BY JACK WELCH

THE perception of autism has moved on significantly since the modern meaning of the term was coined over 70 years ago.

It is commonly recognised by the name as a condition, but it is not enough to know it by name and be aware of what might be thought of as classic symptoms, like repetitive behaviour and being apparent scientific experts.

The understanding of what it really means is sadly still lacking.

Last Saturday marked the official launch of World Autism Awareness Week.

On Twitter, it was the number one trend, which really got people talking about what it means.

To have a simple appreciation of what autism is, always bear in mind that if you happen to meet one person with the condition, another is more than likely to be completely different.

As someone who was diagnosed with the Asperger line of the spectrum, I would not class myself as one who has a great love or natural talent when it comes to maths, which was one of my most hated subjects at school, or the sciences.

Because people might think or act differently, try not to be too quick to judge too harshly, as first impressions alone can be very deceptive much of the time.

Recent weeks have shown the great efforts to which the media are going in order to portray autism more appropriately.

The widely praised ‘The A Word’ on the BBC is just one example of a situation in which the impact of diagnosis affects the whole family and not just the individual who has the condition.

The new TMI film produced by the National Autistic Society has racked up over a million views since it was upload just over a week ago, documenting the struggles of sensory overload.

On my part, I’ll personally be supporting the new Ambitious about Autism campaign ‘Employ Autism’ and try to change the lack of opportunities young people with autism face when finding work.

The world is now talking about autism and it is just a case of using that goodwill to make a real difference in the lives of those who live with it every day.