Buy art at www.brucehoulder.art and support Fighting Knife Crime London
By Dr Luke Beardon, Senior Lecturer in Autism at Sheffield Hallam University
So – let’s start with the easy bit, the answer to the question posed in the title. Is autism related to having poor mental health? Well, as is almost invariably the case when it comes to all things related to autism, the answer isn’t quite as simplistic as perhaps one might think. There is a clear duality – and, possibly, what might be considered an oxymoronic response, because there is a valid case to say both yes and no. The reality is that there are clear indications that there is a far higher recorded prevalence of all kinds of poor mental health within the Autistic population1, not least including the dire statistics on Autistic suicide2. And yet – in my view being Autistic per se should not – and, often, does not – lead directly to mental health issues. If both of these responses are correct, how can the conundrum be explained?
The answer is relatively simple. My argument is that being Autistic3 means nothing other than being Autistic. Whilst being a clear truism the statement still holds value – being Autistic should not subsequently dictate what will happen to you in life. And yet the statistics are glaringly and worryingly clear; therefore, there must be something else at play if we are to understand why the prevalence of poor mental health is so high. This is why I came up with the equation:
AUTISM+ENVIRONMENT=OUTCOME4
What this means is that environmental factors play a huge part in what any specific outcome might mean for any given Autistic individual, not just being Autistic in and of itself. This is both utterly depressing and optimistic at the same time; utterly depressing because it demonstrates just how badly Autistic people are being treated by society, but optimistic in that there is plenty that can be done about it.
A simple analogy could be made with, for example, being left-handed. Imagine a world in which you were the only left-handed person in your environment – you would be somewhat at a disadvantage. What pathway would suit you better: to be whacked on the left hand every time you tried to use it in order to force you to conform and fit in with the way everyone else does things, which makes you feel like a lesser person and that something is wrong with you; or for society to recognise that while being left-handed means that you are in a minority group, it doesn’t in any way make you lesser as a human and that, in fact, if there is one of you there may well be more. Therefore, society decides to create an environment in which all facilities are equally accessible to all. All of a sudden, you are fully accepted in society, your feelings of poor self-worth disappear, and you thrive – and as a by-product all those right-handed people who have poor mobility in their right hands through injury or similar are also massively enabled.
Whilst this is an incredibly simplistic analogy, the principles remain the same when applied to the Autistic population within most of current society. Autistic people are ‘encouraged’ to conform and to suppress their authentic selves.
Society tends not to adapt to the needs of the Autistic population, choosing instead to go for a ‘majority rules’ type approach. Autistic people are left feeling as though being themselves in an authentic way is not enough. Autistic people are being exposed to traumatic-inducing rules and regulations that apply well and are a good fit for the majority – but may in fact increase risk of discrimination to the Autistic population5. This might sound like hyperbole – but the reality, as noted earlier, is there is a stark contrast between the Autistic population and the non-autistic population when it comes to mental ill-health, life expectancy, and suicidality – so, really, it is more of a case of this crisis going under the radar, rather than not existing at all.
So – what is it within the ‘environment’ that needs consideration for change? I’ve identified six areas (one of which is subsequently broken down into three):
• The Autistic self
• Anyone else involved
• Sensory
• Society (Values/Attitudes/Knowledge)
• Policies/Procedures
• Law/Criminal Justice System
I can’t do justice to any of the above, but for the sake of narrative stimulation here are some brief comments that could be pertinent in relation to each.
The Autistic Self
I have a belief that there is a direct correlation between understanding of self and well-being – simply, the better one understands one’s own ‘true’ self, the better the chances there are of genuine contentment. This is because we all make decisions in life that involve ourselves, and the better we know ourselves the less risk there is of those decisions being incorrect. But – we know that there are huge problems with autism identification6 (i.e. diagnosis7) so there are plenty of folk out there who are Autistic who don’t know it, leaving them metaphorically in the dark. You obviously don’t need a formal diagnosis to know that you are Autistic – but, even then, the odds are stacked against you. If society perpetuates ongoing myths about autism (which, in my view, it absolutely does) and you ‘buy into’ those myths – you will still have a distorted sense of your own authenticity – again, putting you at a considerable disadvantage.
Anyone Else Involved
I am fortunate enough to teach the Post Graduate Certificate in Autism8 but places are limited; I honestly wish that anyone who wanted to attend could do so! I came up with the concept of Autistic Epistemology9 – in other words, where does so-called autism knowledge come from, how much of it is actually valid, and what damage is done to the Autistic community when there is a belief in invalid ‘knowledge’?
Sensory
Quite simply, as an Autistic person, you will highly likely process sensory environments differently to those who are not autistic10. But – how many Autistic people have both an up-to-date sensory profile, along with a sensory audit of their environments – with appropriate reasonable adjustments in place? The answer, I suspect, is very few indeed – which puts individuals at considerable risk of distinct disadvantage.
Society
This could be an entire article in its own right – but the impact that society has as a whole on the lives of Autistic people with the problematic ‘values’ enforced, problematic attitudes towards Autistic people, and problematic ‘knowledge’ that is often applied indiscriminately – that impact is huge and can have a devastating effect on the well-being of Autistic people. Just today I read a news article on developing mice brains with reference to ‘complex conditions’ and lumps together ‘epilepsy, autism, and cerebral palsy’11 – this is the kind of rhetoric that Autistic people are faced with on a daily basis. I am the first to note that living as an Autistic person almost invariably means life is so much harder – and that society has a duty to balance those inequalities. But those disadvantages, I am convinced, stem from how Autistic people are treated – not being autistic in isolation.
Policies/Procedures
From reward charts at school through to behaviour policies through to having job interviews, the world is rife with ‘ways of doing things’ that put the Autistic person at a disadvantage12. The Equality Act (2010) states that there is a responsibility to provide reasonable adjustments to ensure equal access for people with disabilities (and classes autism within this context13) and yet there are innumerable examples across the age range of Autistic people being disadvantaged compared to their non-autistic peers.
Law/Criminal Justice System
Feel free to refer to my Doctoral thesis14 if you are interested in why I have included this – suffice to say that far too many Autistic people involved with the CJS – in a disproportionate manner. And the CJS is reported to be failing Autistic people.
So – what can be done about all of this?
My view is that the equation of Autism + Environment = Outcome is at the core of the whole issue, and that to better the lives of Autistic people we should have total focus on all those components of the environment identified above to adapt and change in order to redress all of the inequalities that Autistic people face. Simple things like changing narratives to make them less offensive (replacing words such as disorder for example) and embracing the concept of ‘Autistic Courtesy’15 in which I argue that we should be adapting environments before people have to ask for adjustments. Make no mistake – trying to make the individual become less authentic and conform can destroy lives – adapting the environment to suit them instead can save them.
Further Reading
[1] Autism and MH https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/autism-and-mental-health
[2] Autism and Suicide https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/nccmh/suicide-prevention/workshops-(wave-4)/wave-4-workshop-2/suicide-and-autism---slides.pdf?sfvrsn=bf3e0113_2
[3] Note on term – I use capital ‘A’ when referring directly to Autistic individuals, and small ‘a’ at all other times [4] Beardon, L. (2017). Autism in Adults (2nd ed.). Sheldon Press
[5] Beardon, L. (2025). Reasonable Adjustments for Autistic Adults How to Make Your Life Better. Hachette UK
[6] Autism Under Diagnosis https://www.autism.org.uk/learn/knowledge-hub/professional-practice/under-diagnosis-of-autism-in-england
[7] I prefer the neuro-neutral term ‘identification’ rather than ‘diagnosis’ which has connotations of seeking something out that requires treating/curing/fixing
[8] PGC Autism https://www.autism.org.uk/learn/what-we-do/training/postgraduate-certificate-autism-sheffield-hallam
[9] Autistic Epistemology https://senmagazine.co.uk/autism/25306/autistic-epistemology/
[10] Sensory https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/about-autism/sensory-processing
[11] BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c60m3k28j81mo
[12] Beardon, L. (2024). Reasonable Adjustments for Autistic Children How to Make Their World Better. Hachette UK
[13] Equality Act https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/employment/what-are-reasonable-adjustments-and-when-can-they
[14] Thesis https://shura.shu.ac.uk/7155/1/Beardon_aspergers_-_full.pdf
[15] Autistic Courtesy https://becoming-you-the-podcast.buzzsprout.com/2442552/episodes/16996468-s1e6-embracing-neurodiversity-with-dr-luke-beardon
Luke has worked for over three decades in the autism field. He is a staunch advocate of autistic individuals’ rights and seeks to redress inequalities often faced by the autistic community. He has published several books on autism and has won multiple autism-related awards, as well as several inspirational teacher awards. He is currently the Course Leader for the Post Graduate Certificate in Autism run in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, has supervised several students to complete their Doctorates, and supports teaching and supervision on the MA Autism. Luke frequently speaks at National and International conferences sharing his passion for all things autism-related.
Luke runs various courses at different academic levels in autism, including a Masters qualification, while continuing to research and consult in the field of autism. In 2011 and 2012 he was nominated for and subsequently awarded the Inspirational Teacher and Research Awards as voted by students.
