Table of Contents
Autism has been diagnosed in more than three million people in the United States. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulties with social interaction and communication. Autistic spectrum disorders occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
Symptoms and signs of autism usually appear by age two or three. However, recent studies have found that some children do not show symptoms until they are much older. Other reports identify children as young as 18 months who were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
1. Social difficulties
Social difficulties in ASD occur at different levels, including difficulties recognizing other people’s facial expressions and emotions, difficulty interpreting others’ behavior, sensitivity to social cues, and difficulty understanding others’ thoughts and intentions.
2. Sensory sensitivity
Sensory sensitivity is characterised by an over- or under-reaction to certain sensory stimuli. It can involve one sense, such as sight or hearing, or multiple senses at once. Sensory sensitivities are often linked to specific activities and places – for example, some people find the movement of a fan distracting while others find it soothing.
Why do people with Autism experience sensory sensitivity?
People with Autism often have different brain wiring from people without Autism. In many cases this makes them more sensitive to sounds, sights and other sensations in the environment. For example, they may find bright lights too bright or loud noises too loud. This is not due to any medical condition but rather a difference in how the brain processes information. What causes this difference is still being researched but it appears that there are genetic factors involved in at least some cases of Autism.
3. Executive function
Executive function is a term that describes the management system of the brain. When people talk about executive function, they are talking about the ability to coordinate thoughts and actions in order to achieve a goal. You can think of executive function as a series of processes that help us plan, organize and achieve our objectives.
Executive function controls and coordinates the other important cognitive abilities we use to learn information, make decisions and solve problems. These include working memory, attention, reasoning and problem solving, planning and organization skills.
Many kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have some problems with executive function. However, these problems can be quite different for each child depending on their strengths and challenges. Some children may have trouble starting or finishing tasks, others may not be very organized or get distracted easily.
4. Obsessive interests
Obsessive interests are a common characteristic of autism spectrum disorders, Asperger syndrome and other related conditions. A child with an obsessive interest will want to talk about it all the time and will enjoy gathering information about their special interest. However, obsessive interests can cause problems if the child is unaware of the needs of others or is unable to accept that others do not share the same interest.
5. Camouflaging
Camouflaging is the process of hiding one’s true personality to fit in. People with autism sometimes do this to avoid being bullied or to appear more neurotypical (someone who has no signs of a neurodevelopmental disorder like autism).
Camouflaging can cause mental health problems and a lot of stress, but it’s not something that many people with autism want to talk about.
6. Sleep issues
The brain is a very complicated structure and with the information we have available to us at this stage, we are able to learn how it works. The human brain is one of the most complex objects in the universe. We have learned that there are many different parts of the brain that control different functions of the body, such as movement and thinking. Not all of these parts of the brain work properly in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This can cause many problems for them. One problem that children with ASD often have is trouble sleeping. Researchers have been studying sleep problems in children with ASD for many years.
7. Difficulties with eye contact
Eye contact is difficult for many people on the spectrum. While this is common, it doesn’t mean that eye contact is always difficult or impossible for autistic people.
For many autistic people, looking at another person’s eyes can be uncomfortable, even painful. It’s often a sensory issue — their brains have trouble filtering out the input they’re receiving from another person’s eyes. This can lead to overload and other symptoms of sensory sensitivity.
When it comes to eye contact, autistic people are sometimes told that they lack empathy. This is untrue — autistic people are just as capable of empathy as anyone else. They simply express it differently than most neurotypical people do.
8. Emotional regulation issues and meltdowns
9. Stimming
Stimming is different for everyone, but the general definition is a repetitive body movement that serves little to no purpose. Stimming often comes in the form of hand flapping, rocking back and forth, tapping fingers, saying certain words or phrases repeatedly and more.
While stimming can be considered annoying or disruptive, it actually serves a very important purpose for those with autism. Stimming is a way to release excess energy, deal with sensory overload and cope with anxiety.
10. Anxiety and depression
In recent years, growing numbers of people with autism are also diagnosed with anxiety and depression. It is now estimated that 65% of autistic adults will go on to develop clinical anxiety, while 40% will develop clinical depression. It is unclear whether the factors that lead to mental illness are the same or different in autism. It seems that around a third of people with severe learning difficulties also get mental illness, so this may be a factor. The experience of social exclusion, or being bullied may play a part, but many people with autism who have good support and relationships still go on to develop mental health problems.
It is unclear what causes depression and anxiety in people with autism. Some people with autism seem to need high levels of routine and melatonin (a hormone produced by the brain at night) in order to keep their mood stable. However, it is often difficult for them to maintain their usual routines when they are away from home or if they are unwell. A lack of routine and too much light at night can lead to problems with sleep which may increase their risk of developing low mood.