Toolbox

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) used to be called pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). This term served as a category that included autism, Asperger's syndrome, and unspecified PDD (or atypical PDD).

When the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) was published in 2013, we began referring to autism as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The term Asperger's syndrome is no longer used for diagnostic purposes today, but many people who received the diagnosis still prefer it. Those diagnosed with ASD are usually called autistic.

International studies estimate that between 0.7% and 1.5% of the population is autistic [1]. Autism is found in four times more boys than girls [2] however this statistical gap is likely to change as the signs of autism in girls is becoming better recognized. Some authors estimate that the ratio is actually two to three boys per every girl [3]. According to Halladay, the ratio should be similar among adults, however not adults have been identified.

Those on the autism spectrum often experience anxiety, and increased anxiety can be a good barometer to judge how someone's coping. As autism requires conscious internal management, someone with autism will experience anxiety when they're unable to communicate their discomfort with language, and this is true even if they're verbal. After all, whether those around you accept or deny their reality, if you're autistic, you live with autism 24 hours a day.

In order to not experience high levels of anxiety, a person with autism requires support. Moreover, interventions should be made on the autistic structure to reduce the anxiety that can arise from not having taken someone's autism into consideration.

Despite the many types of support available to people with autism, only working on the autistic structure itself can help reduce someone's anxiety. There's no age limit for this work-a 75-year-old autistic person can still be helped!

• Understand how autism works from the perspective of people with autism.
• Learn to communicate while keeping in mind the person's autistic thought structure. Communication doesn't just mean talking-communication means allowing the person with autism to be able to signal their needs, what they're experiencing, etc.

"Neurotypical" is a word that can be used to define someone as non-autistic, or to define an individual with "standard" brain functioning who isn't considered to be on the autism spectrum and who hasn't been diagnosed as having the condition that is autism.

• Use your common sense.
• Trust your instincts.
• Help support the positive evolution of someone's autistic condition (and understand it won't ever be "cured").
• Don't expect someone autistic to do something you wouldn't ask a neurotypical person to do.

An autistic person's development doesn't necessarily allow them to express this need, or, in other words, they haven't yet gotten to this development stage. Until precise developmental work is done, it's useless to try to force anyone to socialize because they'll only learn how to do so by rote, or by heart. However, when someone gets to this stage of their development, they'll express a desire to socialize on their own, just like anyone else would.

Younger children with autism don't typically present with any self-esteem issues. However, some children whose autistic structure may be less intense, or certain children who are simply more developed may present self-esteem issues around the age of five years old.

The less intense the autistic structure (the less their autism "shows"), the higher the risk for self-esteem issues. Self-esteem in people with autism should be addressed and regulated by using the components of self-esteem, not with by reinforcing the importance of social skills.

It's important to distinguish between behavioral issues and autistic manifestations to intervene appropriately, as doing otherwise can create anxiety, foster "rote" speech and stereotyped behaviors, and demolish a person's self-esteem. That's why it's so important to understand the autistic condition. The individual with autism doesn't behave "oddly" — autistic manifestations are signs that someone's autistic structure working to help them balance.

Absolutely. The more we understand autism, the better we'll correctly read autistic manifestations, and the better equipped we'll be to take the appropriate actions to empower people with autism to develop more harmoniously.

We must learn to be mindful of someone's intelligence and not condemn them before even beginning to get to know them. We must become adept at reading autistic manifestations, and we have to learn to deal with them in order to help someone better manage their autistic structure.

Once we stop automatically labelling people with autism as having an intellectual disability or a behavioral disorder, or expecting them to act like a neurotypical person, individuals with autism will have a chance at finally developing a harmonious quality of life.