Introduction to ASDs
We live in a busy age where social skills are in great demand. Every day our environment is becoming more and more complex, and the need to communicate and interact with others has never been so great.
Contrast our lifestyle with that of someone who has enormous difficulty in communicating, forming relationships and in making sense generally of the world around him, and you will begin to approach what it means to have an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
People with ASDs seem to see the world from a very different perspective. They find it bewildering (sometimes impossible) to relate to what is happening around them, and there is evidence that sensory perception, for some, is different. For example, it seems that some individuals perceive other people’s faces rather in the way that we tend to visualise aliens – with smooth, impassive features which are difficult to read. Other examples include heightened sound sensitivity which means certain noises, which the rest of us take completely for granted (coughing, for example) are intolerable.
People with ASDs have very little, if any, control over their lives and personal environment, although some institute control procedures within their family or care microcosm.
Their disabilities are described as the Triad of Impairments and are related to the following:
Difficulty in communicating
Difficulty in understanding social situations
Inflexibility of thought
Autism is a disability which affects the development of social skills. Up to 75% of people with autism may also have learning difficulties, but whatever their level of intelligence or ability, they share a common problem in making sense of the world around them.
Asperger's syndrome is sometimes mistakenly called 'mild autism'. People with this condition are highly communicative and often have average or above average intelligence. They realise, usually in their childhood or teenage years, that they are different from their peers and seem unable to lead the same lifestyle. This can lead to bewilderment, isolation, frustration, anger, despair, depression and in some cases to mental health difficulties.
A common pattern arising in people with ASDs is challenging behaviour. Erratic, moody, indifferent, unresponsive, passive, aggressive, repetitive and obsessive behaviours can all be part of the condition, the principal characteristic being the individual's lack of understanding of normal social conventions, being misunderstood by those around them and in turn being unaware of the need for socially acceptable behaviours.
There is a significant shortage of high quality, specialist service providers in the UK and the situation is many times worse in parts of the European Union. Spectrum is working with a number of partners from within the UK and across Europe looking at the area of specialist service delivery. The partners include Universities, several well known service providers and IT specialists.
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 For Further Information on ASD's and Research Articles
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Phone the Autism Helpline on 0845 070 4004
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