Christmas is coming and while it’s an exciting time for many for those in the autism community it can also be a challenging time. With Level 3 restrictions in place for this year’s festivities there is even more changes to routine, a lot of uncertainty and many occasions that could bring stress and anxiety to those with autism. With this in mind, SuperValu has teamed up with AsIAm to introduce a Christmas social story for people and families to use as a resource to help explain the current festive environment.

Social stories are short descriptions of an activity explained in a literal way to help improve an autistic person's understanding of a situation. This Covid Christmas social story, available now on SuperValu.ie and AsIAm.ie, gives an overview of Level 3 restrictions at Christmas using easy to follow language and images to give a guideline for behaviour and help reduce anxiety.

This initiative is part of a larger relationship between AsIAm and SuperValu, who are dedicated to making communities around Ireland more inclusive and lead the way in autism-friendly shopping.

Commenting on the initiative Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm “We are delighted that SuperValu has once again come on board to support this great initiative. In addition to our own website, having this story available on SuperValu.ie will ensure widespread access for people. Christmas can be the most exciting time of the year, full of music, lights, presents and fun. But for people with autism, the festivities and change of routine under the current restrictions may lead to distress. Social stories greatly assist people with autism in understanding social situations, so we hope the story we have created will help many people and families across Ireland.”

Ray Kelly, Interim Managing Director SuperValu said, “Building and enhancing inclusive communities is part of the SuperValu ethos and we are delighted to continue to build on our partnership with AsIAm. The story is available on SuperValue.ie in December and is part of our on-going partnership with AsIAm to make not only our stores more autism-friendly but communities around Ireland too.”

SuperValu is committed to raising understanding and awareness of autism among its customers and staff. With over 50,000 families in Ireland living with autism, those affected face barriers to inclusion because of the attitudes of people who may not have first-hand experience of autism.

To find out more and for further resources, visit:

https://supervalu.ie/real-people/autism-friendly/autism-friendly-support-tools and www.asiam.ie