Autism and Neurodiversity

Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference. It affects how a person:

• communicates

• interacts with others, and

• experiences the world around them

There are lots of traits and characteristics associated with being autistic. Not every autistic person has the same ones.  Autism is experienced by people in different ways and is often referred to as a spectrum condition. The spectrum is best thought of as a colour wheel of infinite combinations of strengths and challenges. It is not really a linear spectrum ranging from ‘more autistic’ to ‘less autistic’. ‘Neurodiversity’ refers to a range of variation in the way people’s brains work. Neurodiversity covers more conditions that autism, and people can have more than one. Other conditions that can co-occur alongside autism include:

• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Epilepsy and other types of seizures 

• Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and other specific learning differences

• Joint hypermobility syndrome

• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

• Anxiety, depression and other mental health issues 

Neurodiverse people may also experience mental health challenges that aren’t apparent to others.

To explain neurodiversity better, the neurodiversity model has been developed. It proposes that all humans have strengths and challenges. However, for some, the variation between their strengths and challenges can be more pronounced. These are autistic people, and other neurodivergent individuals.

The National Autistic Society estimates that one in 100 adults and children in the UK are autistic. It is estimated that 4 in 10 autistic people also have a learning disability, and 7 in 10 have a mental health condition. But autism itself is not a learning disability, nor a mental health condition.

Autistic and other neurodiverse people experience differences in:

• social interaction

• communication

• patterns of behaviour

• activities, and

• interests

It is a different way of thinking.