Autistic people may act in a different way to other people
Autistic people may:
- find it hard to communicate and interact with other people
- find it hard to understand how other people think or feel
- find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable
- get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events
- take longer to understand information
- do or think the same things over and over
Autism is not an illness
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.
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.
Autism is different for everyone
Autism is a spectrum. This means everybody with autism is different.
Some autistic people need little or no support. Others may need help from a parent or carer every day.