April is the time of year that people around the world are encouraged to start a conversation about autism. This is a time to celebrate autistic people and address some of the specific challenges they face.
Read more about why April 2023 is Autism Awareness Month and what the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland is doing to address the needs of autistic people below.
Why is April autism awareness month?
More than 1% of people are autistic, across all age groups. Autistic people have many talents and abilities, and April is the time to celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of autistic people.
April is also a time to be more aware of the needs of autistic people and some of the specific challenges that they face. Across the world, people chose April as the time to start a conversation about autism.
What are we talking about in the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland?
The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland is the sole professional and educational body for specialist doctors in Psychiatry in Ireland. We have a very active Autism Special Interest Group and are keen this April to talk about mental health and autism. Autistic people may experience more mental health challenges than neurotypical people. Our members are concerned with highlighting these needs to our colleagues in specialist psychiatry across the lifespan, to other mental health professionals and to the public. Our conversation about autism is focused on how we can be better at recognising and managing mental health difficulties in autistic people.
During the month of April we will be posting and tweeting about our activities in relation to autism. Some of our members have written information pieces about the origins of the terminology around autism, autism in women, autism and mental health, and education amongst other topics.. Please read our blogs, retweet and join in the conversation.
CEO of the charity AsIAm, Adam Harris, is also a founding member of our Autism SIG and we would ask that you look at and where possible support As I Am’s April campaign ‘Same Chance’. You can find out more on their website, www.asiam.ie