jan Smulders help you on your way and think along with you.
The walk-in morning, a collaboration between Steunpunt Mantelzorg Nieuwegein and the Dutch Autism Association, is held every first and third Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and can be visited without an appointment. You can walk in freely. Would you rather make an appointment? That is also possible, of course, send an email to: [email protected].
More than 1% of the Dutch – approximately 200,000 people – has autism. The number of people dealing with autism, such as parents, brothers, sisters, partners, teachers and caregivers, is many times greater. Autism is the collective term for behavioral characteristics that indicate a vulnerability in the following areas: social interaction, communication, flexibility in thinking and acting and filtering and integrating information. Most people with autism have normal to high intelligence. An estimated 30% have an intellectual disability.
Autism is invisible but has a major impact on a person’s life. For example, information is processed in the brain in a different way by people with autism. This also concerns, for example, information that comes in via the senses; often there is sensory hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. The diagnosis of autism is made on the basis of behavioral characteristics. The role that autism plays in a person’s life differs from person to person and also per life stage.
Strengths often associated with autism include: eye for detail, analytical thinking, honesty, loyalty, and technical acumen. However, many people with autism regularly experience social problems, partly because they do not always understand unspoken social cues.
Many people with autism have additional diagnoses, such as mood disorder, AD(H)D, anxiety/compulsive disorder, PTTS and burnout. As many as 70% will struggle with an additional psychiatric diagnosis such as an anxiety disorder or depression at some point in their lives.
Impact on life
Autism can affect all areas of life, at all stages of life. It can also have a major impact on families and relationships. Particularly during transition periods, people with autism run the risk of getting stuck if they do not receive the right guidance in time. Examples are the transition from primary to secondary education or from education to internship/work. To prevent a crisis, it is important that the threshold to help – also for parents and partners – is as low as possible. A timely diagnosis is also important.
There is strong scientific evidence that many of the additional problems experienced by people with autism – such as depression and anxiety – are related to the high number of negative life experiences experienced by many people with autism. For example, many are unable to complete an education at their own level or to find work that suits their talents and intelligence. Everyone is different – and autism manifests itself differently in everyone.