Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

In 2012 Liam Robertson, who is on the autism spectrum, told us about his passion for TV, film and theatre and his ambition to become an actor. Liam's story is inspirational, demonstrating the importance of seeing the person, not the disability.

In this short video, new Iriss Champion, Charlene Tait, describes the process of sharing knowledge to improve practice within Scottish Autism.

This forms part of the Iriss evidence informed practice case study series designed to help practitioners share their experiences of using different types of evidence to change the delivery of services.

Liam Robertson is 20 years old and has autism. He has a passion for film, attends Scottish Youth Theatre, works part-time in a Barnardo's shop in Glasgow and would like to pursue a career in the theatre.

Liam Robertson is 20 years old and has autism. He has a passion for film and would like to pursue a career in the theatre.

In this video Liam talks about his interests and aspirations, attending Scottish Youth Theatre and working in a Barnardo's shop, and he delivers a monologue from Citizen Kane.

Update 2015

In 2015 we caught up to find out how Liam's career in TV and film is progressing.

Liam Robertson is 20 years old and has autism. His parents talk about Liam's passion for the theatre and the support they received to help Liam develop independence and obtain an NVQ2 in customer service. They also talk about the difficulties encountered in obtaining a diagnosis and their aspirations for his future.

"People with disabilities have all sort of skills and abilities and that's what needs to be promoted. We need to get beyond seeing the disability, and I think video's a really good way of doing it."

David Lettice is a social worker with East Renfrewshire Council. He became involved with Liam, a 20 year old man with autism, when his case was transferred from the transitions team to the integrated learning disability team, where David works.