Find out about this spectrum condition, how it affects people differently and the approaches and interventions available to help support people with autism.
Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that affects the way a person’s brain works and the way they communicate and make sense of the world. As a result, they may need support in some areas.
Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that people are affected in different ways. While many people with autism share common characteristics, everybody’s experience of autism is unique to them.
It’s important to remember that everyone experiences autism differently. Just like anyone else, autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes.
There are some characteristics that are often shared by people with autism5, however, these may be noticeable to different degrees depending on each individual.
Autism is something people are born with or that first appears at a young age, so the first signs are often noticed early in childhood.
In young children, early signs often include not responding to their name, avoiding eye contact, not returning smiles, being slow to start speaking or not speaking at all, making repetitive movements such as flapping hands or rocking, experiencing strong responses to taste, sound and smell and having meltdowns that can seem like temper tantrums.
Older children may also find it hard to express how they feel and to identify with others and they may start developing obsessive interests and find it hard to make friends.
Research into the causes of autism is yet to provide any definitive conclusion, but it does suggest that both genetics and environment may play a role.
Nobody knows whether autism has a cause, but it is known that autism is not caused by vaccines, bad parenting, diet or lifestyle, and it is not a contagious condition that can be passed from one person to another.
Sometimes autism can affect people in the same family and there is persuasive research to show that it could be genetic.
Many studies into twins and autism have been carried out, such as the Twins Early Development Study6. This found that if one twin has autism, the likelihood of the other twin also being autistic ranges from 62% to 94% for identical twins and from 5% to 61% for fraternal (non-identical) twins.
While studies like these are helping scientists build a better understanding of the role of DNA (genetic material) in autism, it remains a complicated subject and nothing is conclusive.
Autism is a lifelong condition, but while there is no cure, the effects of autism can often be well managed with the right support in place. The section below on treatment and medication explains more about the range of approaches that can help people with autism.
Autism in itself does not lower life expectancy. However, people with autism do tend to die younger than the general population. A study by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in The British Journal of Psychiatry8 showed that the leading causes of early death include epilepsy, which people with autism may be vulnerable to, and suicide, which is linked to higher rates of mental health problems among autistic people.
While autism is often diagnosed in children and young people, some people are not diagnosed until they reach adulthood. This may be because they have learnt ‘mimicking behaviour’ to cover the outward signs or because another related diagnosis was made in childhood, while autism went undetected.
Depending on your age, your route to diagnosis will be slightly different.
Autism is usually diagnosed after an assessment which involves a range of tests. These may take place in one long assessment or over a number of appointments. The tests vary between children and adults.
The tests for children include a range of observations to see how a child plays and interacts, and the assessment team may visit schools or nurseries to see how they behave there. They will also read through reports from the child’s doctor, school or nursery and talk to parents or carers in depth about their child’s development.
Assessments for adults involve looking at doctors’ reports and questionnaires that the adult being assessed will be asked to complete. Assessors may also want to get a better picture of how the adult behaved as a child, by talking to people they were close to in childhood.
Autism is a lifelong disability and there is no cure or set treatment. It’s better to think of treatment in terms of support – there are a range of approaches that can be used to help people with autism manage their difficulties and live life to the full.
Because autism is a complex condition that affects people differently, the approaches will depend on the individual’s needs and may well change over the course of their life.
Many autistic people also have co-existing conditions, such as a learning disability, mental health problems, epilepsy, sleep problems and digestive issues. Certain treatments or support methods may be helpful for these and should always be monitored carefully.
At the moment there are no medications that can cure autism but different interventions may be helpful and can improve behaviour, skills and language development. Moreover, pharmacological approaches can help in dealing with neurological, psychiatric and other co-occurring conditions. These include antiepileptics, antipsychotics, stimulants and hypnotics.
Therapy can play a significant role in supporting people with autism. It can help people come to terms with their condition and develop coping strategies and relaxation techniques.
Therapists use different approaches depending on their training and what the individual needs help with. These may include:
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – a useful therapy to help deal with negative thinking patterns and to help connect thoughts to emotions and actions.
Play therapy – often used with children by encouraging them to engage in play activities of their choice alongside a play therapist to improve their social and emotional skills, help them think in different ways, and improve language and communication skills9.
Other specialist therapies – such as speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
You may be referred to these services via your doctor or another health professional, it may be offered by your employer or your child’s school or you may seek it out privately.
If you choose to find a private counsellor, check that they are a member of an appropriate professional organisation.
Research shows10,11 that interventions that combine psychological and social factors play an important part in helping people with autism. For children and young people, these include play-based strategies with parents, carers and teachers. For adults, employment support programmes, structured leisure activities and social skills training can be helpful.
Many children with autism will receive extra support through the education system. Some may remain in mainstream education and receive teaching support through special needs support, and others will be offered a place in a school that specialises in educating children with autism and other disabilities.
These kinds of interventions can be critical in helping people with autism to develop life skills and manage stress-related behaviours like harming themselves or damaging things around them.
Some people find that specific dietary approaches – can be beneficial. Some studies12 have looked at different dietary interventions and found that they could be potentially helpful, but wider research is needed to provide stronger evidence.
Exercise is crucial in maintaining good health and wellbeing for autistic children and adults. Not only can it offer excellent opportunities for interaction and practising social skills in a relaxed setting, it also helps to improve fitness and muscle strength. This is especially important because studies13 show that children with autism typically have lower muscular strength and endurance than other children in their age group.
Finding the most appropriate activity for the individual is key. Many autistic people prefer to go to quieter places or join smaller groups, and usually prefer to be with the same people and activity leader every time, so they know what to expect.
Exercise with animals – such as horse riding – can provide a positive way to interact nonverbally. It is also a good idea to consider which activities help to develop certain skills, such as balance, flexibility and coordination, as well as those that incorporate running, catching and throwing.
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