10 winter to summer transitions that can affect autistic people

Autistic people can feel uncomfortable when things change. One big change that we all have to go through is the winter to summer transition. Here are 10 changes that occur when the seasons shift, that might affect autistic people:

1. Change of time

Every spring in the UK, the clocks move forward by one hour. This means that 6am is now 7am and 7pm is now 8pm, etc.

For the first few days after the clock has changed, it can cause disruption to an autistic person’s internal routine. Autistic people can be extremely sensitive and this can include being sensitive to: what time it is, how “awake” or “tired” they feel, as well their observations of the world outside. For example, I go out walking every day at 5am. The mornings have gradually been getting lighter so, before the clocks were changed, I had been used to walking in daylight. The day after the clocks had changed, at 5am it was pitch black outside. The change felt really abrupt.

I imagine if you are an autistic person who is used to waking up early or going to bed late, the changes caused by daylight saving might really affect you.

The clock change can also affect what time an autistic person feels hungry and influence their meal times.

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