RESEARCH! Autism

Background Information Studied at University Physiology Hopes to become a physiologist Works with autistic children Works at Priors court

What is autism? Autism is an mental disorder which is diagnosed in young childhood. Difficult communicating with other Anger issues Effects how they make sense of the world around them People with autism are affected in different ways some worse than others Speech problems Experience under sensitivity to sounds, smell, taste exc. Love of routines Special interests

Different types of Autism Autism is a spectrum disorder meaning you an be little autistic or very autistic. Asperger's – aspergers syndrome describes individuals at the highest functioning end of the autism spectrum. Asperger syndrome is often diagnosed in teens and adults. People with asburger syndrome generally develop spoken language in the same way as typically developing children. But have a tough time with social communication these dificulties become more obvious as they age. Usually people with aspergers are very intelligent. Mild autism – mild autism isnt actually diagnosed term its an more descriptive term than asperger syndrome or autism. Mild autism is known as invidviduals whose symptoms match the autism spectrum but who has strong verbal skills and a few behaviour issues. Those however may have problems with social communication they may also have problems with social communication also coping with too much. Noise, light exc. High functioning autism – like mild autism high functioning autism is a made up term. That’s been more and more commonly used HFA is described as people with speech delays but there also may be very real differences in terms of social awareness, personality, characteristics exc.

How does autism affect and older person? As people with autism mature they face the same physical and mental problems of all ageing people May need support to ensure they grow safely and dignity Parents may find it harder to look after an autism person as they grow older People with autism who don’t have relatives risk a future of increasing isolation