Understanding autism

What is autism?

‘Autism’ and ‘autistic’ may be words you have heard adults using when they describe aspects of your behaviour.

Autism is a term used to describe people who have difficulties dealing with changes, communicating and socialising with others.

An autistic person’s brain works a little differently to someone who does not have autism which means that they might not always understand how to behave around other people and may struggle to understand how others are feeling.

What might people with autism might struggle with?

The following are examples of things that people with autism might struggle with, you might find that you struggle with these things too.

Having a conversation with someone might be difficult because you might not know what to say or you might not know how to behave in social situations. This might leave you feeling confused and sad.

Making friends and playing with others might be difficult:

• you might not have things in common with them
• you might struggle to read facial expressions and body language
• you might prefer to play on your own because its less confusing and you can do what you want

You might enjoy collecting things like dolls and you might struggle to understand others when they tell you to give them away.

You might spend lot of time obsessing over certain things or completing a set number of behaviours.

You might be quite sensitive or not sensitive at all to lights, sounds and textures.

For example, you might prefer the textures of certain clothes or you might have a strong sense of smell or hearing.

This might be uncomfortable at times and you might avoid certain situations or environments because of this.

You might find changes to plans difficult because you may not be able to understand why the changes are happening. This may cause you to feel anxious and annoyed.

You might need support from others to help you overcome these feelings when things change unexpectedly.

You might also struggle when you are asked to go to places you have never been before and meet new people.

What might people with autism be good at?

Differences in the way in which your brain works also means that you are good at lots of things that other people might struggle with, for example:

You might be good at remembering numbers or remembering facts about things you are interested in.

You might be good at paying attention to  small details and maintaining your attention on a task when you are interested in it.

You might also be good at understanding and following rules at school and at home.

How does having a diagnosis of autism affect me?

It means people will understand you better and can support you with things you find difficult.

It means you will receive support from teachers at schools.

Structure

It makes the world a more predictable, accessible and safer place. Structure can promote independence by reducing dependence on others. It helps me to know what is going to happen and what is expected of them.

Positive approaches

Structure, positivity and support can help to reduce my level of anxiety and help me to learn to tolerate and accept negative experiences and develop resilience and skills.

Empathy

Understanding how I see and experience the world, knowing what motivates or interests me and what may also frighten me will help you to understand why I behave the way I do and will help to reduce my anxiety. It helps when others are calm and predictable.

Visual supports

Visual supports help me to understand the world around me. Visual support can help me understand and cope better with change or transitions, starting and finishing activities, instructions and reminders, choice, understanding emotions and expression, sharing information, social skills, locating people and places, safety and health education.

• Real objects
• Photographs
• Miniatures of real objects
• Coloured pictures
• Line drawings
• Written words
• Behaviour change

Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations

Social stories help to teach social skills to people on the autism spectrum. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.

What I want people to know about me

What I find hard:

What I am good at:

Things that make me feel anxious:

Things that make me feel happy:

Things that make me feel angry:

Things I need support with: