Autistic Spectrum Condition

Autistic people look at the world differently and interact and communicate with people differently too.

Autistic people may:

• experience sensory difficulties that cause overwhelm and dysregulation of the nervous system - therefore, they may find things like bright lights, certain fabrics or loud noises stressful or uncomfortable, and may find different food textures challenging.
• find it hard to communicate and interact with other people
• find it difficult to process their feelings 'in the moment', which can be interpreted as finding it hard to understand how other people think or feel.
• get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events
• take longer to understand information
• do or think the same things over and over

Being autistic does not mean you have an illness. It means your brain works in a different way from other people.

If you are autistic, you are autistic your whole life.

Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure". But some people need support to help them with certain things.

Asperger’s is a historical term used to describe autistic people with few additional support needs or learning difficulties.

Here is a video about Autism.

The following videos are from a talk by Dr Rachel Hussey delivered to families and children who were waiting for an autism assessment at the Canterbury Pilot Autism Awareness event in February 2020.