Characteristics of autism: Everyday life with autism and organisation skills
The autism spectrum incorporates a range of ability. Some people may have learning difficulties which can affect all aspects of life, from studying in school, to learning how to wash or make a meal. As with autism, people can have different 'degrees' of learning difficulty, so some will be able to live fairly independently - although they may need some support to achieve this - while others may require lifelong, specialist support. The people we spoke with reflected this range and here we look at how they managed their everyday lives.
Some people we talked with lived in residential homes or at home with their parents. Some lived in independent supported living with paid carers while others lead independent lives either in a relationship, with their family, or on their own.
Those people with high support needs had to be reminded to do things like wash, shave, get dressed and so on. They needed support to prepare food, go shopping and manage their money. Some others who lived independently also had to be regularly reminded to bath or change their clothes. As one woman said;
It took quite a few years to convince [husband] that he bath more than once every three weeks for example, and I still haven’t convinced him that when he has worn his trousers for three days he needs to put them in the wash, not back on the hanger.
Another woman said that it had taken seven years to get her husband into a routine of going to bed at a reasonable hour and getting up at a reasonable hour.
Some of the difficulties people talked about were related to the way in which other people did not make allowances for them.
Organisation skills
Many people we spoke with had difficulties organising themselves and their lives - keeping on top of housework, paying bills, remembering appointments, filling in forms. One woman with a family described how “I don’t know what to do with stuff, to organise all these things that I am supposed to do. I get a bit lost.” Another man said “I just forget everything. You know a lot of people say that but I don’t think it is quite to the same extent that I do… I can forget the most basic things quite easily”.
Possibly the most important of organisational skills is managing money. Some people found looking after their money very difficult, with serious consequences for them and their families. One man said “I remember getting into a hell of a mess with money.... I was flailing. I was directionless and flailing around”. One man had spent his life savings without his wife knowing, while another had got into so much debt, he took on more overtime at work than he could cope with and ended up being arrested.
Another man described being obsessive about areas of his life;
