Mum’s praise for autism-friendly shopping centre
Support for customers with communication issues
03.10.2017 A mum whose autistic teenage son is prone to “meltdowns” in crowded places has praised a shopping centre’s efforts to make life easier for those with the condition.
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.
People living with the spectrum condition see, hear and feel the world differently to other people.
Julie Macdonald says it’s like “shaking a bottle until it explodes” when her 13-year-old son Lewis is faced with an overload of sudden loud noises, bright lights or even different smells.
Julie, from Paisley, spoke out ahead of intu Braehead, in Renfrew, partnering up with the National Autistic Society to launch the first UKwide Autism Hour.
Centre’s run by intu reduced their lights, music and other background noise for an hour at 10am yesterday. And Julie hopes this will encourage other businesses and organisations to make small adjustments that can make a big difference to autistic people and their families.
She also said passers-by, who don’t understand what is really happening, often mistakenly assume that Lewis is just a badly-behaved teenager having a strop when things get too much for him.
“It can build up throughout the day, starting first thing when Lewis just isn’t himself. “That’s the first shake of the bottle. “Then we might be running a bit late and I have to tell him to hurry. That’s another shake.
“His computer might be running slow, or swimming might be cancelled, something might happen with his siblings and all the wee niggles build up and eventually he explodes. “The final trigger could be the simplest thing. “When this happens Lewis can flap, pace up and down or just stay rigid and refuse to move.
“Sometimes, he even hits his head with his hands and people around us assume he’s having a teenage strop and they start tutting. Sometimes Lewis holds my hand and that also makes people stare because he’s almost as tall as me,” explained Julie.
She said she can feel that she is being judged, which is upsetting.
“People think I’m a bad parent, that Lewis is spoiled and I can’t control him.
“I would love to be able to explain to people what’s really going on, but it’s more important that I keep the situation with Lewis under control.
“I wish they weren’t so judgmental, but I just try to ignore it,” she added.
The intu Braehead mall is Julie’s local shopping centre and she is delighted the team there marked Autism Hour yesterday.
She said: “Lights, noises and smells can be difficult for autistic people.
“Lewis doesn’t always struggle in the shopping centre as it really just depends what else has been happening that day and how he’s feeling.
“I tend to go shopping by myself, but not all parents of autistic children have someone who can help with childcare. “I know that businesses need to operate. “If they sell food, there’s going to be a food smell. “Shops that sell bath products are going to have a smell. That’s just the way it is.
“However, I do think shopping centres could do more to think about how bright and fluorescent lighting affect customers, and also about music – what volume it’s played at and how it feels when music from different shops clash.”
Julie has appealed to other shoppers not to stare or tut if they see someone struggling to cope.
Mark Lever, chief executive at the National Autistic Society, said: “intu has pioneered autismfriendly shopping and we hope that more venues will be inspired to do their bit and make sure autistic people and their families have the same chance to enjoy shopping as everyone else.”
Lydia Brown, intu Braehead’s community development manager, added: “We want to put a smile on the face of everyone who visits an intu centre and this means training our staff, supporting our customers and working with brands in the centre as well as organisations like the National Autistic Society to provide a welcoming and accessible experience for all.”