What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
It all begins with an idea.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is neurological condition that impacts how a persons brain develops. This means that people with ASD’s minds function differently to those without ASD. This is often referred to as ‘neurodivergent’ for those with ASD versus ‘neurotypical’ for those without ASD.
Autism impacts how individuals experience and interact with the world. This can be seen in differences in:
Social communication differences may include:
Sensory preferences and processing (e.g. avoiding certain smells, textures, sounds, tastes) or seeking sensory input (e.g. through seeking extra tactile contact, stimming, . Stimming is self-stimulating behaviour, and ca involve repetitive movements or noises that individuals use to regulate their sensory input and emotions.
Communication and social: people with ASD may have different communication styles to neurotypical people. They may use more or less words to communicate, and some people will not communicate using verbal words. They may show differences in body language, gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions.
Social: people with ASD may prefer to spend time alone, but they may also enjoy spending time with others; this depends on the person. They may have difficulty understanding their own and others emotions.
Restricted interests and repetitive behaviours may include:
Interests: people with ASD may have very specific and strong interests and will often dedicate significant amounts of time involved in or speaking about these interests. This may look like having a hobby that you spend a substantial amount of time on, or playing with a toy
Repetitive movements or behaviours: this may involve ‘stimming’, such as rocking back and forth, hand flapping, walking on tiptoes, repeating a phrase over and over, arranging things in a particular order (e.g. lining toys up), or watching the same episode of a show again and again.
Routines: people with ASD may prefer a consistent routine. They may find it overwhelming if there are unexpected routine changes,
Some supports that may help:
· Psychology assessment and therapy to assess cooccurring
· Parenting programs or parenting training
· Special education
· Social group programs for those with ASD
· Speech therapy for support with communication skills and/or speech
· Occupational therapy for sensory assessment