What is Autism?

ASC stands for ‘Autism Spectrum Condition’. Sometimes people use the term ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’, ‘low-’ or ‘high-functioning’ Autism, Asperger’s, or just ‘Autism’. There are lots of different terms and they show how people often understand Autism differently – everyone with Autism is different! In our team we use the term ‘ASC’ to show that we think of Autism as involving a whole range of strengths and difficulties – not just problems.

 

 

People with ASC have brains that understand the world slightly differently to typically-developing brains. Often (but not always) they will be good visual thinkers, such as learning better from pictures or having great art skills. Often (but not always) they will have difficulties with spoken language, such as speaking later than other children or having trouble saying what they are thinking. This can mean they find it harder to understand when people don’t say what they really mean, such as jokes, sarcasm, lies, or unusual phrases such as ‘take a seat’. They might care about people deeply but not express this in speech, such as not asking friends and family how they are or what they are interested in. Most people with ASC have difficulty knowing what others are thinking or feeling, and this can make it harder for them to make friends because people are a bit confusing to them.

 

 

Part of the problem of understanding others can be difficulties seeing ‘the big picture’, like putting together someone’s tone of voice, body language and context to realise they are annoyed. However, people with Autism are often good at details. They might be good at following instructions, do well in maths and science, or have very specialist interests such as make-up, military aircraft or bus routes. They can be great at focusing, particularly on their interests, as they are not as easily distracted by others. People with ASC can be quite happy in their own company; some people prefer having time away from others if they get tired easily being around people.

 

Some people with Autism as they can get overwhelmed by what is going on around them. Children especially may be extra sensitive to noise, smells, tastes and busy places, so get tired or upset more easily – particularly after school. Difficulties understanding what they (and others) feel as well as feeling some things more strongly means children with ASC are more likely to have meltdowns, which might seem like they come out of nowhere. These sensitivities combined with trouble understanding others, mean many people with ASC like to have a strong routine so they know what will happen next. They may also try to control situations or people, sometimes to an extreme extent. This helps them stay calm, safe and secure, as unexpected changes can be quite stressful.

 

Another common way of calming down is to get relaxing body sensations, such standing on tip toes (balance), flapping hands (movement), playing with paint or water (texture, sight), or making the same noise again and again (hearing). Getting the right sensory input can also help concentration, even if it seems distracting to others!