Autism

If you are autistic, you may have the following experiences: 

Please note: these show up differently for everyone and everyone experiences a different combination of these traits. 

• Sensitivity to light and / or noises – some people may get overwhelmed with flickering or bright lights and different noises. You might be able to hear noises that other people can’t hear, like the sound of electricity, or you may have trouble sleeping because of your brain focusing in on noises in your surroundings. 

• Know everything there is to know about your favourite topic / interest – for example, knowing the Star Wars franchise inside out, or being a celebrity superfan. This can make autistic people experts on topics that interest them, making them highly skilled and knowledgeable in the workplace.  

• Come across as blunt / rude / not interested in others without meaning to. 

• Find it hard to describe your emotions and how you’re feeling. 

• Need to stick to routines and if your day is different to your routine, you may find this really hard. 

• Have more literal thinking, such as misinterpreting sarcasm or taking conversations at face value without reading between the lines. 

• Find it hard to make friends and prefer alone time.

• Have anxiety about social situations and over-prepare what they are going to say and do in social interactions. 

• Struggling to understand social ‘rules’, which might come across as rude. 

• Not enjoying giving people eye contact – you may notice autistic people avoiding eye contact, or preferring virtual calls as that makes it easier to avoid eye contact. 

• Strong sense of social justice – a lot of autistic people are fierce advocates for marginalised communities as often have a very strong sense of empathy.