{"id":2673,"date":"2020-04-03T14:17:43","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T14:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/?page_id=2673"},"modified":"2020-04-22T19:11:13","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:11:13","slug":"what-is-the-autistic-spectrum-disorder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/what-is-the-autistic-spectrum-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Autistic Spectrum Disorder?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>What is ASD<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterised by three core behaviors\/traits:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Impaired <\/span><b>communication<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Impaired reciprocal social interaction\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors or interests<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As understanding of autism increases, many more behaviours and traits form understanding of Autism; however, these three traits remain the core for both males and females.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Scottish Autism Toolbox gives the following examples of neurodiverse behaviour in these three key areas:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Language and communication<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Problems with communication, even if wide vocabulary and normal use of grammar\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May be unduly quiet, may talk at others rather than hold a \u2018to and fro\u2019 conversation, or may provide excessive information on topics of own interest\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unable to adapt style of communication to social situations, e.g. may sound like \u2018a little professor\u2019 (overly formal), or be inappropriately familiar\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May have speech peculiarities, including \u2018flat\u2019 un-modulated speech, repetitiveness, use of stereotyped phrases\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May take things literally and fail to understand sarcasm or metaphor\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unusual use and timing of non-verbal interaction (e.g. eye contact, gesture and facial expression).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Social problems\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Difficulty making and maintaining peer friendships, though may find it easier with adults or younger children\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Can appear unaware or uninterested in peer group \u2018norms\u2019, may alienate by behaviours which transgress \u2018unwritten rules\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May lack awareness of personal space, or be intolerant of intrusions on own space\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Long-standing difficulties in social behaviours, communication and coping with change, which are more obvious at times of transition (e.g. change of school, leaving school)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Significant discrepancy between academic ability and \u2018social\u2019 intelligence; most difficulties in unstructured social situations, e.g. in school or work breaks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Rigidity in thinking and behaviour\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preference for highly specific, narrow interests or hobbies, or may enjoy collecting, numbering or listing\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Strong preferences for familiar routines; may have repetitive behaviours or intrusive rituals\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Problems using imagination, e.g. in writing, future planning\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May have unusual reactions to sensory stimuli, e.g. sounds, tastes, smell, touch, hot or cold.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Autism is a neurodiversity condition which means that those who have it experience the world differently.\u00a0 The NHS website states that:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Autistic people may act in a different way to other people<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Autistic people may:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">find it hard to communicate and interact with other people<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">find it hard to understand how other people think or feel<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">take longer to understand information<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">do or think the same things over and over<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASD is a spectrum condition which means that those with autism can range from being able to manage independently with minimal guidance or input through to those who will be unable to live independently.\u00a0 As with all spectrum conditions, those with autism will have different experiences of the three core traits and the impact of these experiences will differ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following websites are useful for further information:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/autism\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/autism\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scottishautism.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.scottishautism.org\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/public\/balfronhssupport\/uploads\/sites\/3617\/2020\/04\/03151117\/Understanding-autism-pdf-leaflet-March-2019.pdf\">Understanding-autism-pdf-leaflet-March-2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterised by three core behaviors\/traits: Impaired communication,\u00a0 Impaired reciprocal social interaction\u00a0 Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors or interests As understanding of autism increases, many more behaviours and traits form understanding of Autism; however, these three traits remain the core for both males and females.\u00a0\u00a0 The &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/what-is-the-autistic-spectrum-disorder\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What is the Autistic Spectrum Disorder?<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4400,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2673","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2673"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3048,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2673\/revisions\/3048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/st\/balfronhssupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}