On 29 March, Cognus is celebrating World Autism Awareness Week with a series of informative videos across a packed schedule of events. These will be released throughout the day but are available to watch at any time from 29 March.
One in 100 people are autistic and the National Autistic Society launched the national awareness week to help break down barriers and discrimination faced by people with autism.
Cognus will be supporting the week by launching their own range of informative videos. Cognus provides over 25 education services to mainstream schools and specialist education providers in Sutton.
The first video to be released is a project that has been a year in the making. Rebecca Duffus, Advisory Teacher for Autism worked with Cognus’s Impact Founder and public health filmmaker, Mohammed Ali to create a short film to capture the voices of young autistic people in Sutton. The film aims to highlight the diverse spectrum of autism and showcase areas where society needs to improve.
Joanna Cassey, Managing Director of Cognus said;
‘I am delighted to see how Cognus is celebrating Autism Awareness Week. As an education community, there’s a lot we can do to show support towards people on the autism spectrum. The communication and understanding around autism on a local and community level could be greatly enhanced if we took the time to be more kind, patient and understanding towards young autistic individuals and their families. Through this film and session on the 29th, the hope is to give the audience the chance to understand what life can be like being autistic and really celebrate the fact that differences don’t separate people, but in fact make the diversity of society all the more valuable.’
Speakers on 29 March include autistic adults, young people, professionals, and parents. Smith & Spoon Talks are delivered by Sutton school alumni, Ethan Smith and Josh Spooner. Ethan and Josh talk about their personal experiences with Autism, ADHD and Emotional Behaviour Disorders. Their talk aims to motivate the audience with ideas and strategies that worked for them, to help transition into adulthood. Carly Jones MBE, was diagnosed as autistic when she was exploring the diagnostic process for her daughter. Her talk will explore this experience and its impact, things that worked for her, relationships and how she sees autism as a positive part of her identity.
Talks will be released throughout the day on 29March via the Cognus YouTube Channel.
To find more about the service Cognus Limited offer, please visit: https://www.cognus.org.uk/services-for-professionals/autism-and-social-communication/