UK shopping centres will hold first nationwide autism-friendly 'quiet hour'

The 'quiet hour' initiative, which provides a more comfortable shopping experience for people with autism, is growing in popularity.

Our son had autism with no intellectual disability, though working memory and processing looked a pair of cognitive Achilles heels. Source: Getty Images

The UK's first "quiet hour" will be held in October, with a chain of shopping centres committed to providing a more autism-friendly shopping experience. 

Intu, which owns 14 shopping centres nationwide, will dim lighting and turn down music in shops and restaurants for one hour at 10am on October 2, after partnering with the National Autistic Society on #AutismHour as part of their Too Much Information awareness campaign. 

The idea is to prevent the information and sensory overload that people with autism can experience in crowded shopping centres.

"For autistic people, the world can seem full of too much information - and too little understanding," the organisation says.

"That's why we launched the Too Much Information campaign to challenge the myths, misconceptions and stereotypes that contribute to 79 per cent of autistic people feeling socially isolated and 64 per cent of autistic people avoiding going to the shops.

"We're asking shops and businesses to organise a National Autistic Society Autism Hour and take simple steps for 60 minutes that lead to a more autism-friendly world."

The loud noises and bright lights of shopping centres can make for an uncomfortable experience for someone with autism. Source: flickr/Alpha CC BY-NC 2.0

The society is asking shops and businesses in the UK to:

• Turn down music and other noise: Overwhelming noise is a common barrier to autistic people accessing shops. Where possible, in-store tannoy announcements and other controllable noise should be reduced.
• Dimming the lights: Lighting, particularly fluorescent strip lighting, can be overwhelming for autistic people. Wherever possible, whilst maintaining a safe premises, lights should be dimmed or switched off.
• Sharing information about autism with employees: We don't expect everyone to be an autism expert but we believe everyone should understand autism. 

Intu is the latest company to hold a "quiet hour" for people with autism. UK retailers Toys R Us, Asda and Tesco have trialed the initiative recently.

According to Autism Spectrum Australia, one in 100 Australians are on the autism spectrum - that is around 230,000 people. 

Last year Adelaide supermarkets Frewville Foodland and Pasadena Foodland introduced a quiet hour (actually an hour and a half) between 6.30pm and 8pm on Tuesday evenings.