What is autism

It has also been referred to as Asperger’s (primarily differentiated from autism by the person’s language skills), autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), classical autism, high functioning autism, kanner autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD).

These different terms are used by different groups of people, depending upon the agenda of their diagnosis, the toolkits used to for the diagnosis, as well as the primary characteristics of the person undergoing the diagnosis. In the UK, ASD is the most used term, particularly by medical professionals. Here at the Autism Information and Advice Service, we prefer to use the term ASC (autism spectrum condition), as this is becoming more commonly used by the autistic community, as the language has more positive connotations. The important thing to note is that the variety of names used to describe autism and the traits they refer to reflect the wide array of ways autism is experienced.

As autism is a condition that affects how a person perceives the world around them, many aspects of everyday life can therefore be much more challenging for an autistic individual. Activities that neurotypical (the word used to describe people who do not have autism) individuals often take for granted, can in fact be overwhelming for an autistic person. For example, shopping at the supermarket, going to the cinema, attending a job interview, or going on a night out. All these activities include navigating a series of unpredictable situations, interacting, and communicating with lots of different people, and coping with a variety of competing sensory experiences. When we consider this, it is easy to understand why autistic individuals often describe the social world as overwhelming and significantly anxiety inducing.

An autistic individual may therefore find the following challenging:

• Interacting and communicating with others – especially strangers
• Understanding sarcasm, metaphors or abstract ideas
• Integrating competing sensory experiences – including touch, noise, smell and light and colours
• Processing and understanding what is happening around them
• Coping with a change of routine or an unexpected situation
• Understanding and responding to the emotions of others

Because of the unique way an autistic person’s mind works, they may also exhibit the following characteristics, which other people may find difficult to understand:

• An unusually strong interest in a specific topic or subject
• Repetitive actions or behaviours
• Non-typical emotional responses or expressions
• Under or over reaction to specific sensory stimuli or an extreme dislike of something
• Restrictive eating habits
• A need for strict routine or the development of habitual behaviour

It is therefore easy to see why an autistic person may feel ‘different’ to others and why they may find the social world and building relationships with non-autistic individuals frustrating.

The many challenges that an autistic individual may face and the common traits of autism are often broken down into three specific categories:

1. An impairment of social understanding and relationships
2. An impairment of communication and interaction
3. An impairment of imaginative thought and inflexibility in thoughts and behaviours

However, it is important to recognise that all autistic people experience their autism differently. When thinking about autism, it is helpful to remember that everyone’s autism is different – this is why it is called a spectrum condition.