Autism spectrum disorder: what are the symptoms and how is it diagnosed?

World Autism Awareness Week is taking place this year from 1 to 7 April, with campaigners hoping to raise awareness of the condition and improve the experience of those affected by it.

The chief executive of the UK’s National Autism Society, Mark Lever, described the week as a unique time for people to learn about autism and hopefully changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of autistic people.

“Almost everyone has heard of autism now but we continue to hear from people and their families who miss out on an education, struggle to find work or become extremely isolated, often due to misunderstandings”, he said.

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The life-long condition is estimated to affect more than 700,000 people in the UK, with men and boys more commonly diagnosed than girls and women.

So what is autism, and how does the condition affect those who are on the spectrum?

What is autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that makes communication and social interactions difficult.

“The chances are that someone you know, or work with, or love, has the condition,” says the National Autistic Society.

There is no known cause of autism, but experts believe a number of complex genetic and environmental factors are involved.

What are the symptoms and how is it diagnosed?

Autism is often diagnosed in early childhood, when children fail to meet certain developmental milestones, but is sometimes only identified later in life.

Symptoms vary widely from person to person, but many people on the autism spectrum have problems communicating with and relating to others. Some find it hard to maintain eye contact, read facial expressions or understand jokes or sarcasm.

Repetitive behaviour - such as hand flapping, rocking or pacing - can also be indicators of the condition, as can as a strong desire for routine.

Many people with autism experience sensory issues, processing sound, sight, touch, smell and taste differently to others.

“This is why a trip to the supermarket or a music group can be hell for an autistic child,” says Jessie Hewitson, mother to an autistic son and author of Autism: How to raise a happy autistic child.

“Imagine what it must be like for a child who can’t filter out background noise, seeing everyone else coping when they can’t and unable to explain that they’re in pain and distress,” she told the Press Association.

How is it treated?

There’s no “cure” for autism, but a number of treatments, including speech and language therapy and occupational therapy, are available for people with the condition, the NHS says.

Many people on the autism spectrum reject the idea that the condition needs to be “cured” and argue that society should instead shift towards accepting and celebrating neurodiversity.

“This is not to suggest that autistic people or those with other diagnoses do not find life challenging, but that they frame autism within a social model of disability,” says the National Autistic Society.

British naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, who has a milder form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome, is among those who support this.

“We don’t need a cure,” he says. “There is nothing wrong with us – we are just different.”