Being autistic means experiencing the world in a unique way. For many, this includes sensory overload, social challenges, and the need for structure. Imagine being in a crowded, noisy room where everyone else is enjoying themselves, but you feel overwhelmed, anxious, and unable to communicate your distress.
For an autistic person, these situations can lead to feelings of panic and isolation, as it becomes difficult to express themselves amidst the chaos.
Understanding what it means to be autistic is crucial for parents, as it helps bridge the gap between frustration and connection. Recognizing your child’s sensory needs, social cues, and unique ways of seeing the world can foster a stronger, more empathetic relationship.
In this article, we’ll explore what being autistic truly means, providing insights into autism symptoms, communication challenges, and how to better support your child.
Want help talking about autism with others? Download our free guide for tips on fostering understanding and meaningful conversations:
What does being autistic mean?
Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning it affects people in different ways. It was once divided into four types—autistic disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and PDD-NOS.
Today, it is diagnosed as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with three support levels. These levels indicate how much assistance a person may need in daily life.
The exact causes of autism are still being studied, but it occurs across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. However, diagnosis rates vary due to factors like stigma and access to healthcare.
Autism is more commonly identified in boys, but many autistic girls go undiagnosed because their traits can be more subtle or masked. Recognizing these differences can help families better understand, support, and connect with autistic individuals.
How can parents better support their autistic children?
Every person with autism spectrum disorder is different. I do believe that the best way to understand is to learn from the source, with input from professionals in the field.
Here are some things you can focus on.
Understanding common symptoms
Knowing the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder is a start. If we understand how our child’s behaviors, social communication skills, and daily life skills are affected by autism, we can better understand what their struggles, needs, and desires may be in a given situation.
Some common symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can include but are not limited to:
- repetitive behaviors
- intellectual disability
- lack of eye contact
- limited social communication skills
- seeing the world through a “different lens”
- poor coordination
- sensory input or output regulation difficulty
Children with autism often feel misunderstood. Social interactions can be painful or confusing. They may engage in repetitive patterns that cause them to act in ways that are “socially unacceptable,” creating a vicious circle.
Reading facial expressions, humor misunderstandings, and crossing social boundaries can increase the child’s risk of losing friendships. As parents, our relationship with our kids with ASD can provide a strong structure of support as they learn to interact with the world.
Advocating for them and teaching them to advocate for themselves will show them they are worthy of love and give them the courage to keep connecting with others.
Learn more about your child
Children with autism may communicate differently. Some are nonverbal or nonvocal and communicate through other means, such as sign language, PECS, or other devices. Whatever system they use, their unique experiences can be conveyed.
It is our job as parents to hear them based on their own language skills. Moving forward, as their language skills grow, we can keep learning and listening to them. Using others’ experiences as a guide, we can know our children and meet their needs accordingly.
Provide for your child
If autism is expected, testing and evaluation are key. Early diagnosis and treatment are important. Providing help from professionals is one way to get to know your child more and better understand how they experience autism, and help them feel seen, heard, and loved.
Professionals can include:
- child psychologists
- developmental and behavioral pediatricians
- occupational and other therapists
- nutritionists
- child neurologists
- child psychologists and psychiatrists
All of these can be useful in helping our child deal with some of the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, including communication.
Learn from the autism community
Autism is a lifelong disorder. What autism is like and how it affects everyday life is different for each person.
For example, missing social cues such as body language can lead to misunderstandings, while missing developmental milestones can isolate someone from their peers at a very young age.
How things like this affect brain development, self-esteem, and mental health is different for each person.
There is great beauty in autism. So many of the world-changing and life-changing innovations have been born in the autistic mind.
It is important to learn from the autistic community, to believe others with autism, validate their experiences, and let what we learn change the way we respond to our kids.
Understanding the uniqueness of autism
A neurotypical person can never truly understand what it is like to be autistic. Even if we could pull a “freaky Friday” and switch bodies with an autistic person, we would only have the privilege of experiencing their unique perspective, not someone else’s.
The best we can do is be open-minded, learn all we can, and put into practice what we know.
Many children with autism spectrum disorder feel misunderstood because they are. As parents, we can help with that by listening to them, honoring them, loving them, and advocating for them.
We can’t always change the world for them, but we can recognize how they can change it and be their biggest cheerleaders.
Together with professionals and the autistic community, we can deepen understanding, build strong connections, and challenge social systems that limit self-expression.
FAQs
Q: How do I know if I’m autistic?
A: Autism is typically diagnosed through a combination of behavioral assessments, interviews, and observation by professionals. Common signs include difficulty with social interactions, communication challenges, and restricted or repetitive behaviors.
Q: What is an autistic person like?
A: An autistic person may have unique ways of thinking, processing sensory information, and communicating, which can differ from typical social norms. They might have strengths in areas like attention to detail or deep focus, but they may also face challenges in navigating social situations.
Q: Can I be autistic and not know it?
A: Yes, it’s possible for individuals to remain undiagnosed, especially if their symptoms are subtle or masked by coping strategies. Many autistic people, particularly women or those with less obvious signs, might go without a diagnosis until adulthood.
Q: How do you spot autism in girls?
A: Autism in girls can often present differently than in boys, with more subtle social communication difficulties and a tendency to mask behaviors. Girls may focus intensely on interests like animals, books, or socializing but may struggle with understanding social cues or maintaining friendships.
Other articles you may be interested in:
- Autism Statistics You Need To Know in 2024
- Symbols for Autism: What Do They Mean?
- Survey Says Autistic Kids are Made to Feel Isolated by Exclusion
- Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent: What Is The Difference?
- Autism Evolution: Uncovering the History of ASD
- Autism Memes: Offensive Or Relatable?
- Understanding Neurodiversity, Autism, and the Neurodiversity Movement
- Is the Term “Autists” Offensive?
- Autism Language: Person-first or Identity-first?
- Autistic Screeching: The Meaning and the Controversy
- Is Autism a Disability? Here’s What You Must Know
- A Fine Line Between the World of Giftedness and Autism
- Erasing the Prejudice – Are People on the Spectrum Really More Violent?
- Why Girls are Missed for Diagnosis and Why That’s so Important
- Autism Colors: What Do They Mean?
References
Hodges, H., Fealko, C., & Soares, N. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder: definition, epidemiology, causes, and clinical evaluation. Translational pediatrics, 9(Suppl 1), S55–S65. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2019.09.09
Thibault, R (2014) Can Autistics Redefine Autism? The Cultural Politics of Autistic Activism. https://cpb-us-e2.wpmucdn.com/sites.uci.edu/dist/f/1861/files/2014/10/2014_04_04.pdf
Anderson-Chavarria, M. (2022). The autism predicament: models of autism and their impact on autistic identity. Disability & Society, 37(8), 1321-1341. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2021.1877117
Botha, M., Dibb, B., & Frost, D. M. (2022). ” Autism is me”: an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma. Disability & Society, 37(3), 427-453. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2020.1822782
Joon, P., Kumar, A., & Parle, M. (2021). What is autism?. Pharmacological reports, 73(5), 1255-1264. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43440-021-00244-0
