Blind and Partial Sight Deaf and Hard of Hearing Autistic Spectrum Disorder Social Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Mental Health Dyslexia

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Over half a million people in the UK have ASD. That is approximately 1 in 100. There are approximatly 330,000 people of working age in the UK with ASD. Many are regarded to be of average intelligence or above average intelligence. Only 6% of people with ASD have full-time paid employment. However, many adults will say that finding a suitable job would help improve their lives significantly. ASD is a lifelong developmental disability wich affects how a person communicates and relates to others and who struggle to make sense of the world arround them. The word "spectrum" means range of: while some people with ASD may need a lifetime of care and support, others will be able to live independent lives.

ASD also includes a condition known as Asperger Syndrome. Males are more likely to be diagnosed with ASD which often co-exists with other learning difficulties. Ir is difficult to create an "awareness" of ASD as people with the condition do not look "different".

Impact on learning

Because of difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, a literal understanding of language inhibits social interaction. A person with ASD often has difficulty understanding other people's emotions and feelings as well as expressing their own. These difficulties often lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. Difficulties with social imagination mean that people with ASD find it difficult to predict what could happen next (cause and effect), the concept of danger, and cope with new and unfamiliar situations.