What is autism? (2024)

FAQs

What is life like for an autistic person? ›

Autistic people may: find it hard to communicate and interact with other people. find it hard to understand how other people think or feel. find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable.

Individuals with ASD level 1 may have difficulty understanding social cues and may struggle to form and maintain personal relationships. A child with level 1 autism may understand and speak in complete sentences, but have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversation.

In severe cases, an autistic child may never learn to speak or make eye contact. But many children with autism and other autism spectrum disorders are able to live relatively normal lives.

Main signs of autism

finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own. seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to.

They are one and the same. The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the clinical definition for autism. Some people chose to be referred to as “an autistic person”, while others prefer to be referred to “a person with autism”.

People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.

Social Interaction: Children with level 2 ASD find nonverbal interactions particularly complicated and are more likely to respond in ways that neurotypical people see as inappropriate. They find it challenging to understand social cues, gestures, and facial expressions.

Level 2 autism is like level 1, but the symptoms are more severe, and the child requires more support. An autistic level 2 individual may show the following impairments: [v] Using fewer words. Missing nonverbal communication cues. Not responding or walking away during a conversation.

Most children with level 3 autism exhibit self-stimulatory and repetitive behaviors. These behaviors may include moaning, flapping, door slamming, or violent rocking, which are potentially extreme and difficult to manage. There may also be physical symptoms such as sleeplessness, epilepsy, and gastrointestinal issues.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.

Can a child outgrow autism? ›

They looked at 213 children who had been diagnosed with autism at 1 to 3 years of age and reevaluated them at 5 to 7 years of age after receiving some form of intervention. They found that by around age 6, more than a third, almost 40%, of the children no longer met the criteria for autism.

Yes, they can and do. According to research conducted at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), two-thirds of 15- to 18-year-old autistic adolescents without intellectual disability are currently driving or planning to drive, and 1 in 3 autistic individuals without intellectual disability get licensed by age 21.

They may show love, for example, through a practical act, and tidy up for you, or iron your shirt, rather than through a more neurotypical way of looking at you and telling you or using physical affection.

Although many strengths come with being autistic, throughout their lives, autistic people are likely to face challenges. These could be caused by things like health conditions that can co-occur in autistic people, or from difficulties that come with being an autistic person in a world built for neurotypicals.

Having an autistic partner

This can be difficult to deal with. Having an autistic partner may mean having to help them with social interaction, particularly around unwritten social rules. We want to stress that autistic people are just as capable of having loving and successful relationships as non-autistic people.

Individuals with autism often experience difficulties with executive functioning, which can impact their ability to manage daily tasks and activities. For example, a person with autism may struggle to break down a complex task into smaller steps or may find it challenging to prioritize tasks.

Intense interests

Many autistic people have intense and highly-focused interests, often from a fairly young age. These can change over time or be lifelong. It can be art, music, gardening, animals, postcodes or numbers. For many younger children it's Thomas the Tank Engine, dinosaurs or particular cartoon characters.