'We need autism awareness 365 days a year'

The organiser of an event raising awareness of autism has said more needs to be done to educate society about the condition.

The town of Burnham-on-Crouch near Maldon, in Essex, is being taken over as part of World Autism Awareness Day, with dozens of school pupils, teachers and businesses wearing autism-themed T-shirts.

The local events have been coordinated by James Hunt, who documents his life on Instagram as a father of two autistic boys.

"For people who are autistic or for their families – we're pushing for this 365 days a year, it's not just about one day," he told the BBC.

More than 40 pupils at Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School will be wearing special T-shirts for the day, the profits of which are being donated to the school's special educational needs [SEN] department.

Fiona Goodbrand, SEN co-ordinator at the school, said staff had been "blown away" by the generosity.

"We're really proud to be involved, we think it's very exciting the whole town is coming together," she said.

The school's teachers will also be wearing similar clothing, as well as teachers at Ormiston Rivers Academy sixth form.

Marianne Wilkins, head of sixth form at the academy, said they were "absolutely delighted" to be involved and would wear the T-shirts "with pride".

"As a school, we want to focus on sharing stories and providing opportunities to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism," Ms Wilkins added.

Several local businesses, including coffee shops, a bridal shop and estate agents, are also taking part.

Mr Hunt said the events were "going to be really special".

"The whole point of the day is to help autistic people feel more accepted," he said.

"There's been many times over the years where I've felt quite alone and felt judged by onlookers."

He continued: "We hope this helps people realise that there are people out there who understand, who want to be more accepting and more inclusive, and that's a really positive message to share."

Mr Hunt has amassed more than 330,000 followers on his Stories About Autism Instagram feed, which documents his life with his sons Jude and Tommy.

He also launched a clothing line last year with positive messaging around autism, disabilities and neurodivergence.

"There's thousands of kids without a school place who are autistic, there's two-year-plus waiting lists for autism diagnoses - and then autistic kids become autistic adults and there's less than 30% of autistic adults in employment," Mr Hunt said.

"These days are great at raising awareness and making society more aware that autistic people exist, but there's so much that needs to be done."

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