What is autism?

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

It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older. Signs of autism can be characterised in three ways: sensory processing; communication, interaction and relationships; thought patterns and intersts

If you're autistic, you're 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.

There are other names for autism used by some people, such as:

• autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the medical name for autism

• Asperger's (or Asperger syndrome) is used by some people to describe autistic people with average or above average intelligence

Autistic people can have any level of intelligence. Some autistic people have average or above average intelligence. Some autistic people have a learning disability. This means they may find it hard to look after themselves and need help with daily life.

(NHS website)