Knucklehead Craft New Spot For National Autistic Society

To kick of the third year of their Too Much Information campaign, The National Autistic Society is encouraging the public and transport organisations to find out more about autism and the small things they can do to help.

During World Autism Awareness Week, the National Autistic Society has launched a powerful new film and shocking statistics, revealing the hidden isolation faced by many autistic people across the country. Nine in 10 autistic people say unexpected changes, like delays on public transport, make them feel anxious. Over half say that fear of unexpected changes has stopped them from going on a bus or train.

The film, created by Don’t Panic London, directed by Charlotte Regan and produced by Knucklehead, follows an autistic woman on a busy train journey, showing how sensory sensitivities and unexpected changes on public transport, like diversions and cancellations, can trigger huge anxiety and – in some cases, leave people feeling unable to travel at all.

Saskia Lupin, 21,​ is an autistic aspiring actor who plays the lead role. This was a very personal project for her, as her own experiences reflect her character’s remarkably closely.

“Unexpected changes make me feel anxious, they make me panic, they make me angry but overall I feel confused, like I can’t do anything and all sense of rationality is lost. I felt really passionately about starring in this film to help improve understanding of autism. When I watched the film, I got really emotional as for the first time, I felt like people would understand what it feels like to be autistic and experience unexpected changes.

Being autistic can feel very lonely and isolating. Even if you are surrounded by a group of people, you feel alone because you feel different and it takes up a lot of energy trying to keep up with social cues. I hope this video will help encourage the public to learn more about autism.

It can be something as simple as not staring, or giving me some space that can make life so much easier. I have recently been served in the ticket office at my local station by a really kind man. When he saw how anxious I was about my upcoming journey, he took the time to write out a detailed plan of my route and run me through what I would need to do when I changed trains and alternative routes if something went wrong. I can’t explain how much that meant to me.”

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society,​ said:

“At the National Autistic Society, we won’t accept a world where autistic people are shut away. We know that people don’t set out to be judgmental towards autistic people. The problem is that they often don’t see the autism, they just see somebody acting in a way that isn’t familiar to them.

“We can’t make the trains run on time. But we can all make a big difference this World Autism Awareness Week, by finding out more about autism and the small things we can do to make the world more autism friendly. For instance, if you see someone having a hard time, just like the character in our film, you can help by understanding that the person could be autistic, not staring or giving them a bit of space. We’ve got lots of ideas on our website autism.org.uk and would encourage everyone to take a look.”