Understanding and listening to people with autism

This article continues the learning disability supplement's examination of autism (see Aylott, 2000a,b) by exploring how a lack of knowledge and understanding of positive aspects of autism among non-autistic people (neuro typicals) has led to many adults with autism having negative life experiences. It calls for all staff working with people with autism to find ways to 'think' and 'feel' in autism. It is only when this has been achieved that any of us will be able to listen effectively to people with autism; this hopefully may result in life experiences for people with autism being more of a positive than a negative encounter.