Autistic and OK programme reaches thousands of autistic pupils at one-year milestone
One year after launch, the Autistic and OK programme, designed to help autistic young people improve their mental health and understand themselves, is continuing to make a big impact.
The Autistic and OK programme is an educational toolkit launched by Ambitious about Autism, Zurich UK and the Z Zurich Foundation. In just one year, the programme has reached almost 1,000 schools and is estimated to have provided supported to more than 17,000 autistic young people.
The programme, which became available in the UK at the end of February 2024, was created to empower autistic young people to take control of their mental health before reaching crisis point.
Mental health problems are prevalent among autistic young people, with four in five experiencing conditions such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Designed by autistic youth advisors to support autistic pupils
Autistic and OK was developed with the support of a group of autistic youth advisors from the Ambitious Youth Network, who helped design the programme’s modules which focus on these conditions, as well as the associated topic of bullying.
The free toolkit provides resources for older autistic pupils, who run peer-lead sessions for their younger autistic peers. It also includes an assembly pack and training module for school staff, to help foster acceptance among the whole school community. As a result, it is estimated that over 800,000 young people – including many non-autistic pupils - have increased their understanding of their autistic peers in schools across the UK.
Special schools and youth groups to benefit from adapted toolkit
Following the success of the programme in mainstream secondary schools, the toolkit has now been adapted so it can be delivered in specialist secondary schools and youth groups, meaning it will reach even more autistic young people, their peers, parents, and professionals.
Lily, aged 18, who helped develop the programme and run it in her own school, said:
Seeing how beneficial the Autistic and OK programme has been to the other autistic pupils at my school has been amazing. It has had a really positive impact on their experience of school, and on how they cope in their everyday lives.
Poppy, aged 18, a pupil who has taken part in the programme in her secondary school, said:
The Autistic and OK programme has helped me and my friends find out more about ourselves and feel more comfortable with who we are. Since taking part, we are more confident in asking for support when we need it.
Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, said:
Nearly one thousand schools across the UK have engaged with Autistic and OK in the last 12 months, showing the real appetite and need for a programme that supports autistic pupils to understand themselves and feel okay in education.
It is a testament to the brilliant work of the autistic young people who developed the programme - channeling their own experiences into a positive and impactful resource.
Now, with the adapted resources for special schools and youth groups, we hope to reach even more autistic young people, offering them vital support that will enable them to thrive.
Gary Shaughnessy, Chair of Z Zurich Foundation, said:
These formative years at school should offer every child the opportunity to thrive, not just survive. This toolkit not only helps autistic young people, it also educates everyone around them about the challenges they face on a day-to day-basis. It’s this education that will destigmatise autism in schools.
Giving these young people the right support during these school years can serve to avoid many of the challenges that they could go on to face at university or in the workplace.
Find out about the Autistic and OK programme.
