What is Autism?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which can affect social skills and communication. Autism is often described as a developmental disability. However, I want to bring your attention that autism is not a disability. Individuals with autism see the world differently because their brain works in a unique way and they have different abilities. This uniqueness can put a barrier in their communication, behaviour, social and emotional development. It is also known as the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For me Autism means;

“UNIQUENESS”

This unique condition often needs small help and understanding from the society/ community to be able to adapt life. According to the National Autistic Society statistics, there are 700,000 autistic people, which means 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK. This data shows the diagnosed autistic individuals, there may be many more who are not diagnosed. There is no age limit to be diagnosed. Especially in 2020s, we also see many adults who get diagnosed with ASD. Autism is a spectrum because every autistic individual is different, they all show individual characteristic.

The following different conditions can be seen;

• Individuals with autism may find it very hard and uncomfortable to make eye contact with others. This is not because they are rude or not bothered to listen to you; they may be more comfortable to listen and pay attention in a different way.
•  Autistic person can find it difficult to understand their own feelings as well as others. Therefore, they can find it hard to cope with their own feelings and react appropriately for the situation.
•  Individuals on autistic spectrum may have sensory sensitivities at any age. They can experience hyper (over) or hypo (under) sensitivity or both. They can be sensitive to sounds, smells, lights or many other things. They can also be sensitive to pain. Let’s give an example about touching, even it’s a soft shoulder touch, some individuals may find it very painful and some people may not feel any pain at all.
•  Autistic individuals can be verbal or non-verbal.
•  Autism can cause speech delay.
•  Individuals with autism may have meltdowns which can be mixed up with tantrums. It is so important to understand if an autistic person is having a tantrum or meltdown. These characteristics can challenge the individuals with their social life. They can find it difficult to socialise with others. They may not have any friends at all. They may not be able to take part in school plays, games, activities etc…

The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) covers a number of conditions such as;

•  Autistic disorder.
•  Asperger’s Syndrome.
•  Pervasive Development Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Some signs you need to consider which can relate to autism:

•  Avoiding eye contact
•  Speech delay.
•  Not speaking at all.
•  Repetitive words or phrase such as Echolalia.
•  Cannot cope with changes in routine.
•  Repetitive behaviour such as fiddling or flapping.
•  Not able to have two-way conversation.
•  Find it hard to understand other’s feelings.

Sometimes it can be hard to understand signs of autism at early age but if you have any concerns about your child/ren or your student/s please talk to a specialist or anyone that can help because early diagnosis is very important for individual’s life.

It is so easy to mix up autism and speech delay, as some individuals with autism may have speech delay or they can have no speech at all.

Autism is not a learning disability but some individuals with autism may face specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. It is important to get the right support to make their learning fun. Otherwise, it could be very stressful for them. Autism can be seen together with two or more other conditions. For example, the individual may be deaf and autistic or have Down’s syndrome and autism.

There is no cure for autism because it is not an illness or disease. However, there are many different opportunities and interventions which can make their life easier and joyful. There are no specific causes for autism and this is a lifelong condition. Some autistic individuals can manage to live independently but some may need lifelong support.

Individuals with autism can have better life with tailored help and support because they are: UNIQUE

“The most interesting people you’ll find are ones that don’t fit into your average cardboard box. They’ll make what they need, they’ll make their own box”. Dr. Temple Grandin

Blog written by Letife Mehmet