Autism

Frequently asked questions, and advice and support.

Frequently asked questions

Autism, or, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a complex spectrum of neurodevelopment that affects children, adolescents, and adults. It is identified by a set of behaviours and symptoms that include difficulties with social interaction and communication, repetitive behaviours, narrow, obsessive interests, and sensory processing differences.

The severity of autism symptoms varies greatly from person to person and can range from mild social awkwardness to profound disability. Children with autism will often experience differences in their sensory processing. Early symptoms of autism in children may show that they are under-sensitive to sounds, touch, smells, taste, light, pain, or balance. This is because their sensory processing reflects a spectrum and is likely to differ greatly from that of their neurotypical peers. Often described to be more detailed or not detailed enough, autism results in some instances of feeling overwhelmed but in others, may be actively sensory seeking.

If you suspect your child has autism or if they have received a diagnosis, there is a wide variety of help and support available. This page will guide you through a range of information for supporting your child’s autism needs. We provide answers to common autism FAQs and and share additional internal and external autism resources available to you.

Signs of autism in young children include:

Not responding to their name
Avoiding eye contact
Not smiling when you smile at them
Getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
Repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
Not talking as much as other children
Not doing as much pretend play
Repeating the same phrases

Signs of autism in older children include:

Not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling
Unusual speech, such as repeating phrases and talking ‘at’ others
Liking a strict daily routine and getting very upset if it changes
Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
Getting very upset if you ask them to do something
Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
Taking things very literally – for example, they may not understand phrases like 'break a leg'
Finding it hard to say how they feel

The cause of autism remains unknown, but the condition is believed to occur at approximately 1:100 worldwide. The identification, recognition and understanding of autism has been rising since the 1980s.

It is important to stress that autism is not caused by parental neglect or poor parenting. Autism affects the way children think, process, interact, communicate and behave but it does not change who they are as individuals. With appropriate support and maturation the symptoms of autism and behaviour patterns can change and alter. Symptoms are sometimes said to be more noticeable in children than in adults but autism is a lifelong developmental difference.

There are a number of tools which are used to diagnose individuals who might be autistic. These include the DISCO (Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders); the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule); the ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised) and 3Di (Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview).

If you do have concerns around possible signs of autism, depending on the age of your child or young person, first raise your questions with your health visitor or school SENCo.

Children with autism may have differences in social development to their peers. De-coding the social world can be very challenging; often finding it hard to read the body language of others or understand how their actions affect those around them. This can make coping with the demands of everyday life difficult. Social stories are often suggested as a helpful means of explaining the expectations of the social world. It is important that those developing social stories have a sound understanding of them, as explained by carolgraysocialstories.com because the aim is to assist an autistic person in understanding a likely social experience.

Meaningful, expressive, and reciprocal communication are all areas that develop differently for autistic people. This impacts on interaction with family, friends and professionals involved in their care. These areas can often be supported, by a carefully selected and taught range of strategies, including augmentative and visual communication, to support both understanding and expression. This can help equip a young person with the means to communicate, seek help and support when they feel they need it.

Young people with an autism spectrum disorder often find comfort and experience a reduction in anxiety from areas of special interest and routine. Coping with change can feel extremely stressful. It is likely activities are frequently repetitive and even behaviours may be repeated over and over. Favourite songs, phrases, programmes, or characters are also very common. A preference for sameness is often apparent. Placing belongings or setting out activities in a routine and repetitive way is common. Lining up objects and repeating the same play patterns can foster a reassuring predictability that can help to diminish some of the anxiety associated with managing change.

As a result of these areas of development, people with autism spectrum disorders may feel isolated, frustrated and lonely. Communication may be interpreted very literally which can add to anxiety and confusion. Sarcasm and socially founded jokes, interpreting body language and facial expressions can all escalate anxiety and trigger stressed behaviours. They may be very literal in the way they interpret what others say, so jokes and sarcasm can cause confusion. They may also have problems with interpreting facial expressions, which may make other people seem unfriendly.

Model social skills – use quiet voices in quiet areas. Explain why your voice is different in different environments.
Explain unwritten rules explicitly - be direct if necessary.
Restorative justice practices.
For non-verbal children use visual representations.
Therapeutic stories/social stories
Make the day predictable.
Visualise the routine to reduce the stress load.
Reduce language and provide time between asking questions and a response to them (at least 10 seconds)

This is dependent on the individual needs of your child. Some examples can include speech therapy, physiotherapy, or sensory integration. To find out what therapies or interventions are available or would be most appropriate, speak to the professional involved with your child. This could include your paediatrician, SENCo, school nurse, health visitor or speech and language therapist. It is also advisable to be aware of what is available at a local level.

Autism can sometimes be different in girls and boys. Autistic girls may hide some signs of autism by copying how other children behave and play. They may withdraw in situations they find difficult or may appear to cope better in social situations or show fewer signs of repetitive behaviour. Sometimes these signs in girls are missed due to some of the characteristics associated with society ‘norms’, girls are more likely to be classed as shy, quiet, ‘nerdy’ or obsessed with things like make up or current celebrities. ‘Masking’ behaviour is also very common in girls. Consideration also needs to focus on the actual pathway, diagnostic criteria and historical research that has centred heavily around boys.

Body language – Facial expressions, gestures, movement, as well as eye contact. Includes touch, proximity and personal space
Voice – Communicate meaning through tone, intonation and volume
Interpersonal skills – Making friends and maintaining friendships, negotiation, sorting difficulty and assertiveness
Conversational skills – "Speech and Language" Initiate and end conversation, turn taking, asking and answering questions – maintaining the topic
Social conventions – Politeness, manners, following unwritten rules
Emotional intelligence – ability to recognise and identify emotions in self and others. Managing emotions and expressing them appropriately

Stereotypical repetitive movement (hands, body) – rocking, making sounds, hand flapping.
Compulsive behaviours – behaviour that follows rules, such as arranging objects in stacks and lines.
Resistance to change – insisting that environments don’t alter, inflexible to change in routines.
Ritualistic behaviour - unvarying pattern of daily activities, such as an unchanging diet, or repeating the same routine.
Restricted behaviour – limited in focus, interest or activity, such as a preoccupation with a single tv program, toy or game.

Social isolation, feelings of being overwhelmed, high anxiety, difficulty making and maintaining friends.

Perhaps the most well-known trait of autism is difficulty with social skills, including recognising and responding to other people’s feelings, reading nonverbal cues, and navigating social norms. Language development and communication difficulties are common challenges in students with autism that are often inextricably intertwined with issues related to socialisation – so much of human socialisation is related to verbal and non-verbal communication.

Students with autism may struggle with sensory processing and may avoid or seek out sensory input. Some students will have difficulty completing tasks or planning ahead, while others may find it difficult to break a pattern of thinking to approach a problem in a new way, as executive functioning may be a challenge. Motor skills can be impaired in students with autism, and may require a great deal of concentration or effort that interferes with a student’s ability to concentrate on the material being presented.

Sensory sensitivities are common if autism is present. When the brain and nervous system is bombarded with too much sensory input from one or more sensory systems and is unable to process and sort out the incoming sensory messages. This can lead to a difficulty in effectively regulating the degree to which we are influenced by sensory inputs. This can occur in any of the sensory systems, some examples of which we have listed here: