The Mayor of Croydon, Patricia Hay-Justice (centre, wearing chain of office) alongside council autism champion Andrew Rendle and other councillors and residents at start of Autism Awareness Week
An online autism awareness training package has been developed by Croydon Council and was launched to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week.
The package is useful to anyone interested in understanding the condition. It provides useful and practical ways of identifying common signs and gives advice on how to deal with autism in day-to-day situations.
The project has been funded by a grant from the Department of Health and developed locally with the support of families and those using autism support services. Access to the module is free for anyone living or working in Croydon.
“Our new course gives people an excellent and clear introduction to and awareness of autism,” Louisa Woodley, the cabinet member for families, health, and social care, said at the launch. “This condition affects almost 1 per cent of the population in some way. It’s not something that can be cured, but once it is recognised, those who suffer from it can be supported and helped to cope.
“As a council we fully back the national ‘Think Autism’ campaign which is why we made the decision to invest in something that would help spread understanding as far as possible. Using the government’s grant to make access to the site free of charge for local people is just part of our commitment to improving the lives of those who live with autism.”
The course takes about an hour to complete. It explains the range of needs of people on the autism spectrum and it seeks to dispel many myths about the condition.
Andrew Rendle, a councillor for Ashburton ward, is the borough’s autism champion, having personal experience of supporting two autistic sons. He said: “The Croydon Autism Service already provides really successful awareness training. We hope this new online course will help to promote awareness wider and faster.
“We are going to be encouraging businesses to ensure that their staff to take up this training so that they can recognise when a customer may be displaying signs of autism and therefore treat them appropriately.”
Register to use the course for free with a valid Croydon postcode here.
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