The mum of a young man with an autism diagnosis says greater work has to go into making services more accessible for people with living with autism and their families.
Anne Hayward's son Ben is 23 and she volunteers with Autism NI to support other parents of young people living with autism.
She spoke to Belfast Live as part of Autism NI's "Be Kind to Different Minds" campaign this World Autism Week, with about 35,000 autistic people living in Northern Ireland.
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"Ben was diagnosed at 2 years and six months with autism," Anne said.
"He was very severe, he had very low IQ as well and attended special school.
"He now actually is in tech in Lisburn, doing their Foundational Learning Course and he's come on very well and it's probably because of the early intervention he received."
Anne said she had found great solace in interacting with other parents who had been through similar experiences to herself.
"I actually went to the Autism NI support group when Ben was diagnosed because that many years ago, there was hardly anything for parents," she said.
"I felt alone, that I was going through this on my own and I wanted to go to a group that was going through the exact same thing I was going through.
"I joined the support group and the parents have been brilliant, we meet once a month and they have speakers and you just meet for a tea or coffee and get to chat to parents who have been through the same experiences.
"I found that more helpful and then I joined the committee and I'm 20 years volunteering with Autism NI this September, so it's went full circle!".
Growing up, it was difficult to find the right spaces and places to take Ben and Anne says that is something that has changed for the better.
"We organise trips now as well, so say you have a soft play area, we would book that exclusively to our group," she said.
"Back then, whenever I had Ben at a soft play area, it was maybe far too busy, there was too much noise and Ben would have been very stressed.
"We wouldn't have been able to go to places like that on our own, so we felt really isolated, so joining the group through Autism NI was nice as it meant we could get out of the house.
"Even going to the likes of shopping at Tesco was really stressful, because if Ben had a meltdown, you were getting stared at and people were actually tutting at you and looking at you as if you had two heads.
"But after joining Autism NI, that helped with that because I was able to develop strategies for Ben to help him cope.
"Now we have specific autism showings at the cinema even - our first ever trip to the cinema, Ben lasted five minutes and he was screaming, so it's great to see that change."
However, she said that more could be done to help parents and those living with autism, as she said part of the reason Ben was able to develop so well was because he had an early diagnosis and intervention.
"The services are the main problem, we're not getting better that way, the waiting lists are atrocious, we're almost going backwards," she said.
"Even now, I still contact parents from when I joined the support group that have adults now living with autism and they're able to give advice on various things, because they've experienced it too.
"Because Ben looks so typical developing, people don't realise he has a disability and expect more of him and then Ben obviously struggles with that.
"He's come on really well through all of the services he's been through but he does have autism and he has it for life.
"He has a wee job through Stepping Stones and it's about trying to raise awareness that someone who is serving you could have autism and encouraging people to be patient and be kind."
Autism NI’s CEO, Kerry Boyd, encouraged the public to get behind their ‘Be Kind to Different Minds’ during World Autism Acceptance Week and learn more about how to support our autistic community.
"Autistic people are our friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues," she said.
"Together we can build an inclusive society in Northern Ireland and give our autistic community the best tools and opportunities to live fulfilled lives."
Autism NI provides vital services for autistic people and their families throughout Northern Ireland, and campaigns for autism understanding and acceptance within society.
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