Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Autistic Spectrum Disorder is a DISABILITY.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder  is defined as a lifelong condition that affects how a PERSON  communicates with, and relates to, other people. Autistic Spectrum Disorder  also affects how a PERSON  makes sense of the world around them.

The three main areas of difficulty, which all people with Autism  share, are known as the 'triad of impairments'. They are

• difficulty with social communication (e.g. problems using and understanding verbal and non-verbal language, such as gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice)

• difficulty with social interaction (e.g. problems in recognising and understanding other people's feelings and managing their own feelings)

• difficulty with social imagination (e.g. problems in understanding and predicting other people's intentions and behaviour and imagining situations outside their own routine)

For further information on Autistic Spectrum Disorder, see the:

• National Autistic Society website at: What is autism?

• NHS website at: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).