We have launched a new film highlighting the difficulties a person with autism might encounter whilst using public transport, as part of our ongoing think differently about autism campaign. People with autism can encounter many difficulties on a daily basis in situations other people cope with quite easily. A frequent problem is the stress of travelling on public transport and the great anxiety caused by changes to schedules. People with autism often rely on routines and can find unexpected changes very difficult to deal with. However, when these things do occur a bit of understanding and support can make all the difference. This latest film is based on a true account, depicting one such scenario at a train station and shows how a seemingly harmless situation can quickly escalate. It includes extracts from interviews with people with autism explaining how they have reacted in similar situations.

www.think-differently.org.uk Think differently about autism is a campaign for the National Autistic Society to raise awareness of autism. Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition. Without the right support it can have a profound -- sometimes devastating effect on individuals and families. Over half a million people in the UK have autism. Together with their families they make up over two million people whose lives are touched by autism every single day. A lack of public understanding of autism means that these people often don't get the support and services they so desperately need. Together we can change this www.think-differently.org.uk

Our intention with this video clip is to allow people to "see things from my point of view"; to witness the world through the eyes of a person with autism. In this film we will see Daniel, a man with autism, who appeared in the first film on his way to work. Daniel arrives for his first day of work. Approaching the receptionist, he introduces himself in the polite and cordial manner which he has learned. Not having the correct response reciprocated from the receptionist, he mistakenly appears to be preoccupied with her cleavage but is merely trying to learn her name. This embarrassing faux pas is caused by Daniel's inability to understand spacial awareness and social etiquette. The film highlights how easily the behaviour of people with autism may be misinterpreted, which can lead to damaging misconceptions about the condition. This is compounded by the fact that it is a 'hidden' disability and it is not always possible to tell that people have autism.

With this last clip in the series, our intention is to show a more complex example of how autism can affect a person’s behaviour. Daniel is leaving his workplace when he witnesses a car hit a cyclist. The initial violence of the situation frightens him, causing a moment of sensory overload, but with immediacy the street is returned to silence. What remains is an unconscious cyclist and driver, their vehicles rendered in an abnormal fashion by the crash. It’s not that Daniel isn’t a good person, it’s not that he is malicious. He is a person with autism whose condition affects his ability to empathise. Instead of panicking, he views the situation in an inquisitive way. It is only when others arrive, their voices loud, their actions aggressive that he reacts with fear and anxiety.

With this video our intention is to highlight the effect autism can have on a persons ability to understand non-literal verbiage, and the subsequent effect this has on the individual’s ability to communicate within the boundaries of common social conduct. Daniel, our young man with autism, is taking his lunch break at work. Strolling through the canteen he is invited to join a table of fellow employees his own age. At the table we witness a conversation common to most of us: a teary-eyed young woman lamenting the loss of yet another boyfriend while her friends politely listen. Staying within the boundaries of common social conduct, the friends at the table, however bored, make placatory noises to the crying woman’s question “why?” Daniel, however, takes her question literally, and takes it upon himself to answer her query.

www.think-differently.org uk Think differently about autism is a campaign for the National Autistic Society to raise awareness of autism. Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition. Without the right support it can have a profound -- sometimes devastating effect on individuals and families. Over half a million people in the UK have autism. Together with their families they make up over two million people whose lives are touched by autism every single day. A lack of public understanding of autism means that these people often don't get the support and services they so desperately need. Together we can change this Our intention with this video clip is to allow people to "see things from my point of view"; to witness the world through the eyes of a person with autism. By beginning with a sedate commute through a typical English suburb, we show you a world that you are no doubt familiar with. We then show this scene how it may be perceived by a person with autism...It can be a frightening place. Often, people with autism use certain methods to escape the stress and fear of the world as they see it. Such methods can be to focus on a single object, in this case a watch, or to concentrate their mind on one specific subject in an attempt to close out external intrusions. As is the case with the elderly fellow passenger on the bus, this singular focus can be interpreted as ignorance, even intentional rudeness. With this video, we are showing that this is not the case. We are showing the difficulties a person with autism has to endure, and how hard they may have to work to overcome such obstacles. www.think-differently.org.uk