What does Autism mean?

Autism is a mild disorder where your mind works and processes things differently. Some people have it mildly, but others have it more. It's not... "BAD"

mental disability, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language

Autism is a developmental disorder, meaning from before birth, the development of the brain is impaired. The most common effects are difficulty with verbal/nonverbal communication, and social interaction.

Autism is a mental condition which is characterised greatly in having difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. This is usually present from childhood. Autism is a wide area and is best described as a spectrum. There are those who are more autistic than others and depending what characteristics they have they may have different additional needs.

Autism is when a person is born with their brain wired differently than what is expected. They are considered "neurodivergent", while a person who does not have autism is considered "neurotypical". If someone has autism, they may react to specific stimuli with more or less sensitivity than a neurotypical person. Examples of this are texture or sound sensitivities. Autistic people also tend to exhibit profound knowledge in personal interests-this is known as hyperfixating. Some people who have autism may have trouble learning other concepts, however, such as social cues like sarcasm. Every case is different though, so if you or someone you know has autism, any experiences are valid whether the medical field outlines those "symptoms" or not. (Source; living with a person with Asperger's syndrome)

Autism is diagnosed based primarily on differences in communication, social issues, and quirks. It's often confused with comorbid issues. For instance, having dyslexia is a problem, but having dyslexia AND really struggling to communicate the problem is prevents self-advocacy. Social issues pile on top such as teasing, feeling not smart, etc. Even worse, 75% of autistics have sensory processing disorder (heightened senses - but getting disregulated which is like mini-nervous system breakdowns that seem unpredictable until you learn to identify them. There are common patterns and they tend to follow functioning level. Gifted, high functioning autistics (used to be called Asperger's) are like Sheldon in the Big Bang theory in that it seems like they shouldn't have problems, but they do. My teen is autistic/gifted and the new label is twice exceptional. The support groups that are best are 2e groups in most cases. I often find 2e kids in the dyslexia support groups misunderstood because they can perform so well. After spending years getting help, I am often tagged to do an intro to saving your kid because I see patterns. In my day, I was just a self diagnosed nerd. My teen has all the quirks/issues, but the sensory disorder was a beast. She wasn't going to function without interventions. It caused her eyes to practically make her read through optical illusions. Don't start me on why they have florescent lights and loud classrooms. I love them, but they would disregulate her. Sensory therapy was a game changer - but it's not "autism".