What is autism?

​

Autism is not a disease. You can’t spread it or catch it, and there is no cure.

​

You may be diagnosed at a young age. You may be diagnosed at an older age. You may never be diagnosed. If you are autistic then you have always been autistic. You cannot become autistic. You may not have known you were autistic although it’s likely you always had an inkling that in some way you are a bit different to most others.  

​

Autism means your brain works in a different way to most other people. It means you might see things differently to other people and might struggle to comprehend certain language and gestures as well as understand how other people are feeling.

​

There are three key areas where people with autism encounter difficulties. These are: social communication, social interaction and social imagination. If you are autistic you probably love routine and get anxious as soon as something unplanned happens and panic when something goes wrong. You may be over- or under-sensitive to light, sound and taste. You may even suffer a “meltdown” or “shutdown” when things just get too much. It can be hard to hold a conversation as people with autism often struggle to make small talk and find it hard to engage with more than one person at a time.

​​​

Autism is a spectrum condition which means that we (autistic people) are all individuals just like every other person on the planet.

​

Things I find hard may not be an issue for another autistic person. By the same token there are things which many autistic people find challenging, that I can do no problem! Around 1 in a 100 people are on the spectrum. The causes of autism are at present unknown.

​​

I was diagnosed with autism at the age of 43. The lengthy report refers to it as Higher Functioning Autism (HFA). This is sometimes annoyingly referred to as mild autism and used to be called Asperger’s Syndrome. 

​​

Autism can make things a little tricky at times but at the same time it should never be viewed as something negative. I hate it being called a "disorder" and even "condition" doesn't seem right.

​

Autistic people see things that others miss and feel things that go unnoticed by the majority. They think outside the box and are creative and honest. 

​​

There seems to be very little information and support available for adults who are newly diagnosed with autism and it is for that reason that this website / blog exists. We need much more than just a reading list to help us to come to terms with a diagnosis for something that has had and will continue to have a huge impact on our lives.

​​

Poetry is my way of dealing with my autism. I find it helps me to switch off, and is the only way I can explain how I am feeling at a certain time. I hope that the Blogs, the poems and the advice can be of some help to anyone who is feeling confused, alone and lost.

​

Please do get in touch 

​​

Best wishes 

​​

Mark     #The Autistic Poet

​​

​​

​​

​​

​​