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 think most shops in general are overwhelming. Apart from really minimalist designer places where I'd never be able to afford anything.
I spend ages trying to look for something right in front of me because there's just too must information to process. And queuing is also challenging.
Why I prefer online shopping.
Anywhere that plays music above a nice ambience level is avoided completely. And don't get me started with places with their heating on full blast!

I agree HopeClearwater

Over-stimulating classrooms, in particular, annoy me. I am not convinced children get much use out of 'working walls' etc. I think displays are to please parents and OFSTED - another example of it not being good enough to do something, but having to prove you are doing it.

I think there have been places (Scandinavia probably) that have experimented with much plainer classrooms - will have a look

I am an aspiring (that's how I describe myself and don't like person with aspergers)

I find shopping general stressful. If I am shopping for something in particular, I go alone. Take ear plugs and my iPod. Sometimes I want to block it all out. Sometimes just listen to my own.

I never have shop assistants bother me. They usually wait until I need help. Maybe I give off 'leave me alone vibe', but I usually have great service once I ask. Sometimes I explain I have aspergers, especially if I am having a bra fitted or something. Victoria secrets staff are always great in my local city. Usually making sure I have a changing room far away from the the shop floor etc.

I went into a shop that was dark with fairly loud music. I think it was called Hollister, or something similar. Was awful.

I don't mind having to fit in around general society though. Shops know big displays, louder music make people spend more and that's what they are there for. I just have to take steps to reduce the effect on me. Obviously other people feel different or can't reduce the impact as easily as I can.

Love your definition Curren!

I'm autistic and actually find background music beneficial so long as it's not too loud so seems we can't win.

What we do need is awareness among staff.

We also need menus in cafes to tell us exactly what we are getting. I asked for a cheese sandwich not a sandwich with cheese and fillings incompatible with my sensory issues.

I also nominate any which require customers to do business over the phone especially if it involves waiting for goodness knows how long and having someone who understands nothing about your condition and not even a great deal of English in some cases on the other end.

Places like Debenhams where each unit is playing a different music. And the floors are too shiney.

And indoor shopping mall places with different musics blaring out of all the shops so as you walk past you go from one tune to another with a bit of cross over. And the noise echos around.

I'm not at all austistic, but I can relate to so much on here, especially the jeans shopping! Gap organise their jeans better than most places, but it's still a pain. I've had to block my ears when shipping in ikea as I just couldn't take anymore of the music. I'm not convinced loud music and and bright light does make people want to spend more. Our new M&S food hall has very subdued lighting. I'm guessing they've done a lot if research before building it, maybe not, but I tend to spend longer in there than I intended and spend quite a lot!

I would say the places DS has found most difficult are school and hospitals, not business that you can avoid, such as most chain restaurants.

I totally agree with the poster who mentioned about class displays.

Wilkinsons always resulted in a very "unhappy" DS. I think it might have had something to do with the gardening section/fertilisers which smell very strong, but we learned not to go in there.

I find the UK pretty bad in terms of sensory overload. Eg more music in public places and lots more loud blaring announcements MIND THE GAP!!!CAUTION YOU ARE COMING TO THE END OF THE ESCALATOR!!! etc etc.

The absolute worst though is Gatwick airport both arrivals and departures. Though departures is worst. The way the quests at security are now set out is a real headache. And then some money-grabbing entrepreneurial sort had the brilliant idea to force feed all the passenger's from security into the departure lounge through the bottle-neck duty free shop. So you have thousands of passengers forced through a narrow walk way choking with hundreds of different fragrances, sakes people pouncing out at you, adverts blaring and travel announcements in your face. Truly the journey from hell. Before you've actually gone anywhere

Not because of anything they do at fault but I can't go in b&q without dd getting upset.

My dd's nursery who I'd love to name and shame she was there a year and they were really happy with her literally the day she got her autism diagnosis they said they could no longer cope with her needs and asked us to leave. Nothing had changed from the day before except a diagnosis on Thursday she was a good student by 3pm Friday they couldn't handle her anymore

That is terrible snore. I think I would have got in touch with Ofsted.

Yes to whoever said classrooms!
Ds has a new teacher, she has filled every single spare inch of the classroom with brightly coloured pictures, laminated things which shine off the lights, the room is split into different areas (maths area, science corner, chill out zone etc), but each is jammed in beside the next.
When it was parent's evening, I either had to look at the plain desk in order to concentrate, or I literally couldn't hear what she was saying.
I did consider giving feedback (I can't imagine how anyone is comfortable in there!) but I don't imagine it would go down well at all.

I'm a TA and I despair at the head's insistence on every inch of wall space being covered in display materials of some sort.

We are also only allowed to display perfectpieces of work (yes for parents and OFSTED) which also gets my goat! I've had children ask me why their work isn't ever put up and bring quite upset.

Problem with primary classrooms is that when the SLT come round on Learning Walks, there's a checklist of stuff that needs to be on your walls.

Typically it includes
the Learning Journey (what will be covered in the next half term),
Working walls for Literacy, Maths and Science with the objectives and relevant vocabulary banks and materials.
Topic word banks...and if you laminate things they not only last much longer, they can be used as resources by the children.
Most of the resources are downloaded from sites that aren't prioritising disabilities (Colours, fonts, layouts)
So it's often not the decision of the teacher, or even the SLT, They are looking for what OFSTED expects to see, and I've never found OFSTED or government expectations to be disability-friendly in any form.

I bet the busy classroom isn't conducive to effective learning for NT children either though.
I always wonder if a much calmer environment would mean better behaviour in general.

I've never been diagnosed with autism and don't really want to even try and find out properly what it is our if I "fit the bill" but I strongly suspect I have something of the sort as the "odd" bits about myself of which i am aware I do know are not considered typically 'normal'.... I personally don't think I will find it helpful to give myself a label (makes me feel pigeon holed and claustrophobic just thinking about it!) but being aware of my own sensitivities totally helps me be more open minded and accepting of other people's works in general.

So on that note, not a business but totally an environment I find humongously stressful with my irritable sensitivities - home with 2 toddlers!! Like seriously - aaargh! maybe I should start my own thread on it but all those people out there who struggle with disorder, noise, sudden movements, close contact, over simulation in general - how????

I can cope with loud noises, it is competing noise that is a problem for me. The same with if for eg there is a display of TVs with different things on them. Its like i cant block things out, it all tries to get into my head at the same time and leaves me unable to concentrate. If that makes sense?

*other people's quirks, that should say...
And seriously, anyone with any handy coping strategies (or weblinks??) I'd love to hear about them....

Eeeek - buy yourself some earplugs.
Disorder, sudden movements, close contact and over stimulation I can't help with, sorry!

If you do start a thread, stick a link here :) ds1 is a clingy bugger (very poor at boundaries) and i hate clinginess. I just have to try to keep him off me best as posisble, so i think a thread is a great idea

They opened a new unit for children with autism at a local school and made the same mistakes - bright walls, overstimulating displays, fluorescent lights - and they were meant to be experts!

My nearest Tesco - no sn trollies. The other two large local supermarkets now have them.
My local hospital - poor waiting areas and some staff that complain when your child is getting upset because they have been waiting for a hour and their general attitude of talking down to parents and assuming they know nothing.

Larry, one of the local SS, with a shiny new pfi building has a hall that instantly makes me put my hands over my ears when I walk in. Sometimes people who should know better are utterly clueless, even when vast amounts of money are being spent.

I find Asda overwhelming - and I'm NT! The lighting in there is so bright.

My DS finds anywhere that smells unbearable. The candle section of ikea, boots, some restaurants and we went into a perfume store at Christmas and he gagged so badly (posh store and we exited stage left very quickly ).

So interesting about the classroom walls. DD is not diagnosed with autism but with dyspraxia and sensory processing disorder. They have spoken about putting her in an isolation booth to avoid distraction from the wall displays

As a parent of a child with ASD i would say Ikea has to one of the worse.

It's the fact that once you're in there there's no quick escape.

You have to go through every single bloody department, following the maze to get to the exit, which can easily take 10-15 minutes.

And if you're nearer the entrance its difficult to go back because you're going against the arrows, and the flow of people who all give you evils.

I know there are short cuts but it's difficult to locate a map to find out where they are with a screaming child under your arm.

And just when you've got the short cuts all worked out, they change the bloody layout so you're back to square one.