An Introduction to the spectrum

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference. It is often categorized as a Pervasive Developmental Disorder and whilst individuals can be given strategies to increase the extent to which they can conform to and engage with the neurotypical society, it is a lifelong “condition” and the differences or “difficulties” that an individual on the spectrum experiences affect them for their whole lives.

Having worked with individuals on the spectrum for 17 years, I would be confident in asserting that no two people on the spectrum are the same. Individuals are affected to different extents, have different characteristics, different things they find challenging and require different strategies to support them. However, there are some key characteristics that are common within individuals on the spectrum regardless of their level of functioning. These are commonly referred to as the Triad of Impairments. A term that I personally hate, but nevertheless a term which can help us to understand some of the differences individuals on the spectrum may exhibit and the difficulties they may face in accessing the neurotypical world.

The Triad of impairments are difficulties in social communication, social interaction and social imagination or rigidity of thought patterns

Social communication refers to the difficulty that Autistic individuals commonly have in communicating with others. Key characteristics of this include:

· Difficulties in understanding inference and “reading between the lines” in conversations.

· A tendency to talk about their own interest and making comments which are inappropriate to the context.

· An absence of a desire to communicate. Which for some can mean they don’t develop conversational language skills at all.

· A focus on communicating for own needs rather than social engagement.

Depending on where a person is on the spectrum the extent to which they are able to communicate can vary. Some individuals may not communicate verbally at all and may only indicate their needs through actions or set behaviours. Others, however, are able to communicate verbally but may find this challenging. Many work hard to mask their behaviours and can appear to be able to communicate fairly well, though it is something they find naturally challenging and it can often be very exhausting for them. However, all individuals on the Autism Spectrum will have some challenges within social communication to a varying extent.

Social interaction refers to difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships with others. This can include:

· A lack of understanding of personal space or appropriate/ inappropriate touching.

· Difficulties in understanding non-verbal communication such as eye contact or facial expression often leading to misinterpretations which can lead to challenges in maintaining social relationships.

· Lack of awareness of differences in interactions between different people e.g. how to interact differently with friends, teachers, parents etc.

· Often having a desire to have friends but finds it challenging to initiate and maintain these friendships.

Impairment in social imagination is one that in my experience is often misinterpreted. I have heard many people say, “He can’t be Autistic: he has an amazing imagination.” Indeed, individuals with Autism can have very clear and vivid imaginations and can participate in imaginative play but their social imagination is different to neurotypical individuals. They may not be able to imagine things from other people’s point of view- a characteristic that the seminal author and researcher Simon Baron-Cohen terms “Mind blindness.” Individuals may:

· Find it challenging to see things from other people’s points of view.

· Be very ritualistic in their thinking or behaviour.

· Not be able to predict changes in routine and be very anxious when such changes occur.

· Have fixated or “special” interests which dominate their thinking.

· Be very literal in their communication.

As I am sure you can see, there is some cross over between the three, but it is a useful summary of key characteristics or behaviours that individuals on the spectrum exhibit.

Autism Spectrum Condition is, however, incredibly complicated. Some people may exhibit all of the above, others may exhibit some behaviours more than others and others may seemingly have no difficulties at all in some contexts. This is precisely why it is vital for professionals not to jump to conclusions and to consider information and evidence very carefully when parents or carers express concern. I wrote a chapter a few years ago about identification of Autism which I have included as another page on this website to support professionals with that early identification process.

Other characteristics that are common for people on the Autism Spectrum are differences in sensory perception. People may for example be very sensitive to certain noises or be hyper (over) or hypo (under) sensitive to certain things such as clothing or smell. They can also have similar differences in other senses such as proprioception (their ability to sense movement, location or action); interoception (their ability to perceive their own bodily functions or sometimes emotions) and their vestibular sense which is related to balance.

Differences in sensory perception between Autistic individuals can be very extreme. I intend to write an article very soon on sensory perception in individuals on the Autism Spectrum because in my experience it is perhaps the most misunderstood area of the spectrum and the area that for some people can be the most impactful. I personally have had significant support over the years and have the skills required to mask extremely effectively in the “neurotypical” world; however, certain differences that I have in sensory perception- particularly to noise or certain sensations- can still overload me to the extent that I simply cannot cope in certain situations.

Autism Spectrum Condition is also associated with increased predisposition to anxiety, aggression or depression. In my experience, these areas are heavily related to the aforementioned areas. I experience very intense anxiety at times and have had periods of deep depression, but these are often linked to the sheer demand of managing in the neurotypical world. I often describe to people the “Burn out,” factor that I experience as a result of the cumulative affect of masking and managing to behave in the way that the neurotypical society expects. Anecdotally, I would suggest a vast number of individuals on the spectrum also experience this.

Many people on the spectrum can also exhibit differences (or difficulties) in motor skills such as walking on tip-toes, clumsiness, or challenges with things like writing or holding a pen. Again, in my experience these things are often associated with the differences in sensory perception.

As I have tried to stress throughout this article, and in every article I have ever written, that people on the Autism Spectrum are all different. They may have some of these characteristics but not others or they may experience different areas of difficulty depending on their contexts and the demands placed upon them by society. Many people for example talk about difficulties with food and eating, others experience profound phobias, others are incredibly perfectionist and can become intensely anxious if they get something wrong. Other people have a strong need for control over their environment and can exhibit pathological demand avoidance (PDA) in that they become completely overloaded when any demand is placed upon them because it dysregulates their need for control.

Simply put. Autism is probably one of the most complex neurodevelopmental differences that exists. There are theories behind what causes it and experts have attempted to create clear criteria to define it but ultimately it is a spectrum for a reason: different people have different degrees of the characteristics and different extents to which it impacts on their ability to live in the neurotypical world.

I will end this page with an interesting note. As I discussed in Wheeler (2011) the “spectrum” could be defined as a spectrum of humanity. One theory of Autism which I do not necessarily agree with but find quite interesting is the “Extreme Male Brain,” theory which postulates that individuals with Autism process the world through an intensified male perspective. I am by no means suggesting that this is accurate, but I think it is an interesting thought when considering neurodevelopmental differences in general. I am very fond of the idea that there is a spectrum of humanity and that the Autism Spectrum is a part of that. Vitally, I think that when we conceptualise autism like that we move beyond what is “Wrong” with individuals and focus on their strengths and uniqueness and how to help them to use this to access the neurotypical society.

Page written by Marc Wheeler (2022)