Imagine if loud noises felt like explosions in your head, or if sitting somewhere different in class confused you so much you couldn’t do your work. These are the sort of things people with ASD can feel.

ASD stands for Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It affects about 500,000 people in the UK – that’s a lot of people. Chances are there’s at least one person in your school with ASD. It might even be you or your brother or sister.

What is ASD?

ASD affects your brain and makes it work differently to other people. ASD stays with you for your whole life. It is much more common in boys than girls.

One, two, three – this is ASD

Every person with ASD is affected differently. Some people don’t speak and need to be looked after their whole lives. Other people seem just like everyone else.

There are some things that most people with ASD feel. But remember – it’s not the same for everyone with the condition. Here they are:

1: People with ASD might find it tricky to explain what they are thinking. They can also find it hard to understand someone else’s point of view. This means talking to people and making friends is not easy.

2: Understanding what people mean when they talk is also hard. Some people don’t understand any communication (not even pointing). Others get confused.

For example, if someone tells them to ‘hop to it’, they will actually hop on one leg. Other people can be so confusing! How many times have you said ‘Can you pass the salt?’ An autistic person might just say ‘yes’ and carry on eating – because what you really meant was ‘Will you pass the salt’!

3: A person with ASD might not cope very well with changes to their routine. They find it hard to make quick decisions and imagine what they should do next.

Other things

Sometimes colours seem brighter and noises seem louder if you have ASD. You might also be more sensitive to touch, so that if someone brushes past you it’s like you’ve been shoved.

This also works the other way round: You might not notice sounds, colours or touch very strongly at all.

Often you have strong feelings about some colours, textures, smells or noises. For example, you might like shiny things and always want to touch them and stare at them when you see them.

Dominic’s story

Dominic, eight, has a brother called Adam with Asperger syndrome, which is on the autistic ‘spectrum’. Sometimes Adam’s behaviour seems very strange.

 “In the mornings we watch TV before school and Adam always has a big strop when mum turns it off,” says Dominic. “Mum makes us breakfast but it has to be the same every day. It has to be toast or he makes a big fuss.”  

A small change to your routine can really upset you if you have ASD. It can be very hard for other people to tell what is wrong, because to them the change seems so small. Dominic says:

“Sometimes Adam just gets in a mood. We can be eating tea or something and he is fine, then suddenly he just goes in a really bad mood. He won’t tell anyone why, he just goes up to his room.”

Living with ASD

People with ASD are often in their own world. They might not really think about or understand other people’s feelings which can be frustrating, and makes life difficult for their friends and families. Dominic struggles with this sometimes:

“When we go to bed at night Adam likes to put on this radio he has. But it stops me getting to sleep. Mum tells him off but as soon as she has gone he turns it up again.”

Making life easier

If there is someone in your class with ASD there are ways you can help:

• Stick up for them, and remember it is only by chance that you were not born with ASD
• Don’t be hurt if they say something rude – they don’t realise it might upset you
• Don’t try and chat to them if they are absorbed in doing their own thing
• Be careful what you say – they might miss your point
• Their routines and habits keep them happy. They may be upset if you move things around on their desk or sit in their place in the classroom
• Let them be who they are

Gifted

Some people with ASD are glad they have it. That is because they realise that being different is a wonderful thing. They see the world differently to others, but they don’t mind because they think their way makes more sense.

People with ASD often get very obsessive about one particular thing, for example they might really like trains and know everything about them. Because of this some of them grow up to be experts on certain things. For them, ASD is a gift.

Check it out

Real story: Christopher talks about living with autism

Info: Visit the National Autistic Society website at www.nas.org.uk