Friday, March 22, 2024

How Does It Feel To Have Autism

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People with autism may get easily attached to people, leading them to become over-friendly. It can be difficult to understand other peoples perceptions of situations, therefore what they feel is appropriate, may be considered as socially unacceptable. This misunderstanding can lead to a difficulty in establishing friendships.

Autism And The Education System

Education is a key part of every childs life but too many children with autism in England are not getting the education and support they need. Whilst there are specialist schools available, 71% of children with autism attend mainstream schools.

Research has shown that mainstream schools are frequently neither fully educated nor equipped to deal with the needs of an autistic child and give them the necessary support. This is particularly alarming as such a high proportion of children with autism do attend mainstream schools, suggesting a large number of autistic children are not getting the educational experience they deserve.

How Does Autism Feel

How does autism feel? It’s a common question I get from people, paraphrased in a few different ways (perhaps the most common being “What’s it like being autistic?” or, less politely, “What’s it like to be so different?”.

It’ll probably surprise you to discover I don’t take exception to this kind of question. In fact, as I hope you’ll figure out for yourself as you read the rest of the blog, I don’t take exception to any sincere question. Nor do I ever take offence at anything, because others’ opinions are none of my business and so are nothing to get upset about.

Besides, there are no stupid questions…

… just stupid people asking them.

Anyway, I have two answers to these questions and their ilk a short one and a long one.

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Level : Requiring Substantial Support

People who meet the level 2 criteria need more support than those with level 1 autism. Social challenges can make holding a conversation very difficult.

Even with support, the person may find it hard to communicate coherently, and they are more likely to respond in ways that neurotypical people consider surprising or inappropriate.

The person may:

  • only discuss very specific topics
  • have difficulty understanding or using nonverbal communication, including facial expression

For example, they may face away from the person with whom they are communicating.

People with level 2 autism may also find daily functioning difficult due to the challenges of coping with change. Facing change might cause them to experience significant distress.

How To Recognize Mania In An Autistic Person

How It Feels To Be Autistic

If you think you or a loved one may have both bipolar disorder and autism, its important to understand how the conditions appear together. The symptoms of comorbid bipolar disorder and autism are different than if either condition appeared by itself.

Depression is often obvious and easy to identify, while mania is less clear. Thats why recognizing mania in an autistic person can be difficult.

If the behaviors have been a constant since symptoms associated with autism appeared, theyre unlikely to be the result of mania. However, if you noticed a sudden shift or change, these behaviors may be the result of mania.

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Keys To Understanding Autism Symptoms

According to experts, the first key to understanding autism is to recognize that it profoundly alters how a person perceives the world.

âYou could think of a person with autism as having an imbalanced set of senses,â says Shore, who is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. âSome senses may be turned up too high and some turned down too low. As a result, the data that comes in tends to be distorted, and itâs very hard to perceive a personâs environment accurately.â

People who donât have autism — sometimes called âneurotypicalsâ — are naturally good at filtering out what doesnât matter. Their senses work in unison to focus on whatâs relevant. âWhen an average person walks into a roomful of people, he notices who they are and what they are doing, and figures out how he fits in,â says Geraldine Dawson, PhD, chief science officer for the education and advocacy group Autism Speaks.

âBut when a person with autism walks into the room, he notices things that arenât as relevant â the sound coming from outside the window, a pattern in the carpet, a flickering light bulb,â Dawson tells WebMD. âHeâs missing out on the relevant details that would help him understand the situation. So for him, the world is a lot more confusing.â

Signs Of Autism In Older Children And Teens

Although autism spectrum disorder can reliably be diagnosed from the age of two or three years old, many children do not receive a diagnosis until they are older. Milder symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder who are higher functioning may not be recognized until they are in school.

Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that children will have different experiences of day-to-day living. Children who are more than five years old and on into their teenage years, who have mild symptoms and are towards the higher functioning range of the autism spectrum, may:

  • Develop a narrow range of interests or obsessions with certain topics
  • Engage in repetitive behavior such as hand flapping, twirling or snapping a rubber band
  • Not make eye contact
  • Use formal language rather than the slang of their peers
  • Place great importance on routines and rules
  • Develop strong preferences for certain foods, clothes or objects

Children who have more severe symptoms and are towards the lower functioning range of the autism spectrum may:

  • Not use speech at all
  • Become extremely distressed at changes to routine
  • Exhibit challenging behavior, such as being aggressive or banging head on wall
  • Need assistance with everyday living, such as bathing and dressing
  • Engage in repetitive behaviors, such as rocking
  • Insist on rules and routine
  • Develop rigid preferences for certain foods, clothes or objects
  • Need specialized diets

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Repetitive Behaviours And Routines

The world can seem a very unpredictable and confusing place to people with Asperger syndrome, who often prefer to have a daily routine so that they know what is going to happen every day. They may want to always travel the same way to and from school or work, or eat exactly the same food for breakfast.The use of rules can also be important. It may be difficult for someone to take a different approach to something once they have been taught the ‘right’ way to do it. They may not be comfortable with the idea of change, but may be able to cope better if they can prepare for changes in advance.

Keeping Your Child With Autism Away From Overstimulation

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The best way to help your child cope with overstimulation is to learn how they respond to different sensory stimuli. Knowing this will help you avoid overstimulation and mischief in your child. This is especially important for babies who are completely unaware of coping methods. As your children grow, you can help them cope by teaching them techniques like breathing, walking, lying on the grass, or focusing on things that relax them. Another technique for older children can be any slow and regular exercise that stimulates their muscles.

There is no correct answer to how much arousal is too much because every child is different. So the amount of stimulation one child can handle will be different for another child. In addition, some children cope better than others. As a result, it is best for your child to guide you. Doing everything in the middle is the key point.

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Problems With Sense Of Touch

Although individuals with autism react very differently to the sensory stimuli in their environment, it has been observed that they try to discover a new object in the form of touching, sniffing, sometimes taking it in the mouth, or licking it by moving their fingers over it.

Individuals with autism sometimes like to be touched and sometimes to be touched. Sometimes they are overly stimulated and avoided from both situations. A light touch can scare some of them. When someone wants to be touched or held, pushing or running away from that person is a common reaction. While these individuals are afraid of such a small touch, they may remain unresponsive to painful situations.

These reactions may appear in the form of not realizing the pain, heat, and cold in some individuals with autism, while others may be seen as crying while washing their hands with cold water or screaming when a pin is stuck in their hands. The reason for this is a disorder in the bodys own morphine system called the opioid system in individuals with autism.

Feeling And Expressing Emotions

Of the many stereotypes surrounding autism spectrum disorder, one of the most persistent has been the notion of people with autism as emotionless, even slightly robotic. Individuals with autism certainly have emotions as anyone who has a child with autism knows. However, According to studies, it shows that children with autism have more difficulty with subtle emotions that require social orientation and social understanding. And these kids in the spectrum have more difficulty reading the emotions of other people around them.

In addition to identifying and understanding the emotions of other people around them, people with autism may have a harder time processing and understanding their own emotions as well. Rather than lacking emotion, it is likely that they struggle to think through and work through the emotions they feel.

There is a misunderstanding but everyone believes that people on the spectrum are emotionless or they have few. But, it doesnt have a scientific base and it is not true at all. They may become emotional for different reasons or express their emotions in a different way. Just because they are different from us doesnt mean that they dont have any emotions. They have just as many feelings as us. In some cases, they may be even more emotional and more sensitive than some of their normally developed peers. So, in order to express their emotions, they may need help in getting it right.

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Autism Is Not An Illness

Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people.

It’s something you’re born with or first appears when you’re very young.

If you’re autistic, you’re autistic your whole life.

Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a “cure”. But some people need support to help them with certain things.

Different Names And Terms For Autism

What Does it Feel Like to be AUTISTIC

Over the years, different diagnostic labels have been used, such as: autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autism Spectrum Condition , classic autism, Kanner autism, pervasive developmental disorder , high-functioning autism , Asperger syndrome and Pathological Demand Avoidance . This reflects the different diagnostic manuals and tools used, and the different autism profiles presented by individuals.Because of recent and upcoming changes to the main diagnostic manuals,‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ is now likely to become the most commonly given diagnostic term. Asperger syndrome remains a useful profile for many diagnosticians and professionals.

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Duncan Preferred To Be On His Own When He Was Younger And Always Preferred Structured Games Like

So when you say you sort of like almost got into the BMX and was that because you were trying to change the way you do things or was it because you just felt more comfortable now?

What about other family members did they view you as different do you think?

Richard:Sue:Richard:When you say that when you were growing up you always thought there was something different about you. Can you explain a bit more about what that was?Tim:Tim:Tim:

You Notice Patterns Everywhere

It’s often a special feature of the autistic brain to be able to see patterns all over the place: in letters, numbers, formations of objects, anything. A 2011 study of nearly 750 people found that the brain regions that process patterns are very active in autistic people, while the regions associated with planning and decisions were less active. If you’re able to pick out patterns nobody else can see, without even thinking, you may have one of autism’s peculiar advantages.

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They May Struggle To Understand Body Language Facial Expressions And Gestures

They may not realise that being in a certain proximity means people are trying to be friendly. Also, they may find it difficult to understand why people act friendly towards them, but their body language or gestures to someone else may be different. A lot of people with autism may find it hard to tell a fake friend from a true friend.

Reasons People With Autism Struggle With Friendships

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Social interactions can be baffling for people that are autistic. They may become easily overwhelmed or frustrated when they try to develop and sustain friendships. Making friends can be frightening, confusing and anxiety-provoking for autistic young people. There are various reasons why people with autism may find it challenging to make and maintain friendships.

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Early Signs Of Autism

Signs of autism in babies

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder, which means that signs become apparent as a child does not develop as expected, for example developing speech or learning to crawl later than expected.

As such, there are few signs of autism that are noticeable in newborns. However, if a baby fails to reach the developmental milestones expected at two months old, four months old, six months old, nine months old and a year old, this could be one of the first signs of autism or another developmental condition.

Good to know: Not all babies reach developmental milestones at the exact same time. It is normal to have some variation in development. If in doubt about a childââ¬â¢s development, check with a doctor.

Some of the early signs that a baby under one year old may have autism spectrum disorder include:

  • Not babbling by four months old
  • Not smiling by five months old
  • Not laughing by six months old
  • No interest in games like pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo by eight months old
  • Not responding to their name by 12 months old
  • Not looking at objects pointed out by other people by 12 months old
  • Being upset by loud noises
  • Not looking to a parent for comfort in new situations
  • Being happy to play alone for long periods of time
  • Not making eye contact

Signs of autism in toddlers

Some of the signs that a toddler, between one year old and two years old, may have autism spectrum disorder include:

The Core Symptoms Of Autism Are:

  • social communication challengesand

  • begin in early childhood
  • persistand
  • interfere with daily living.

Specialized healthcare providers diagnose autism using a checklist of criteria in the two categories above. They also assess autism symptomseverity. Autisms severity scale reflects how much support a person needs for daily function.

Many people with autism have sensory issues. These typically involve over- or under-sensitivities to sounds, lights, touch, tastes, smells, pain and other stimuli.

Autism is also associated with high rates of certain physical and mental health conditions.

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Signs And Symptoms Of Autism

There are many signs and symptoms that could indicate a person has autism spectrum disorder. Not all adults or children with autism will have every symptom, and some adults and children without autism may display some of the same behaviors and symptoms.

People with autism spectrum disorder often have difficulties with communication, and connecting emotionally and socially with others. They may also process sensory information, such as sounds and smells, differently from other people. These differences can underlie some of the behavioral signs of autism that people may display.

When looking for early signs of autism spectrum disorder, there are developmental milestones that children are expected to reach by certain ages, such as babbling by four months old and being able to use simple sentences by two years old. If a child reaches these milestones later, or does not develop the skills at all, it may indicate a developmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder.

Autism can be diagnosed by age two, though symptoms may be apparent much earlier.

When To Seek Medical Advice

Autism Emotions

Early intervention is very important in children with autism spectrum disorder. Services such as speech therapy and behavioral and skills training are more effective if begun when a child is young.

For this reason, it is helpful to receive a diagnosis as early as possible. However, many children remain undiagnosed until they are in school. Some people are not diagnosed until they are adults.

If you suspect someone has autism, including yourself, contact a medical professional as soon as possible.

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Is There A Test For Asd In Adults

Clinicians have developed different tests that can help diagnose ASD in adults. These include diagnostic tests such as ADOS 2 Module 4, ADI-R, and 3Di Adult.

However, it is not clear how reliable these tests are for adults. The reasons for this include:

  • Researchers who look at the reliability of ASD tests often use a small number of study participants.
  • Not many research studies on testing for adult ASD include enough participants from historically underserved groups, such as People of Color or people who are LGBTQIA+. This means the results of studies looking at ASD testing methods may not represent a true population of autistic adults.
  • Many clinicians may not be familiar with the signs of ASD in adulthood. This is especially true if the patientâs symptoms are not severe or if the patient also has other conditions, for example, anxiety.

Autistic people may have of co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety or depression, than those in the general population.

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