AIBU to ask you which businesses are the least Autism friendly?

[LarrytheCucumber]

I nominate NatWest for their new look complete with confusing banks of cash machines and loud music. (Also bad for hearing aid wearers).

I don't think you can really pin an 'autism unfriendly' badge on certain businesses - it is quite unfair! People with autism don't all have the same traits! My DB has profound/classic/non-verbal autism but loves shops/restaurants with blaring music! Bright flashing lights are a bit more of a problem as he has epilepsy but I wouldn't expect the businesses to know that - I would keep him from those places!

Any public toilet with a dyson hand dryer

Anywhere with hand driers in the toilets & no separate enclosed disabled toilet. Lots of our days out are planned round avoiding hand driers.

Thornrose the only supermarket DS can cope with is Waitrose too - I think it's to do with the lighting being less harsh and the aisles being a bit wider.

Oh god yes, Dyson handdryers.

Cakethat but wouldn't it be wonderful to know that there were times when, for example, there was no music?

Apologies to those upset by music / tv in Gp surgeries. However it's mainly for confidentiality reasons so you can't so easily overhear what said at the desk or on the phones .

The underground Not fun for most people, but especially difficult for DS1 who has autism. Not really sure you could change most of that though!

Also doesn't like supermarkets but we do all of our groceries online so we avoid that. Ditto on hand dryers.

Helen ironically in the GP surgery we left the receptionist used to raise her voice to be heard over the noise of the television, so it didn't work!
Where I go now the muted TV is nowhere near the reception desk so that isn't the reason why they have it on. Mind you it is a much larger waiting room so I can sit in the opposite corner to the television and read my book.

Most places arent Autism friendly - even those who try to be.

In fact i've just been to a massive, Autism fundraiser. Live bands, etc and a.quiet, sensory area for those who were struggling.

There were some children who.have Autism there, and in the main they were fine but it wasnt at all suitable for.those who.really struggle with noise sensitivity / crowds etc.......arguably those who need some sort of activity / event they can take part in are the ones who are often over looked (( the true Auties )) they don't really fit in anywhere as too much to accomodate them. Even by local Autism / disability charities.

My ds is severely autistic. Dd is an aspie.

They are both sensitive to noise. Some things are the same for both (crying babies, sudden shouting) but there are some things that one can't stand and the other copes just fine with.

This thread is really interesting. I reckon many people without autism would also agree that things like music in shops, overly brightly-lit and full Tesco stores, huge clothes shops full of thousands of garments etc, are very stressful. A lot of people hate loud piped music, especially people whose hearing isn't as good as it used to be. The world (especially places aimed at consumers) can be overwhelming at times. It must be truly dreadful for those whose autism makes them extra sensitive.
My pet hate (I work in education) is classrooms, halls and communal areas of schools which are completely covered in visually 'loud' displays, posters and times table & grammar facts. No one would have their home or office like this - why do we put children in them for six hours a day? Especially as a significant proportion of children in mainstream schools will be on the autistic spectrum.

I visited an indie special school recently that was all very muted shades with very specific and small display areas. It was lovely.

Tough there's a big bright mural on the local primary corridor wall and DS2 loves rubbing his hands and lips along it. I've touched it and it makes me shiver.

Actually, touching on what can be autism unfriendly, it includes a lot of adaptations for mobility affecting disabilities. One in particular is the plethora of bells on buses. DS2 can't help himself around them, sometimes. I had a very kind lady scope out a bus and organise a strategic seat swap, once, after I'd already spent 20 minuts holding both his hands and wrestling with him after he'd got a bee in his bonnet about ringing bells. I often have unpeel him from the pole next to the wheelchair bay on our way off the bus, quite a few times, because that bell goes whoop whoop and is most exciting

I don't have autism but find Asda overwhelming because of the music & bright lighting. I'd love large supermarkets to have an ambient hour with no music & lower lighting

Used to work in digital accessibility & quite a few business websites are not very autism friendly. Without ad block one I doubt MN is, too much going on around the screen.

Tesco and Asda are both awful and made worse because I don't know where everything is and nothing is logical.

Domestic & General - awful on hold music, guitar music with shrieky finger-scraping-off-the-strings noises. Mid call on hold is Handel's Water Music which is ok, so don't apologise for that when I've put up with guitars for twenty minutes.

B&Q - far too exciting for ds2, not sure if that makes them autism unfriendly though! We avoid it now after the last time - ds ran off, we found him lying in a bath.

Insufficiently, if you live anywhere near a Booths supermarket, that's what they are like. Quite a chilled out shopping experience.

Phil unfortunately I don't but I did shop at one while on holiday in the Lake District & it was lovely, so much more relaxing

Ds copes in shops, I does stim a little but not hugely. We can manage it by me squeezing his arm or hand, or putting my arm around his shoulder as we walk. He's shooting up though, not sure how long I can do that for

However the other day we asked him to draw what his brain feels like in shops or when "he's got his autism" which is how tells us he's feeling rough and overloaded. He drew a brain that was shaking, shivering and he says it buzzes. Not adding any light but thought it was interesting.

WTF zzzzz

Why were they dong that in a restaurant?

Before we realised I'm on the spectrum I used to have a terrible reaction to my local Asda. It had a terrible fight or flight response on me and I was a wreck shopping there. I can't listen to music radio because they play things I don't feel comfortable with. I don't like 'jolly' restaurants. I've come to eat. I don't want to pretend I'm in Mexico.
Just let me be in peace and daylight.

I love the food & music in both Frankie & Benny's & Nandos but it's just so loud. It's not that long since I used to refuse to eat out anywhere because of the combination of interaction with strangers & unpredictability over whether I'd be able to eat the food I ordered textures are tricky for me. I can just about cope with it now but put me in a busy restaurant with music blaring, DC fidgeting, having to wait for the waitress/waiter to return... I invariably have to go to bed as soon as we're home, leaving DH to deal with the DC. If they'd just turn the music down to the point where we could hold a conversation without shouting I would cope so much better!

Don't even get me started on shops like River Island that blast frenetic music & have white tiled floors & mirrors everywhere. It's like they're trying to keep me out of their shops. I have money & require clothing too! I'm also probably more prone to impulse buying than many others so you'd think they'd want to entice me in!

Clark's in Hull used to be like that, all mirrors and lights. I only went there once.
My local one is much smaller and easier to cope with.
Waitrose is fairly good, with wide aisles and no music, although my local one has tinkly new agey music outside in the small plant area. No idea why.