Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs)
Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) encompass a variety of conditions, including autism and high functioning autism (Asperger syndrome), which can affect a person’s ability to respond, communicate and interact with others in social situations. This can have a significant impact on learning, development and the ability to build relationships. Autism is not a mental health condition; it is widely conceptualised as being a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) which is present from birth.
Broadly speaking, autism causes its own typical symptoms. However, at Priory, we understand that no two individuals with ASD have precisely the same symptoms, or adapt to certain situations in the same way. Furthermore, the specific characteristics and ability to function in different environments and social settings can be substantially different between people.
ASDs are complex conditions, which is why we are committed to providing a range of services which may be accessed at any stage of the disorder. We offer additional services if you or someone that you care for has an ASD, including high functioning autism (Asperger syndrome), through Priory Education and Children's Services and Priory Adult Care.
Diagnosing ASD
Signs of ASD in your child can be seen in early childhood, where a difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication such as using limited or no speech even after the age of two, not waving goodbye at an appropriate age, or having only a small variety of facial expressions, can be early signs of the condition. These difficulties become more apparent when your child is of school age when social interaction is increasingly complex.
Your child may have a diagnostic assessment for ASD as young as three years old, but many people are not diagnosed with high functioning autism (Asperger syndrome) until adolescence or much later in life, as the impact of these symptoms is often not as extreme as other forms of autism.
Care and management of ASDs at Priory
Priory have the capability to provide ASD diagnoses, as well as dedicated services to help young people and their families to understand their diagnosis. Priory sites and staff work towards making environments as suitable and predictable as possible, with the most appropriate levels of stimulation to minimise any anxiety caused by autistic traits. At the same time, we support you or your child to best manage your anxieties that stem from situations that are not easily controlled or indeed, are entirely uncontrollable.
Priory Education and Children's Services provides specialist schools, colleges and children's homes across the UK. Our aim is to help young people on the autistic spectrum to develop their education, social and independence skills so they can fulfil their aspirations and potential.
Priory Adult Care offers a range of bespoke residential and supported living care for adults with an ASD, within safe and homely environments. Our services are specifically designed to support individuals in leading active and independent lives.
Through specialised staff, structured personalised programmes, social skills groups and one to one sessions, therapeutic input, and education, we look to support people to maximise their potential and independence, regardless of their diagnosis. Whilst some people may always need support, others do go on to lead independent lives.
At Priory, different sites specialise in helping those at different points across the spectrum, who may also present with co-occurring mental health conditions. Although people with ASD may lack an innate understanding of aspects of the social world, some of these can be learned through teaching and support.
This page was clinically reviewed by Dr Hayley van Zwanenberg (MBBS, MMedSci, MRCPsych) in August 2018, and is scheduled to be reviewed again in August 2020. To view all Priory ASD specialists, please click here.
ASD is the term used to describe a range of lifelong conditions across what is known as the autism spectrum, which impact on an individual’s learning, social interaction and communication, and is sometimes accompanied by additional learning disabilities.
ASD includes those diagnosed with high functioning autism (Asperger syndrome), where learning disabilities may not be present, although social difficulties associated with autism may still impact a person’s ability to form relationships or express themselves through non-verbal communication, for example.
Autism is not a mental health condition; it is widely conceptualised as being a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) which is present from birth. It affects a person’s ability to relate to others and the world around them, and also to process information. Those with autism can be hyper-sensitive to sensory stimulation such as sounds, smells or colours, whilst predictability and a fixed daily routine are sought out by children or adolescents with autism.
ASDs can be very subtle in high functioning young people, and often they are diagnosed on transition to senior school when high levels of anxiety become evident due to all of the changes that are happening for the young person at that time. Although certain autistic traits can be seen in high functioning autism (Asperger syndrome), those with the disorder tend to be better able to express themselves verbally and are of average or above average intelligence.
The main difficulties experienced in a child or person with ASD include:
- Social communication - processing language, verbal intonation and tone, figures of speech and literal thinking
- Social interaction - understanding non-verbal cues, unspoken social rules, forming friendships and appreciating social contexts. They may also appear odd or inappropriate to others
- Social imagination - lack of empathy, seeing situations from another’s perspective, predicting and understanding feelings and reactions, and foreseeing consequences of events and actions
Research indicates that around 1 in 100 people are on the autistic spectrum, although the complex condition can impact people’s lives differently.
If your child is diagnosed with autism, there is a range of care and support services offered at Priory which can help them to manage the condition, while some people with autism continue their learning development enough to be able to live independently.
Signs and symptoms of ASDs
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While the severity of ASD varies from person to person, common signs of the condition include learning disabilities and problems interacting and communicating with others in a way that would be expected, in line with a child or adolescent’s age.
Many signs and symptoms of ASD are usually observed during pre-school, where behaviours such as reacting to a voice or gazing at a person’s face, which are typical of this age group, may not be observed.
It is the lack of these types of reciprocal gestures and the ability to read the emotional cues of others, which can cause a toddler great difficulty when attempting to interact during social games or even to seek affection from parents.
As your child moves through the age groups and into school age, these difficulties appear more pronounced as a greater level of social interaction is generally required. For example, a child aged between five and seven would usually have some understanding of another person having different thoughts, feelings and emotions than they have. However, a child with autism may lack this understanding, which can make it hard for them to forge early relationships and understand another child’s actions.
A child or adolescent with high functioning autism (Asperger syndrome) may appear to struggle less than an individual with other forms of autism, as they have the skills to copy and learn behaviours and present themselves as coping, when internally they may be really struggling. However, the social and communicative difficulties tied to problems regulating emotions in all forms of ASD, can make it increasingly hard for a child with ASD to grow, develop and function in their everyday lives as someone without the condition would.
ASD and its cause is the focus for a significant amount of active research. Experts believe that ASD is caused by the way in which the brain develops before, during, or soon after birth, as well as genetic influences.
Although the exact cause of ASD is unknown, it is understood that there are a range of inherited, environmental and other factors which could lead someone to develop this complex condition.
Genetics
Research exploring the causes of ASD suggests that particular genes that you inherit as a child could play a role in the likelihood of developing the condition later in life. Having immediate family members such as siblings or parents with the condition can also increase the chances of developing ASD, with younger siblings of children with ASD, and identical twins, particularly vulnerable to the condition.
Environment
Certain genes may make a person prone to developing ASD, although environmental triggers are also thought to play a role. Even if your child has a genetic predisposition for developing ASD, it is entirely possible that specific interactions with their environment may dictate whether they ultimately develop related symptoms.
These environmental triggers are believed to include:
- Being born prematurely
- Being exposed to substances such as alcohol or drugs while in the womb
- Bacterial or viral infections passed onto the baby
Brain development
Scientists continue to look for a specific difference in the brain structure of people with ASD and those without the condition.
The complexity of the condition means that there are few studies which have shown common characteristics in the brain of people with ASD, meaning that there could well be a variety of causes of the condition, and ASD may affect people’s brain functioning in different ways.
Because the symptoms of ASD involve many aspects under the brain’s control, such as language, sensory, and cognitive difficulties, it is highly unlikely that there is one area of the brain that is responsible for the development of autism.