What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability.
A person with Autism may have:-
- Difficulty with social interaction, which can
affect their ability to interact with others
- Difficulty with social communication, which
involves both understanding and using verbal and non-verbal
communication
- Difficulty with social imagination, which
involves the ability to imagine situations outside of a daily
routine
- Sensitivity towards sounds, light, touch,
taste or smell
Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that people with
autism are not all the same. They have a wide range of abilities
and behaviours. For example, some people have better social
skills, whilst others have almost no social
interaction skills at all.
Asperger's syndrome is a form of 'high
functioning' autism. This means that although the individual has
average or above average intelligence, their autistic
traits often have a huge impact on their everyday life.
The following sections contain useful information regarding
autism and the support available