Miranda Otsuka

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way the brain processes information and influences the way you interact with others. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and manifest in different ways in different people, which is why it is referred to as a spectrum disorder. Most people are diagnosed in childhood, but some are not diagnosed until adulthood. Those who reach adulthood without a diagnosis are most likely living with high-functioning autism and may be unaware that the way they process things is different from the way other people do. Their symptoms may have been subtle enough to be missed as a child, misdiagnosed, or they may have since learned how to mask them. The greatest discomfort for autistic people can be the social one. For me, I was confused by the way people behaved. – Chris Packham, CBE and National Autistic Society Ambassador Currently, there is no standard method of diagnosing autism in adults, but to meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness (DSM-5) official criteria, you need to exhibit a least three of the key challenges listed under the domains of social and communication difficulties, repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, and rigidity. Key Signs of Autism In Adults Social and communication difficulties Social anxiety. Difficulty empathizing with other people’s feelings or seeing things from a different point of view. Difficulty making friends. Prefer doing things alone. Difficulty describing your feelings. Invent your own descriptive words and phrases. Difficulty understanding social rules such as not talking over people. Difficulty understanding appropriate behavior such as being quiet in a library. Unable to interpret nonverbal messages such as shoulder shrugging, eye-rolling, facial expressions, or body language. Take things literally and are unable to understand metaphors or figures of speech. [...]