‘I realised I had autism when my children were diagnosed’

As a child, William Butchart enjoyed neatly lining up building blocks according to colour – something he now sees as a “stereotype” of autism.

The things he found to be challenging, and often distressing, about the condition were very different.

William felt unable to follow social “norms” – he struggled to make friendships or understand “banter”.

He also experienced a number of sensory issues. Certain textures and foods were unbearable and sudden, loud noises could overwhelm him with fear.

But as he got older, William says he learned to “blend into the background”, effectively masking his autistic behaviours.

That was, until both his children were diagnosed with the condition.

William’s son, who is non-verbal, was two when he was diagnosed and his daughter was only identified as autistic after she had a mental health crisis at age 13.

Learning more about his children’s condition, church minister William realised they all shared problems with noise and had very restricted diets. He and his son eat only “beige” foods.

The realisation led him to question struggles he had lived with for decades.

“I couldn’t leave it to just how I feel – I needed somebody to actually assess it,” he said.

“Once I started to learn what autism actually was, it began to chime more and more with me.”

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.

Some find it difficult to understand how others think or feel, while others experience sensory issues – meaning bright lights or loud noises can be overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable.

There are at least 56,000 autistic people in Scotland, both children and adults, plus an estimated 225,000 family members and carers.

According to the Scottish government, there has been a “significant increase in referrals” – which is putting pressure on an already-stretched NHS.