'A major change can cause panics and meltdowns' - how lockdown has been for people with autism

This week marks Autism Awareness Week 2021 and people with the condition have told us how they've coped during the pandemic. 

While many are excited by the easing of lockdown restrictions today, for the 50,000 people who have autism in Yorkshire, any change can be hard. 

Leo Johnson, who lives in Sheffield says the changes to routine have been difficult.

"With lockdown and restrictions changing it's had quite an impact on my stress and anxiety levels because there's just so much uncertainty.

"I've gone from knowing what's going to happen, when, to not know when anything's going to happen."

Leo said that any changes to the lockdown restrictions are tricky to navigate.

"If it's a major change that has been a routine that I've been following for a long time, it can cause me to have panics and meltdowns."

Support groups which have been able to continue to run throughout lockdown have been a lifeline for many.

Autism Angels based in Wetherby offers a range of programmes and events to support individuals and their families.

Founder Sarah Kekoa says interaction is vital for people with autism.

"People just weren't seeing anybody so our children have forgotten how to socialise, forgotton how to speak and were anxious about meeting new people.

"We're overcoming a massive amount now."

A report by the National Autistic Society found that the Covid-19 outbreak left many people on the spectrum stranded, with a lot of specialist support and services unavailable.

"The more support they needed day to day, the bigger the impact felt because of coronavirus on things like loneliness and isolation," said Tim Nicholls of the National Autistic Society.