Sensory-inclusive Supermarkets e-guide launch!

The launch of a new guide to help supermarkets become more inclusive for autistic people. 

This guide was co-produced with members of the autism community and based on research conducted at the Universities of Reading and Oxford. It contains information and simple tips to support autistic shoppers and employees, and is designed for anyone who works for supermarkets.

I have been working with Dr Keren MacLennan (University of Durham) and Dr Cathy Manning (University of Reading) to design and illustrate this e-guide!

University of Reading press release, below from the launch day (23rd April):

Supermarket retailers need to do more than offer ‘quiet hours’ to make their environments more inclusive for autistic people, research from the University of Reading shows.

Bright lights, loud noises, strong smells and changing temperatures have been found to be among the top issues affecting autistic people in supermarkets, researchers found. 

Now, a new guide is being launched by the Centre for Autism at the University of Reading today [23 April], that will give practical guidance to supermarkets and other retailers on how to make supermarkets more autism-friendly.

The guide is the result of years of research into why autistic people, and those with sensory-processing differences, find supermarket environments so challenging.  The research included creating a full-size model of a supermarket to trial different approaches to reducing sensory overload.

Some of the key advice from the new guide, which is being launched at the industry-focused event in Reading today, includes:

  • Training all staff on autism and sensory processing differences, and training specialist ‘autism champions’
  • Reducing unnecessary sensory input such as background music or strong-smelling cleaning products, and providing quiet areas
  • Providing clear store maps, layouts and signs to improve predictability

At least 1% of people in the UK are autistic. Many autistic people avoid supermarkets, meaning that supermarkets are losing around £13.5 million in weekly revenue – more than £700 million a year –  according to a published report.

Today’s launch event will include presentations by lead researchers from the University of Reading, the John Lewis Partnership and lived experience experts. Attending the event will be representatives from some of the UK’s major supermarkets and retail industry bodies.

Everyday struggles

Tara Cooke, an autistic person who contributed to the guide and is speaking at the launch event, said: 

“Going out shopping is a regular part of most people’s lives, but as an autistic person I sometimes find the experience to be difficult or impossible. I can find supermarkets loud, confusing and frustrating, and I often rush through just to get the essentials before leaving, or put off going altogether.

“I am passionate about trying to make people aware of the struggles that autistic and neurodivergent people have in everyday life. Hopefully projects like this will help the world to become a little bit more friendly for those of us that are neurodivergent”.

Dr Cathy Manning, lecturer in Psychology at the University of Reading, is leading the project. She said: “Supermarkets and other retailers really need to up their game to better meet the needs of autistic and neurodivergent people. Having ‘quiet hours’ is a good first step but does not go nearly far enough to support autistic people in their stores. Quiet hours are often not at convenient times, and while they make going shopping less noisy, they don’t solve the huge ranges of other problems that autistic people come up against,

“Switching to online shopping is not the answer either, as this brings its own challenges for autistic people, who may struggle with new people arriving at their front door, items being substituted or items not coming at all. 

“This new guide, which has been co-designed with autistic people based on years of participatory research, demonstrates how small changes in a range of areas could improve the experiences of autistic shoppers and employees in supermarkets. We know from our autistic contributors how desperately needed this guide is.”

New generation of consumers

Rebecca Oates, a retail designer for the John Lewis Partnership who is speaking at the launch event said: “The retail landscape is changing and a new generation of customers will increasingly choose businesses with a social conscience. By delivering spaces that are inclusive of more people, retailers can not only improve their brand perception and profit but will also support broader social change towards a more accepting society.”

The sensory-inclusive supermarkets guide is available online.

It highlights six principles from the research that supermarkets should apply to create calmer and more predictable environments for autistic shoppers and employees:

  1. Reducing sensory input – for example by removing background music, and avoiding strong-smelling cleaning products
  2. Improving understanding – for example, by providing training for all staff in autism and sensory processing differences, and training specialist ‘autism champions’ to support autistic people
  3. Increasing predictability – for example, by providing a store map with the location of different sensory features (like chillers, fresh fruit and vegetables) and providing clear signage.
  4. Giving more space – for example, managing areas that are getting crowded in the store and introducing priority checkouts.
  5. Using suitable adjustments – for example, by ensuring staff are trained on existing initiatives (e.g., Sunflower Lanyards) and increasing the number and convenience of ‘quiet hours’.
  6. Allowing for recovery – for example for providing a designated quiet area or seating for autistic people to rest.
Click here to view the e-guide!

BBC News Article | University of Reading Press Release

‘Girl Unmasked’ New book by Emily Katy – and a catch-up with her!

Super excited for the wonderful @itsemilykaty new book ‘Girl Unmasked: How Uncovering My Autism Saved My Life’ ✨

Her book is out on Thursday March 28th, and I had the pleasure of having Emily back on my 21andsensory podcast to chat all about the book and the process of writing it! We also had a good ol’ catch-up on what Emily has been up to since we last spoke. The episode will be live on Friday 29th March so make sure to subscribe here!

A bit about the book:

To the outside world, Emily looks like a typical girl, with a normal family, living an ordinary life. But inside, Emily does not feel typical, and the older she gets, the more she realises that she is different.
As she finally discovers when she is 16, Emily is autistic. Girl Unmasked is the extraordinary story of how she got there – and how she very nearly didn’t. 

Still only 21, Emily writes with startling candour about the years leading up to her diagnosis. How books and imagination became her refuge as she sought to escape the increasing anxiety and unbearable stresses of school life; how her OCD almost destroyed her; how a system which did not understand autism let her down; and how she came so close to the edge that she and her family thought she would never survive.

In this simple but powerful memoir, we see how family and friends became her lifeline and how, post-diagnosis, Emily came to understand her authentic self and begin to turn her life around, eventually becoming a mental health nurse with a desire to help others where she herself had once been failed.

Ultimately uplifting, Girl Unmasked is a remarkable insight into what it can be like to be autistic – and shows us that through understanding and embracing difference we can all find ways to thrive.

I also had the pleasure of chatting to Emily again over on my 21andsensory Podcast about becoming an author and discussing all things book and life-related! (Available to listen to wherever you usually get your podcasts).

You can order Emily’s book from Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith and other retailers here: linktr.ee/girlunmasked

Book gifted by @octopus_books

Book Review: ‘Notes for Neuro Navigators’ By Jolene Stockman 📚

The lovely people at Jessica Kingsley Publishers sent over a review copy* of ‘Notes for Neuro Navigators: The Allies’ Quick-Start Guide to Championing Neurodivergent Brains’ by Jolene Stockman.

Jolene is a multi-award winning AuDHD author and TEDx speaker from Aotearoa, New Zealand. As tangata whaitakiwātanga (an autistic person) Jolene educates and inspires corporate companies, communities, global giants, and not-for-profits.

Jolene’s book is primarily aimed at people who do not identify as Autistic themselves, but who want to be allies for Autistic people in their lives. These could be friends, family or those that work together with someone who is neurodivergent. It is written in a conversational-type style that makes it easy to dip in and out of.

It was interesting to read a book aimed at the people and support networks important in autistic peoples lives, because these people can be so key to helping, supporting and just generally being there for us. As a result it’s the sort of book you really want to lend to people! The inclusion of te reo Māori words and perspectives throughout creates another insightful aspect to the book.

An excerpt of the book description:

‘In a world built for neurotypicals, how can you help Autistic loved ones navigate their way to happiness? Packed with strategies and honest, down-to-earth advice…from creating safe spaces and supporting self-care, to changing your own perspective, and advocating for them with others.’

The book was published in December 2023 and it’s available at all good bookstores:

*Review copy gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.

A huge 2023 round-up podcast episode!

Grab a hot drink and a snack because it’s time for a huge 2023 catch-up episode with Emily! 

Things I cover:
– Podcast guests I’ve had on this year
– A recap My podcaster Spotify wrapped stats!
– Q&A segment – answered questions from my Instagram stories
– A life update
– Books I’ve read this year

And why not catch-up with the 1st episode of the Neurospicy Podcast which is hosted and produced by the super lovely Dr Keren MacLennan! I was very honoured to be the first guest episode 🙂

‘Emily’s aim with @21andsensory is to bring people together and raise awareness that sensory problems aren’t something children necessarily grow out of but learn to live with and adapt to for the rest of their lives. In this episode, Emily speaks very candidly about her experiences of being an neurodivergent person, including the origins and drivers of @21andsensory, her diagnostic journey, challenges with employment and diagnosis disclosure, and some amazing projects she’s worked on.’

The cutlery struggle 🍽️

Hi everyone, I hope you had a lovely festive season and a happy New Year! I’m starting the year off with an illustration on a familiar struggle for a lot of people which is the struggle of cutlery🍴

I’ve always struggled with my knife and fork skills and motor skills in general and have had lots of different comments and opinions on how I use cutlery and how I eat throughout my life. it’s hard to ask for help when you’ve seen as an adult, but I struggled particularly with my cutting of food and the amount of pressure to put on the knife and fork and how to hold them. I’m someone that apparently holds my knife and fork the ‘wrong way round’ (so I hold my fork in my right hand and my knife in my left hand).

Let me know in the comments below if you also struggle with your cutlery skills or have also had comments about how you use cutlery or kitchen utensils 🥄

Image Alt ID:

Title is handwritten in black uppercase and says ‘The cutlery struggle’ with @21andsensory underneath.

The infographic is made up of six separate drawings, each with their own caption.

Image one is a drawing of a girl with ginger hair, holding a slice of pepperoni pizza in a green jumper. There is a bubble coming from her head and it says ‘ugh’. There’s also two speech bubbles behind her one that says don’t eat with your hands and the other that says it’s rude. The main caption underneath the whole image says easier to pick food up.

Image two is a picture of someone holding a knife and fork the ‘wrong way round’ to usual and there is a plate with a jacket potato beans and green beans on it underneath. There is a caption that says ‘poor fine motor skills’

Image three is a picture of a man looking at his phone. He is leaning on a table and has a blue T-shirt on . There is a speech bubble in front of him. That says let’s go eat out so that’s coming from someone else out of the picture and there’s a speech bubble coming from the man’s head that says ‘oh no’. The caption says ‘avoiding eating in public.’

Image is a picture of someone trying to cut up some food and saying ‘can you cut my food up?’ in a speech bubble and someone again outside of the picture saying ‘sure’ and the caption underneath says ‘needing help to cut food’

Image number five is of a girl in a mustard T-shirt with brown hair and she is leaning on a table eating some orange soup and there is a speech bubble from someone outside of the picture saying ‘hurry up’ with a clock that is counting down in the background in red, and the caption below says ‘being a slow eater’.

Image number six says ‘favourite spoon’ with an arrow and its pointing to a green cutlery drawer in a kitchen, which is full of teaspoons, tablespoons, forks and knives. Underneath it caption says ‘needing the same cutlery’

77th 21andsensory Podcast episode… with special guest Georgia Holliday (ADHD & autistic writer, poet)

On today’s episode my special guest is the lovely Georgia Holliday. Georgia describes herself as an ADHD & autistic writer, poet and lifelong student of words. Her work explores feminism, neurodivergence, chronic illness and the glorious messiness of life. Georgia is also an English Lit & Creative Writing student, a wife, dog mum, content creator and obsessive reader. 

You may know Georgia from her social media prescence where she has 63k followers on TikTok and over 15k followers on Instagram!

Link to all of Georgia’s socials (including Instagram, TikTok)

A September Catch-up Podcast Episode…

Grab a hot drink and a snack because it’s time for a catch-up episode with Emily!

Links to things I mentioned:

Books I mentioned:

  • ‘Strong Female Character’ By Fern Brady
  • ‘The Cassandra Complex’ by Holly Smale
  • ‘Fake Law: The Truth About Justice in an Age of Lies’ and ‘Nothing But The Truth: The Memoir of an Unlikely Lawyer’, both by The Secret Barrister
  • ‘Gas Man’ by Colin Black
  • ‘Life lessons from a brain surgeon’ by Jandial Rahul
  • ‘Takeaway: Stories from a Childhood Behind the Counter’ by Angela Hui

Why coffee shops and cafes can be overwhelming…

✨ New drawing ✨  Why coffee shops and cafes can be overwhelming ☕️

Below are a few selected overwhelming features of these places that I’d like to bring to your attention:

☕️ Loud coffee machines:

They hiss. They make machiney noises. They rattle. The cups on top as a result also rattle. They have to be cleaned after each use and do not get me started on the milk frother and it’s unique steamy spluttery noise…

🔍 Too many things to read / order:

Now you may think: ‘Emily I order the same thing each time I don’t need to read the menu’. I’m with you – I also order the exact same thing depending on which place I go to. 

BUT sometimes they don’t have what you want…(not cool).

We all need time to think about what we are able to drink and/or eat. For myself and many other autistic people this is overwhelming as we need to figure out if our own safe drinks and foods are available or a close alternative is avaliable.

⏱️ Anxiety about queuing (and knowing where to wait?!):

WHY DO PEOPLE STAND SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER WHEN QUEUING (phew sorry bit of a rant there). 

Also I cannot be the only person who cannot work out this bit inparticular: I have no idea the ‘social cue’ that means that the barista is done with my transaction and that I am allowed/supposed to move on to the (totally non-designated / signposted) area to wait for my drink.

🪑 Tables and chairs being too close by:

As you can probably tell proximity to other people is not something that I (and many other autistic and neurodivergent people) can manage. Also being too near other people and their own food, clothing and perfume smells can be too much to filter sensory-wise and leads to overwhelm.

📢  Can be busy with lots of chatter:

Ugh this. For example if I am with someone else all I can hear is the persons behind me and their conversation. I also cannot tell if I am full if I am eating in a noisy environment. 

AND BACKGROUND MUSIC. Please no. We don’t need to add or create an ‘atmosphere’ when I cannot *think* due to the sheer volume of everything around me 

🔋 Having to recharge at home after:

It can take a lot of social and physical energy to even leave the house let alone go to a public places like a coffee shop or cafe. Recharging is time consuming but critical to feeling ourselves again.

*Dives under weighted blanket*

Do you also struggle in coffee shops, cafes, etc? Do comment down below any good tips and tricks (noise cancelling headphones, fidgets, share them alllll).

Alt text:

A white square post with a large title in black capital letters at the top saying ‘Why coffee shops and cafes can be overwhelming ‘ and @21andsensory written smaller underneath. There are 6 sections with individual titles and drawings above each:

Loud coffee machines: Drawing of a metal coffee machine with three turquoise cups placed on top rattling and the machine is hissing and spluttering.

Too many things to read / order: A hanging menu and a hanging drinks menu side-by-side with lots of squiggly lines representing a huge amount of choice.

Anxiety about queuing: a queue of five adults waiting in a cafe queue, some looking at their phones, some with hand crossed over themselves waiting and getting inpatient. A thought cloud above saying ‘WHY ARE PEOPLE STOOD SO NEAR EACH OTHER?!’

Tables and chairs being too close by: Two sets of tables and chairs back-to-back with each other (four people sat down and one person saying ‘excuse me can I get past?’)

Can be busy with lots of chatter: Four pastel coloured speech bubbles overlapping including text: ‘Order 21’, ‘Flat white?!’, ‘Mum!’ and ‘It’s been ages, so good to see you!’

Having to recharge at home after: A picture of a girl with orange hair tucked up in a single wooden bed under a weighted blanket/duvet cover

Unreal Charity: Guest Blog

I wrote a guest blog post for Unreal Charity which has been published on their blog today and you can read it below:

Read my blog post

If you haven’t heard of Unreal here is a little bit more about them:

Unreal reaches out to people of lived experience of Depersonalisation and Derealisation and their carers and families. We seek to raise awareness of Depersonalisation and Derealisation, to provide support and to promote involvement through providing up to date information, signposting, networking, the sharing of experiences and by celebrating success.

My blog post is about coming to terms with my own DPDR struggles (short for Depersonalisation / Derealisation) and how I have found everyday life living with dissociation.

More advice and information on DPDR here

What is a sensory diet? 👀

✨ New drawing ✨  What is a sensory diet? (and the word diet doesn’t relate to food diets)

A bit of history:

The term  ‘sensory diet’ was first created by occupational therapists Wilbarger and Wilbarger in 1991 which involved a plan of physical activities and accommodations to help a person (mostly children back then) meet their sensory needs. In my drawing I’m referring to a more modern take on a ‘sensory diet’ which could involve creating your own personalised sensory diet, featuring things that can be comforting and calming to you (say when nearing a shutdown or meltdown) and can help self-regulate.

Stimming and movement 

I find I sit or lie on the floor a lot – do you? Why not make it a part of your routine and carve out some time to just sit with your legs up a wall? Why not stim in your favourite way, tap or shake your feet or stim-dance. Also things like lifting weights and pulling/pushing heavy items can be a great way to get some proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input.

Safe food, textures and smells (okay so actually a sensory diet can involve food!)

Having food available that brings your joy sensory-wise is important. You might like super crunchy foods, bland foods, chewy foods, etc. (Did you know taste input is perceived by the tongue but how it’s experienced is strongly affected by sense of smell!) 

*goes to put some potato waffles in the oven* 🏃 

Sensory corner 

Why not create your own little sensory corner? A small haven where you can chill.

It could be a whole dedicated corner in say your bedroom or under a desk, a comfy chair with surrounding sensory aids, or even a little pop-up tent! You can really tailor it to your own sensory needs and include bigger things like a nice comfy rug, interesting sounds, sights and lighting (but be careful not to make it overwhelming visually!) 

Brushing techniques

This was something I was taught about as a child in occupational therapy. If you are interested in it I recommend looking up something called the Wilbarger Protocol. It’s a body brushing therapy that helps to desensitise the body (that you can do at home). The Therapressure brush can be bought online via Amazon). You should ideally do this under the supervision of an OT to make sure you are using the right technique but the guides online are helpful if you want to try it out. Also you can get silicone finger toothbrushes which can help desensitise your gums and mouth.

Weighted products

#lovemyweightedblanket

But there’s SO many weighted product options out there from weighted lap pads, toys, hoodies, vests, shoulder wraps, caps, wrist and ankle weights, etc. They also come in a range of tactile textures and provide deep compression which helps feeling grounded.

Special interests

Ah special interests – when you fall down that lovely research hole on the internet or via a brilliant book. Carve out time for your interests and hobbies. And don’t let anyone else tell you they aren’t important!

Alt text:

A white square post with a large title in black capital letters at the top saying ‘WHAT IS A SENSORY DIET?’ and @21andsensory written smaller underneath. There are 6 sections with individual titles and drawings above each:

Stimming and movement

A girl with dark black hair, a purple jumper and blue jeans is lying on the floor with her legs resting up against the wall. A pair of arms flapping/stimming next to her legs and a pair of feet with Vans black and white skater shoes on tapping on the floor.

Safe food, textures and smells

Drawings of a bowl of honey loop cereal, a red apple, a bunch of green grapes, some doritos and a plate of 3 potato waffles.

Sensory corner

A small corner of a green bedroom with a blue bean bag in the corner on top of a teal rug. There is a sausage dog pillow on top of the bean bag and on the rug there is a clear plastic box full of sensory aids. There is a purple and orange lava lamp to the left of the rug and on the wall stuck up is a routine/schedule sheet to be ticked off and a portrait seaside poster next to it.

Brushing techniques

A person is using a Wilbarger therapressure brush on their arm to desensitise their arms to the right of this is a hand outstretched with a blue silicone finger toothbrush on it.

Weighted products

A woman is all tucked up inside a pastel green weighted blanket with her legs crossed sitting on the floor. There are two love hearts above her head to show that she is comfy and loves the weighted feeling. Next to her is some legs crossed on a stool with a purple weighted lap pad on top of them

Special interests

A young person with black hair is sat at a desk on a laptop researching into their special interest. Above is the wording ‘HYPER-FOCUS’, ‘*HOURS GO BY* and “FALLS INTO A RESEARCH SHAPED BLACK HOLE’ with an image on a black hole underneath. There is a mug of tea and notebook either side of the laptop on the desk.

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