What is Autism?

About Autism

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition.  It affects how people behave and interact with the world around them in both positive and challenging ways. People with autism may experience difficulty with social interaction, communication, restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours, and sensory sensitivities.

While these challenges can have an impact on an individual’s participation in school, their families, and society overall, it is important to remember that autistic people bring a unique and valued perspective to their community and with support most autistic people can learn the skills they need to function independently in the community or in a supportive environment. Autistic people will all have different experiences, strengths and challenges.  Autism looks different for everyone, presenting differently in each individual and even changing over a person’s lifetime – hence it being referred to as a spectrum. The ways in which autistic learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged.

Research shows that early diagnosis and treatment is important in building a good quality of life for people with autism.  It means the earlier they can get support and the more likely it is they’ll develop communication, social and life skills.

To learn more about the organisations and information sources available on Autism, please visit our Online Resources.

The Potential Impact of Early Intervention Autism Therapy

Early intervention therapy, such as Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) aims to improve an autistic child’s socially significant behaviours – communication, academic, social and adaptive living skills – to a degree that is uniquely meaningful to them.  It works to both increase positive learning and decrease behaviours which may be socially isolating, physically harmful or which present a significant hurdle to learning.

Early intervention therapy can reduce the need for extensive support over an autistic person’s lifetime.

Our Services

Since 2004, Learning For Life Autism Centre has remained focussed on the critical early years of children with autism. As our L4Life children have grown, so too have our services, which include primary school as well as lower secondary school support. Learn more about our early intervention and therapy services.

Autism Resources

There are numerous resources focussed on Autism and it can be difficult to determine which are the right ones for you.

We have developed a list of resources that we believe will provide you the best information.  With new resources constantly becoming available, we will endeavour to keep this list up to date.

You will find these resources here