Autism

The NHS describes autism as a difference in how your brain develops that affects how you see and experience the world. It is something you are born with. It is not an illness, and there is no treatment or cure. What helps is understanding, adjustments Reasonable adjustments Changes a school or service must make so a disabled child is not put at a big disadvantage. The duty applies now, and it does not wait for a diagnosis. Read the full definition of Reasonable adjustments and the right support.

The National Autistic Society describes autism as a lifelong neurodivergence Neurodivergent Neurodivergent means a brain that works in its own way, not the way most people expect. Autistic people, and people with ADHD or dyslexia, are all neurodivergent. Read the full definition of Neurodivergent and disability, and notes that disability is a protected characteristic in UK law. That matters practically: it is the legal footing for reasonable adjustments at school and elsewhere. More than one in 100 people are autistic, and there are at least 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

Autistic children vary enormously. Some have a learning disability Learning disability A health term for finding it much harder to learn and to manage everyday tasks, starting in childhood. It is not the same as a learning difficulty at school. Read the full definition of Learning disability and some do not. Autistic people are also more likely to have some other physical and mental health conditions, including epilepsy Epilepsy Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes seizures. A seizure usually lasts a few seconds or minutes and stops by itself. Read the full definition of Epilepsy , anxiety and ADHD.

On NHS letters and assessment reports you will usually see 'autism spectrum disorder', often shortened to ASD. We say autism, and we say 'autistic child Identity-first language Saying autistic child rather than child with autism. Many autistic people prefer it: being autistic is part of who they are. Read the full definition of Identity-first language ' rather than 'child with autism', because that is the language most autistic people and the National Autistic Society use.