Autism: What is it?

Autism is a form of neurodivergence. Autistic people communicate and interact with the world in a different way to non-autistic people. The way that autistic people communicate and interact with the world is neither better nor worse than the way non-autistic people communicate and interact with the world, just different. (National Autistic Society, 2024). It is not an illness or medical condition and is part of individual differences that can be seen in communication and interaction, behaviours and interests, and sensory experiences.

Autism is a spectrum condition and there are similarities and differences between autistic people. This means that every autistic individual is unique, with different:

• Strengths
• Challenges
• Support needs

Neurodiversity means that there is natural variation across humans in how brains learn and process information, and there is value in such diversity. Autism can be described as a type of difference or ‘neurodivergence’ that brings unique qualities and skills that contribute to the richness of human diversity.

You may hear some people refer to autism as autism spectrum condition (ASC) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Remember, it is your choice about how you refer to autism.

Here are some videos that explain more about autism