What Autism is
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition that affects how a person relates to their environment with others.
It is a lifelong condition that may cause difficulty in communication and social interactions. A person with autism may perform restricted and repetitive behaviours, may experience sensory sensitivities, and may have intellectual impairments or learning difficulties. The word ‘spectrum’ means that people with autism experience varying types of difficulties, in varying degrees.
The common signs
Autism is most commonly diagnosed in school-aged children and teenagers. However, it can be diagnosed during adulthood.
A person with autism may experience the following:
- Find conversation difficult and fail to understand non-verbal cues
- Find being around people unusually stressful and exhausting
- Have unusual physical movements like rocking or finger flicking
- Have heightened or lessened sensory experiences of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell
- Need to follow routines and rigidly follow rules in games
- Have few friends
- Experience anxiety and display aggression to avoid overwhelming situations
How autism is diagnosed
Parents and teachers may develop concerns about their child’s behaviour. It is important to investigate these concerns, despite well-meaning comments from family and friends such as ‘You’re worrying too much’ or ‘He’s just a bit different.’ Children with autism need early screening, identification and intervention if they are to live their best lives. A doctor can provide a referral for a diagnostic assessment. The sooner a child with autism receives a diagnosis, the sooner they can get the support and understanding they need.
What to do once you’ve got a diagnosis
Once a diagnosis has been made, a child or adult with autism can receive psychological, education and therapeutic interventions. The earlier that intervention starts means potentially a reduction for other supports later on, so applying for an NDIS plan is vital.
The myths and misconceptions
Autism has been very misunderstood in the past. This can cause people with autism to feel isolated, or in extreme cases, to experience bullying and abuse.
Common myths include:
- Children with autism aren’t interested in making friends
- Autism is caused by vaccinations
- Children with autism can’t learn
- Autism is caused by bad parenting
Large scale, gold-standard studies have dispelled all of these myths. And unlike characters with autism portrayed in popular culture, not all people with autism have savant skills like Rain Man.
How The Benevolent Society provides support
The Benevolent Society is here to offer support for children and adults with autism and their families. We offer clinical health and disability services including psychology, occupational therapy, and positive behaviour supports. We offer respite that gives people a break away from home and we offer Speech Pathology, Physiotherapy, Behavioural Support and Support Coordination. All of our services are government funded through the NDIS.
For more information about our services contact us on 1800 236 762