Autism Spectrum Disorder (Adults)

What is Autism spectrum disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder and refers to a wide range of conditions characterised by challenges in social and personal behaviours. People on the autistic spectrum tend to have difficulties with social interactions and communication and also tend to have repetitive or restricted interests that they can be very knowledgeable about. Many of the symptoms of ASD can be life-altering for those affected and can pose struggles in everyday life. The signs and symptoms of ASD can vary by age and gender, and has many overlaps with other conditions making it difficult to diagnose.

Common Experiences

Difficulty understanding understanding other people’s perspectives
Difficulties expressing emotions
Enjoying and thriving upon routine and struggling when changes to routine are made

Having an intense interest in certain subjects
Taking things such as metaphors or jokes literally
Trouble coping with loud noises, textures, or high visual stimulus
Delay in language development

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MASKING

Masking may involve hiding certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are 'weird', such as stimming or intense interests. It can also mean mimicking the behaviour of those around us, such as copying non-verbal behaviours, and developing complex social scripts to get by in social situations.

Anxiety

Anxiety can be a major difficulty for autistic adults, especially when engaging in social activities or when facing change. It can greatly affect a person's quality of life and can present itself both physically and emotionally.

A lot of the time, being able to recognise triggers and having coping mechanisms that work can help in highly stressful situations. However, this is not always easy for autistic people as it is common for them to struggle with recognizing and regulating emotions.

Graphic of a brain with a warning sign above it

Graphic of a head with cogs spinning in the mind

Terminology

Many autistic people view their autism as being a large part of who they are. Therefore, it is important to think about the words you use when talking about autism.

Current

The terminology used surrounding autism is shifting constantly. To help you to better understand what terminology is used and preferred by the autistic community, we have listed below important wording and phrases that you can use:

Refer to people on the autism spectrum as autistic/adults/people/child and use the phrasing 'on the autistic spectrum'
Calling the different aspects of autism 'traits and characteristics'
Instead of saying things like 'different' or 'not like everyone else' use the term neurotypical (this means that a person's brain doesn't show the patterns of a typical brain)

Outdated

When talking about autism and autistic people, there is certain terminology that isn't used as much anymore. The reasons for this vary greatly but most of the time it is out of respect for people with autism. Below is a few examples of terminology that is not used anymore:

Using terms such as 'high functioning' or 'low functioning' as this can lessen the struggles of autistic people and present the idea that someone's struggles are more/less valued than others.
Try to avoid referring to someone as 'having autism' and instead try saying they are autistic
Another thing to try and avid is saying someone is suffering from autism, instead just refer to the person as being autistic

If you feel like you are struggling with anything you have read or any other aspect of mental health, then there are services out there that can help. If you need to talk to someone you can sign up here for our peer coaching service.

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