Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)

Some common autistic traits include:

• Difficulty recognising or understanding other people's emotions
• Difficulty reading body language, understanding sarcasm and facial expressions
• Difficulty in social situations
• Overly or underly sensitive to any sense, for example taste, sound, smell, touch, pain or light
• Finding crowded and noisy places challenging 
• Liking familiar routines
• Finding unexpected change to your routine challenging
• Having intense and specific interests in things

You may have some or all of the above traits. 

 Visit the National Autistic Society website for more information about autistic traits. 

This is when you subconsciously hide a part of yourself or your traits to fit in better. You don't do this on purpose, in fact you may not realise you are doing it. You may 'mask' as a way of coping. 

You may find that you can suppress certain behaviours you find soothing or copy the behaviour of friends to fit in. For example, you may be able to avoid stimming at school. 

Masking can be exhausting. It may make you feel anxious or sad. 

Girls are often diagnosed with autism later than boys. One reason for this may be that women and girls are often better at masking or camouflaging their difficulties. 

Getting a diagnosis

If you think you may be autistic then you can speak to:

• your GP
• a teacher you trust at school
• the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) at your school

You can also get advice about what to do from: 

•  Visit the National Autistic Society website for more information. 

Each area is different. Your child's school or GP can refer your child for an assessment. 

• Dorset
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• North East Hampshire
• Portsmouth
• Southampton

Speak to your GP urgently if your child's development is going backwards and they are losing language or skills.

It's important to look for your strengths. These may include:

• An ability to focus intently on areas of interest
• An attention to detail
• Creative thinking
• Having the ability to recognise patterns
• Thinking a lot and being conscientious
• Being kind, honest, and empathetic. Some people may struggle to understand your emotions but we know many autistic young people feel things very deeply
• Being a good problem solver. Autistic people need to solve problems on a daily basis, for example, 'how can I focus with all that noise?' 

Waiting times for an autsim assessment can be long. 

Most services will support you even if you do not have a formal diagnosis.  

Autistic young people can have good mental health just like any other young person. Living in a world in which you sometimes feel you do not quite fit can be exhausting. It may affect your mental health. 

Visit our mental health pages for more information on what you can do and where to get help.