A slightly closer look at autism and autistic characteristics

Brief history of autism

Our current understanding of autism dates back to the 1940s. In America a Leo Kanner mapped out the diagnostic criteria for children he described as ‘autistic’. At around the same time an Austrian paediatrician, Hans Asperger, also outlined the same sort of condition, although, he seemed to provide a more positive perspective, noting certain strengths autistic characteristics gave the children he described as having Asperger’s syndrome.

Examples of autistic characteristics

Characteristics	Examples
Difficulties with social communication and interaction and finding it hard to understand what others are thinking and feeling.	Some individuals might not use speech at and will instead communicate through gestures. A lot of people will struggle to understand metaphorical language and sarcasm. They take things literally. A person on the spectrum might not notice that you are not as interested in a topic of conversation as they are.
A preference for routine and repetitive behaviour – might engage in ‘stimming’ to self-sooth.	​People might have exactly the same morning or evening routine. They might even eat the same thing for breakfast every day. Others might need a work routine that is similar each day such as having certain tasks to complete or completing them in a certain order. Changes to routines can cause a great deal of anxiety and upset. Examples of stimming include: flapping hands, flicking fingers, rocking, sniffing or blinking excessively, repeating words, phrases or sounds, rearranging objects, scratching, stroking objects.
Being over or under sensitive. Highly anxious and easily overwhelmed.	Finding certain fabrics or tight-fitting clothes very uncomfortable. Sensitivity to noisy places or high-pitched sounds, or prefer to have music very loud or make loud noises. Preferring very bland food or very spicy food. people may be able to see patterns or colours that most people can’t which can become very distracting.
Being highly focused on ‘special interests’.	Can be almost anything – it is a very focused and passionate area of interest. People might enjoy categorising or collecting things to do with their special interest or might be able to memories many facts about their special interests. Often special interests are a useful coping mechanism.

Why it’s called a spectrum

People talk about being on a spectrum because the differences and severity can vary widely, no two people are the same. One person might need a lot help and support with day-to-day activities due to a learning impairment, and be completely non-verbal. Another person might not need any support but struggle in social situations, or with high levels of sensitivity.

Women and autism

Historically, autism in females has been misunderstood, overlooked, and under diagnosed. One of the main reasons for this is that women tend to ‘mask’ their autism more than men, their social difficulties might not be as obvious because they have taken the time to learn the rules of social interaction and put a lot of effort into ‘fitting in’. Emotional regulation issues might be more likely to be misinterpreted as an anxiety or mood disorder. And their special interests might not be as obvious if focused around things like make-up or celebrities.