Autism Explained by An Autistic Teen (Emma’s Autism Awareness Community Project)
Hi, my name is Emma, and I’m autistic. This year, as part of my school community project, I had to choose a topic to support my community.
I knew right away what I wanted to do: raise more awareness, understanding, and acceptance of autism and autistic people.
I’ve created a booklet to share with students at my school, and I knew I could also share it online with many more people.
This project represents my own learning and perspective as an autistic person. I talk about what autism is (and isn’t), the challenges we face, and how you can support us.
You’re welcome to share this free booklet with anyone who may benefit from it. (You’ll find a download form at the end of this post.)
These are some of the things I share with you about autism:
About Autism
- Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how the brain develops and works. It influences how we process sensory information, interact socially, communicate, and think and learn. These differences shape the way we see and interact with the world and the people in it.
- Autism is often called an invisible disability. You usually can’t tell if someone is autistic just by looking at them. The challenges we face or the support we need aren’t always obvious to other people, either.
- It does not have a “cure” because it isn’t an illness. Instead, it is important to focus on supporting, understanding, and accepting autistic people, not trying to make them ‘less autistic’.
- It’s not a linear spectrum. Autism affects many different areas of a person’s life, and it impacts each one differently. While an autistic person might struggle in some areas, they may not be affected in others, or they may even excel.
About Autism Labels and Terms
Support and functioning labels
High, medium, and low support needs are terms used to describe how much support an autistic person might need in daily life.
High-, medium-, and low-functioning labels, on the other hand, describe how much autism is thought to affect a person’s ability to function compared to an allistic person. But, these terms are now considered outdated and unhelpful. They reduce our experiences to a “functioning label” that judges how capable we seem, instead of noticing our unique strengths and challenges.
Person-first vs. Identity-first language
“Person with autism” is called person-first language, while “autistic person” is identity-first language. A lot of autistic people prefer identity-first language, as we see autism as part of who we are, not something separate from us.
However, not everyone feels the same way, so it’s always best to ask someone what they prefer.
Neurodivergent, Neurotypical, and Allistic
Neurodivergent is the term used to describe people whose brains work differently from what is thought to be “normal.” It includes many kinds of brain differences, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others.
Neurotypical is the opposite — someone whose brain works in a way that is considered to be the norm.
Allistic refers to people who are not autistic. The term was coined within the autistic community to talk about autistic and non-autistic experiences without implying that one group was “normal”. While neurotypical is sometimes used to mean the same thing, that’s not accurate. Autism is only one of many neurodivergent conditions, and many neurodivergent people are actually allistic.
Offensive Language
🚫 🚫 🚫 Don’t use autism-related or disability related terms as insults. That’s hurtful and offensive.
Autism Challenges
Although autistic people have numerous unique strengths, we also face many challenges that can impact our lives and interactions with other people.
Unpredictability and Change
Sudden change and unpredictability can be very stressful for autistic people. Many of us get anxious when there are sudden changes to a plan, or when the plan is unclear or unpredictable.
Sensory Challenges
Some autistic people are more sensitive to sensory input and can become overwhelmed more easily than allistic people. Our five senses, or a mix of them, can feel amplified to the point where it becomes too much.
Organisation Challenges
Planning, organisation, and time management can be huge struggles for autistic people. Some of us have trouble staying on task and following plans, which can make things like school/work challenging.
Social Communication
Difficulty with social communication is one of the most common challenges for autistic people. We can struggle with interpreting social cues, understanding sarcasm, and making eye contact, among other things.
Related Conditions
Autistic people are more likely to have other conditions alongside autism. These can include ADHD, learning disabilities, or intellectual disabilities, as well as other challenges like sleep problems, motor delays, anxiety, and depression.
Anxiety Disorders
A lot of autistic people experience anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety. These often come from our challenges with communication and social interaction, and from feeling misunderstood or judged. Anxiety can make us nervous about talking to people, joining groups, or making eye contact.
The Don’ts
Don’t Downplay Challenges
Allistic and even autistic people can sometimes downplay the challenges some autistic people face.
For example, they might call an autistic person “fussy” for not being able to wear clothes with tags, when their sense of touch is amplified, making the tag feel unbearable.
It’s like someone wearing sunglasses telling a person without them that they’re being “fussy” for squinting in bright light. The person without sunglasses is simply more affected because the light feels brighter to them.
Don’t “Not Communicate”
One of the worst things you can do when supporting an autistic person is not communicate with them. Listening is essential because they’re the only ones who can tell you what support they need.
If an autistic person says they can’t go somewhere because it’s too loud, insisting they go anyway can create an overwhelming situation for them.
For autistic people who don’t use speech, it’s important to “listen” in other ways: through their behaviour, body language, and reactions — or by talking with the people who know them best.
Don’t Make Assumptions
Autism is different for everyone, and there is no universal autistic experience. Some of the challenges you read about here may not affect the autistic person or people you know, while others might.
You might think you’re helping by offering support, but if it’s in an area where it isn’t needed, it can actually hold someone back. And by focusing there, you could miss the chance to support them where it would make the biggest difference.
Don’t Say, “Everyone’s a Bit on the Spectrum!”
Although this comment is often made with good intentions, it usually does more harm than good. Some people say it to help autistic people feel included, but there are much better ways to do that. No one is “a little autistic”: you’re either autistic or you’re not.
It’s true that some of the challenges mentioned aren’t exclusive to autism, so non-autistic people may have similar experiences. For example, repetitive behaviours can also occur in ADHD, and social anxiety is something many people experience.
Even so, the experience of an autistic person is different from that of a non-autistic person. Saying “we’re all a bit autistic” fails to recognise that those experiences are completely different from the autistic experience.
How You Can Support Autistic People Like Me
Now that you’re reaching the end, you might be wondering: so, what can you actually do to help?
Here are four things you can do to support the autistic person or people you know!
Communicate
The most important thing you can do to help the autistic person or people in your life is to communicate with them.
Their autism is unique to them, so only they can tell you what support they need. There is no point in “trying to help” if you don’t know what they actually need. Listen, take what they say into account, and apply it in the future..
For autistic people who find it hard to communicate, pay attention to their behaviour, reactions, and preferences, or ask the people who know them best.
Be Understanding
Autistic people will not be able to do the same things as allistic people, and you cannot expect them to. You need to understand this and not hold it against them. The impact autism has on us is out of our control, and we dislike the challenges it brings even more than you do.
Learn
Try to learn more about autism!
It helps when the people around us already know a bit about it. You don’t need to go super in-depth, but even some basic knowledge makes a difference.
My booklet is a good start, but there’s so much more to learn about autism.
Don’t Treat Them Like They’re “Other”
Although it is important to recognise that the autistic person or people you know are not the same as allistic people, you also shouldn’t treat them like they’re weird or “other” for being autistic. It can be very hurtful and isolating to be treated differently because of who you are.
Being accommodating and understanding does not mean that you have to look at them differently, because they are the same person as they were before – you just know more about them and the support they need.
We are still people, just like you, and we deserve to be included and accepted.
Note from Very Special Tales
We want to thank Emma for sharing her autism awareness project with us and for allowing us to spread her message even further. Her booklet, “Seeing the Spectrum: Autism Explained by an Autistic Teen,” is a thoughtful resource that helps promote understanding and acceptance.
If you’d like to receive a free copy of Emma’s booklet “Seeing the Spectrum,” you can do so HERE.
Thanks for sharing this! I will be using it with my students at school. It is an amazing resource!
This is clear and well-written. As an occupational therapist who works with autistic people I want to make sure I adapt to my client’s needs and preferences while supporting their development and goals, so this has important reminders for me. But it’s also helpful for when I talk with others about my work and they have questions about Autism. And what could be more useful than hearing directly from autistic people on what they find helpful and not helpful?! Thank you Emma for writing and sharing with us!!