Autism Spectrum Disorder (or more simply, ‘Autism’) is a lifelong developmental disability which affects 1 in 100 people in the UK. Autism affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development. However, the most obvious signs of Autism tend to emerge between two and three years of age.
It is a ‘spectrum condition’, which means that, while all autistic people share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some autistic people can live relatively independent lives, but others may have accompanying learning disabilities or mental health issues and need a lifetime of specialist support. Autistic people may also experience over-or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, lights, or colours.
Over the years different labels have emerged to try and represent the range in Autistic presentations. At the ‘least affected’ end, you may have heard labels such as “Asperger’s Syndrome” and “High Functioning Autism” (the main difference being in whether there is a delay in language development, there is no language delay in Asperger’s). At the more ‘severe’ end of the spectrum you would have found labels such as “Classic Autism” or “Kanner’s Autism”. In May 2015 all Autism disorders were merged into one umbrella diagnosis of ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ (ASD).
The term ‘ASD’ has fallen out of favour within the autistic community however, given the reference to ‘deficit’, and the term ‘autism’ is now preferred. In the autism community ‘identity first’ language is preferred (such as “Autistic,” “Autistic person,” or “Autistic individual”) because it recognises autism as an essential part of an individual’s identity.
You can read in more detail about autism, including the causes, the impact autism can have, and sensory processing issues, in the dedicated Autistic Spectrum Disorder pages using the button below.
Go to Autistic Spectrum Disorder informationContent updated 09/04/2024.