National Autism Awareness month (April) has come to an end, but we wanted to continue the campaign to bring Autism to the forefront and to keep talking about it - in the board game community and beyond.
Last month, we teamed up with care providers, Moorview Care, and spoke to some of our amazing Zatu bloggers with lived experience of Autism to highlight just how important it is for us to talk about Autism, understand Autism and adapt to make our communities more inclusive.
According to the National Autistic Society, ‘more than one in 100 people are autistic’ in the UK, with the board game community suggesting their figure is higher than this.
Luke, a member of the Zatu blogging team, who has an Autism diagnosis himself says:
“The gaming community has such a high population of neurodiverse individuals that I think it is well versed in understanding and supporting people. Board games can be a brilliant tool for people with Autism. I’m a professional in a school and we run a Blood on the Clocktower club. This encourages certain types of communication and purposeful hiding of information. Other games, like Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza support more physical challenges like hand-eye coordination and offer sensory input.”
Luke, whose entire household have a diagnosis or are awaiting assessment, continued: “At a base level, games provide a way to interact socially. With a set of rules that guide interactions making it less direct and easier to manage.”
Board Games & Inclusion
At Zatu, we’re really proud to be not only an inclusive employer, but an inclusive team, an inclusive retailer, all a part of a widely inclusive board game community so when it came to Autism Awareness Month, we thought ‘why stop there?’ Last month we put together a board game social with our friends over at Moorview Care to get board games on the table, specifically selecting and sending titles that our team of experts felt would suit a range of people with learning disabilities and/or Autism.
Moorview Care support adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in Yorkshire and we wanted to spread the joy of board games, whilst achieving the goal of getting the conversation flowing about Autism. Moorview Care brought together a number of the people they support who have learning disabilities and/or Autism to do just this. At their board game social, Zatu provided the games and the people, like Shegs, provided the conversation:
“For me, supporting autistic people is about listening first. It’s about understanding what matters to them, helping them feel safe, and guiding others to communicate and support in ways that truly work. When we lead by example, we create environments where people can thrive.” - Shegs Olukotun, Support Worker for Moorview Care and winner of ‘Support Worker Award’ at Learning Disability & Autism Awards 2025.
At the board game social, Shegs, his colleagues and the people they support enjoyed playing a range of games including A Gentle Rain, Splendor, Patchwork and more.
Imogen, another member of the Zatu blogging team with an Autism diagnosis, shared her experiences:
“I love board games because it’s a great focus for autistic special interest. As well as playing the games themselves, a lot can have a collection element which allows for a lot of categorisation and organisation. I find that really soothing and a source of comfort when I feel stressed and want to impose some order. It’s also a fantastic social space where having the focus of a game can take the rough edges off the demands of socialising.”
Voices From the Community
During the creation of this blog, we had the pleasure of talking to some of our Zatu bloggers with lived experience of Autism who helped create this piece. Some of our team have a diagnosis themselves and some have loved ones who have Autism. We’ve included some more of their quotes below but felt their words were so powerful, and to further the conversation about Autism, there will be a follow up blog with more about how the gaming community is perhaps one of the more educated and accepting communities when it comes to Autism as well as what type of games our team find suit them or their loved ones with Autism. Watch this space for more discussions about Autism, how board games can help some individuals with Autism and what we as a nation need to understand about Autism. But for now, we’ll leave you with some words from our Zatu blogging team…
“Neurodiversity isn’t a monolith; one autistic person is just that. A lot of autistic traits will be experienced by neurotypical people as well, the experience itself isn’t unique, but the impact of that experience is what makes it debilitating.”
“No one chooses to be autistic and when they take any auntie behaviour personally, that says everything about them and nothing about the person on the spectrum they've taken umbrage with.”
“I wish people understood that having autism is often as simple and everyday as being a brunette. It’s a part of who I am, but it isn’t a tragedy or a puzzle to be solved. Stereotypes are hurtful because they ignore how unique we all are. We need to move toward a society that asks instead of assumes. “
Looking Ahead
Despite the board game community being well versed in understanding Autism, we as a nation have a long way to go. Awareness and understanding is key. If we can bring Autism to the forefront in the gaming community, in our towns, cities and beyond, we can educate and make changes for the better. For our friends, family and fellow gamers.
