Autism

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What is autism?

Being autistic means experiencing the world around us in a different way than someone who is not autistic.

It is thought that more than 1 in 100 people are autistic. Autism is a type of neurodivergence meaning that autistic people can experience differences with attention, social interaction and communication, sensory processing and learning.

Autism affects people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their own strengths and areas of need. Please watch the video below created by the North East Autism Society for more information about what autism means.

We recommend visiting the North East Autism Society website as it has lots of useful information and resources for families.

Neurodiversity and acceptance

The Speech and Language Therapy – Autism Team are passionate about supporting autistic children, young people and their families in an autism-affirming and accepting way, whilst recognising the needs and challenges of those accessing our services.

We believe that the language we use matters and have developed the information below which highlights some of the autistic communities’ preferences.

The language we use – information sheet

Autistic people have a different social interaction style compared to people who are not autistic. This difference is not something that we aim to change in Speech and Language Therapy. However it is important that as a society we learn more about autistic communication and social interaction differences. Please read the information below about understanding and supporting the social interaction of autistic children and young people

Understanding and supporting the social interaction of autistic children and young people

How speech and language therapists support autistic children

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) say that Speech and Language Therapists can provide the following support:

Holistic assessment and differential diagnosis of the child’s speech, language, and communication needs.
Supporting the development of the child’s speech, language, and communication skills.
Delivering support pathways alongside the child’s important people e.g., parent/carer and/or school staff.
Promoting and advocating for autism acceptance and understanding.

Find more information about how we support autistic children and their families following an autism diagnosis.