Autism spectrum disorder (ASD or “autism”) is a neurodivergent condition that affects people in different ways, in three key areas: firstly, in their interactions with others in social situations, their ability to communicate effectively with others, and how a person sees and knows (or understands and experiences) the lived environment.

The way ASD presents in the moods and behaviours affects people in diverse ways, and this means that autism’s “signs and symptoms” are different for different people, which affects how they self-regulate on a behavioural, emotional, social, sensory, and psychological level. It is important to know the signs that you, a family member, a friend, or a colleague, may be autistic. However, it is more important to know that there is no shame in exploring the many options that are available to people seeking advice and guidance on autism spectrum disorder, as well as the information that is available to people on pathways to diagnosis. As MENCAP notes, a person with autism may find it challenging to:

Interpret verbal and non-verbal language

• People with autism can often understand, process, and retain information in ways that may lead to miscommunication or misunderstanding. For example, it may take a person with autism some extra time to understand a joke, or comedic or sarcastic language.
• People with autism may struggle to understand and respond to social cues like facial expressions or tone of voice.¹ It may take a person with autism some extra time to understand the non-verbal language that is communicated to them, or they may not understand this at all. This means finding new ways of communicating with people that are better suited to their needs and wishes.
• Many people with autism struggle with making and maintaining eye contact with their peers in social interactions. This is especially true for unfamiliar people. This impacts people with autism understand and process the non-verbal social cues that other people make during conversation.

“Read” other people and express their own emotions

• Some people with autism may find it difficult to understand that other people have different thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs.
• People who autism may not express emotions in the same way as a neurotypical person. For example, a person with autism may find it difficult to regulate their emotions and respond in ways that can be seen as “challenging” or having the potential to cause harm to themselves or others around them.
• The way people with autism express their emotions is also impacted by how they process sensory information.

People with autism may also find it challenging to regulate and manage certain aspects of their condition, such as:

Sensory sensitivity and highly focused interests (or “special interests”)

• People with autism can be oversensitive (hypersensitive) or under-sensitive (hyposensitive) to certain sensory stimuli.
• Some people with autism may become gradually or quickly overwhelmed, upset or distressed by too much sensory stimulation in their environment. This is why some people may prefer to wear over-the-ear headphones when out in the community or whilst at work. Other people may have a need for increased sensory input. For example, people with autism may seek out stimulation, which can be achieved through sensory experiences such as jumping up and down, spinning, or vocalising. These activities are commonly known as “stimming”.²
• Many people with autism also have highly focused or “special interests”. A person’s special interest is often a self-soothing activity that helps to manage sensory sensitivities, such as hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity.

Repetitive behaviours and routines

• Many people with autism use repeated movements (such as jumping up and down, spinning or body-rolling) to regulate their moods or behaviours due to under- or overstimulation in the external environment.
• Some people with autism may also like to keep to identified and established routines that provide order and predictability.
• Every autistic person is different, so repetitive behaviours and routines mean different things to different people.

Behaviours that challenge

• People with autism may display behaviours that are challenging as a form of communication that is used because a person may struggle, at a given moment, to express their feelings, needs, thoughts, and wants in ways that are meaningful to them.
• Not all people with autism have behaviours that challenge. Behaviours that challenge include physical and verbal aggression, damage to property, injurious behaviour to the self or others.³
• People with autism may display challenging behaviours for various reasons. For example, communication difficulties, sensory overload, stress and anxiety, physical or mental distress, and factors in the environment.

Autism spectrum disorder is not an illness or a disease. ASD is a neurodivergent condition, which means that a person with autism sees and knows the world in a way that may not be the same as a neurotypical person. Autism is a diverse condition that impacts people in a variety of ways. Its negative impact can be quelled by supporting, empowering and enabling those around us to live happy, fulfilling lives that are reflective of their wants and needs.

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1. Some people with autism also live with a condition called “prosopagnosia” (or “facial blindness”). A person with prosopagnosia may have difficulty recognising the faces of their peers, and even their families. People with prosopagnosia may also find it challenging to recognise people’s age or gender, to recognise characters and follow plots in TV/film, and to navigate their lived environment without getting lost. Many people with prosopagnosia learn to identify and recognise people by voice, touch, and even dress. ↩︎
2. “Stimming” is a normal aspect of human behaviour and is something that all people do. Just because someone seeks an outlet to express their need for sensory stimulation or regulation does not mean that they have autism. Stimming also includes behaviours such as fidgeting, hair twirling, or foot tapping. These are behaviours that a person may engage in, for example, if they are nervous whilst preparing or waiting for a job interview. ↩︎
3. This list is not exhaustive. ↩︎