Autism

Art by autistic artist Luna Rose

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability involving differences in social interaction, communication, sensory processing, and behavior. Signs show up during the first three years of an autistic person's life. These signs often develop gradually, though some autistic children show typical development followed by regression.

Autism used to be split into subcategories like Asperger syndrome, classic autism, and PDD-NOS. But the differences between groups were fuzzy. They are now grouped together simply as the "autism spectrum."

The number of autism diagnoses has increased in the past decades. Experts have become much better at identifying autism. Whether autism is actually becoming more common is unclear.

Autistic people have formed their own community, where they support each other and advocate for social change.

Signs of autism

Every autistic person gets a unique mix of traits. They may have profound difficulties in some areas while other areas are average or above average. Autism includes strengths as well as challenges.

Autistic people tend to experience:

• Difficulty picking up on social cues like facial expressions, body language, subtexts, and hints
• Trouble making friends
• Discomfort with eye contact
• Often being misunderstood by non-autistic people
• Sincerity
• Communication difficulties
• Intense, passionate interests
• Repetitive fidgeting (stimming) to self-regulate
• Need for routine
• Sensory over- and under-sensitivities
• Integrity and resistance to peer pressure
• Attention to detail

The "intense world" theory suggests that autistic people experience many things more intensely. Autistic brains generate much more information than neurotypical brains while at rest. This could make autistic people more easily overwhelmed, creating a need for calm and quiet environments.

Social obstacles

The "double empathy problem" describes how it is harder for non-autistic and autistic people to relate to each other. Non-autistic people tend to judge autistic people more harshly than they judge non-autistic people. However, they are less judgmental when they know the person is autistic and when they understand autism better, suggesting that improving understanding of autism could help.

Some autistic people learn to "mask" their differences in an attempt to fit in and avoid mistreatment. However, this has negative mental health effects, sometimes severe ones. Autistic people are generally happier when they can be accepted for who they are.

Causes

Autism is mostly genetic and it begins in the womb. Some prenatal factors (e.g. maternal infections) may increase the odds of autism. All known teratogens (agents that affect fetal development) related to autism appear to act during the first eight weeks from conception.

Parents may first notice signs of autism around the time for routine vaccinations. This has sparked numerous myths that have led to disease outbreaks, profiteering scams, and preventable deaths in children. Researchers have exhaustedly proven that vaccines are not linked to autism, yet misinformation continues. Some people have pointed out that having an autistic child is better than having a medically at-risk child who could be permanently damaged or killed by vaccine-preventable diseases.

Support

Autism is lifelong. The right support can make a huge difference in quality of life.

Therapies for autism include occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, counseling, and support groups.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the most popular therapy, but it is controversial due to ethical issues, questionable efficacy, and the risk of inflicting harm. While there has historically been very little research about potential harms, emerging research shows a potential link to post-traumatic stress disorder.

While support needs vary, many autistic people cannot live fully independently. Lifelong services can help them manage things like employment, health and safety, and other areas where they might need support.

Autistic people often do better when they are allowed to be themselves. Enjoying their special interests is good for their wellbeing. Behavior like stimming and avoiding eye contact can help them stay calm and adapt to situations.

Autism in society

Awareness vs. acceptance

Autistic people have developed their own culture and community.

Autism rights and neurodiversity

The autism rights movement emerged to increase acceptance of autistic people and to defend against abuse. Through this movement, people hope to cause others to think of autism as a difference instead of a disease. Proponents of this movement wish to seek "acceptance, not cures." Key issues include abuse prevention, self-determination, the right to be themselves instead of being forced to assimilate, and seeing autism as a difference to accommodate instead of a disease to eradicate.

Debates around autism

Debates on autism often split into two groups. The neurodiversity group argues that autism is a difference instead of a disease, and that support for autistic people should honor their individual needs and quirks. The anti-neurodiversity group argues that autism is a disease that should be cured or ameliorated through behavior training to make autistic people fit in.

For decades, conversations about autism happened without autistic voices. Autistic people are gaining more of a say in conversations about them.

External resources

• Embrace Autism
• Thinking Person's Guide to Autism
• Autism articles on wikiHow
• Autistic Self-Advocacy Network

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