Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a different way of thinking and experiencing the world. It affects how you relate to your surroundings and the people in your life. In simple terms, autism changes how you see, feel and understand the world around you.
We provide quality healthcare services to our community
We provide quality healthcare services to our community
Individuals on the autism spectrum often possess a variety of strengths that are more prevalent in comparison to the general population.
Early Childhood: Children may show delays in talking and using gestures and struggle with back-and-forth conversations.
School-Aged Children: Difficulties include understanding jokes, idioms and social cues and may focus conversations on their interests.
Teenagers: Challenges impact social relationships and academic performance, with trouble in group work and expressing thoughts.
Adults: Communication issues affect personal relationships and employment, with difficulties in small talk and understanding non-verbal cues.
Early Childhood: Children with autism often avoid eye contact and may not use typical facial expressions or gestures.
School-Aged Children: These difficulties persist, affecting their ability to interact with peers and understand social cues.
Teenagers: Challenges with eye contact and nonverbal communication can impact social relationships and peer interactions.
Adults: Avoiding eye contact and nonverbal communication difficulties can affect personal and professional relationships.
Early Childhood: Young children with autism may speak in a monotone or have difficulty modulating their volume, speaking either too loudly or too quietly.
School-Aged Children: These voice tone challenges can continue, impacting their ability to communicate effectively with teachers and peers.
Teenagers: Teens may struggle with voice modulation in social settings, leading to misunderstandings or difficulties in expressing emotions appropriately.
Adults: Voice tone issues can affect professional and personal relationships, making it hard to convey emotions or intent clearly.
Early Childhood: Young children with autism often engage in repetitive actions, such as rocking, spinning, or flapping their hands. They might also play with toys in unusual ways, like continuously spinning coins or flipping light switches.
School-Aged Children: These repetitive behaviours persist and can include organizing objects in specific ways or repeating certain actions during playtime.
Teenagers: Teens may continue these behaviours, which can sometimes be more noticeable in social or academic settings, potentially impacting peer relationships.
Adults: Repetitive behaviours can remain part of daily life, such as organising items in specific ways or engaging in habitual movements, which can affect routine activities and interactions.
Early Childhood: Young children with autism may insist on eating the same foods at every meal or repeatedly watch the same videos. They can become very upset if their routines are disrupted.
School-Aged Children: These ritualistic behaviours persist, with strict adherence to specific routines or rituals and any changes can cause significant distress.
Teenagers: Teens may have rigid routines and specific rituals around daily activities, such as eating or hobbies and can experience heightened anxiety if these routines are altered.
Adults: Adults with autism often maintain these ritualistic behaviours, requiring consistency in their daily routines and can become very upset or anxious if changes occur
Early Childhood: Young children with autism might harm themselves by banging their head, biting their hands or scratching their skin.
School-Aged Children: These behaviours can continue, with children potentially engaging in self-injury during times of stress or frustration.
Teenagers: Teens may exhibit self-injurious behaviours more intensely, often as a response to overwhelming emotions or sensory overload.
Adults: Self-injury can persist into adulthood, with individuals harming themselves as a coping mechanism. There are treatments available, so it is important to consult a doctor if these behaviours are observed.
Autistic camouflaging involves three key features:
Compensating: Mimicking others' phrases and mannerisms and using pre-prepared conversational scripts.
Masking: Suppressing autistic traits, like stimming and using a critical inner voice to avoid socially risky behaviours. Coaching oneself on body language to fit social norms.
Assimilation: Engaging in uncomfortable social behaviours, often feeling like acting, and finding excuses to avoid socialising. These strategies help autistic individuals blend into social environments while managing discomfort.
While some believe autistic individuals lack empathy and sympathy, research shows this varies. Autistic people may struggle with cognitive empathy (recognising emotions) but can have strong affective empathy (feeling emotions).
Difficulties often stem from challenges in labelling emotions and interpreting social cues. Despite these challenges, autistic individuals can feel love and sympathy, sometimes personifying emotions in objects to process their own feelings.
Many autistic individuals develop a deep, focused expertise in areas that fascinate them, often referred to as "special interests." These areas of interest can vary widely and encompass an incredible diversity of topics.
Having a deep, focused expertise in specific areas can be a significant advantage in life for several reasons:
Career Opportunities: Special interests often align with niche fields or industries where deep knowledge is highly valued. This can lead to unique career paths or opportunities for becoming a recognised expert in the field.
Problem-Solving Skills: Developing expertise requires persistence and attention to detail. These traits can translate into strong analytical and problem-solving skills, which are beneficial in both personal and professional settings.
Personal Fulfilment: Engaging deeply in a topic that brings joy or satisfaction can enhance personal well-being and a sense of purpose. It can also foster creativity and innovation within that area of interest.
Community and Connection: Special interests can provide a way to connect with others who share similar passions, building meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging.
Lifelong Learning: The passion for continually learning about a special interest can foster a love of learning more broadly, encouraging curiosity and growth across various aspects of life.
List Text
Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), affects communication, social interactions, and behaviour. Symptoms include difficulty with social cues, repetitive behaviours, and sensory sensitivities. While autistic individuals may struggle with recognising emotions, they can feel them intensely. Understanding and early support are crucial for helping them navigate daily life.
Sleep management in autism involves establishing a consistent bedtime routine, addressing sensory needs, using relaxation techniques potential medication.
Physiological trackers for autism monitor heart rate, sleep patterns and stress levels, providing real-time data to help manage symptoms and emotions.
Unlock potential with our evidence-based ADHD assessments, tailored to optimise focus, behavioural change and growth.
Our Autism assessments help your child to uncover the challenges and strengths that Autism brings.
Our combined assessments incorporates all elements of the ADHD and Autism assessment pathways.
Multidisciplinary Team: Sanctum assembles a team of professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, autism specialist clinicians and mental health nurses, to ensure a comprehensive evaluation.
Comprehensive Evaluation: The assessment includes a detailed developmental history, direct observation, standardised tests and input from parents, caregivers, and teachers to capture a complete picture.
Adherence to Protocols: Sanctum strictly follows NICE guidelines, ensuring that all procedures and assessments are evidence-based and up-to-date.
Thorough Reporting: Post-assessment, a detailed report is provided, explaining the findings, diagnosis, and tailored recommendations for interventions and support.
There is concern that a privately sought autism assessment may not be recognised by Local Authorities, the NHS, education or workplaces. This is incorrect.
NICE guidelines provide quality standards for clinical practices in the UK. A private diagnosis that follows these guidelines should be accepted. The SEN and Disability Code of Practice (2015) states that a diagnostic report from registered professionals, following a Gold Standard assessment per NICE guidelines, is as credible as an NHS report. NHS England affirms that individuals are entitled to NHS care even if they pay for private assessments.
Legally, a private autism diagnosis must be recognised if it meets NICE standards. There is no legal basis to disregard a private diagnosis.
I cannot thank Sanctum enough! The whole process was Professionally carried out from my first enquiry to my diagnosis. The team were informative and guided myself and my partner in a sensitive and understanding manner throughout the whole process.
It took less than 30 days for a diagnosis, without this and the treatment received I have no idea where we would be now. I would highly recommend, all the staff are lovely and truly helped us. Thank you all so much.
Sanctum healthcare have been exceptional in the service and care provided, they are professional, friendly, knowledgeable and most importantly understanding. They went above and beyond to ensure I felt heard, the diagnosis process was extremely thorough, and I was offered a clear treatment plan.
Take the first step towards understanding and addressing your needs – schedule your assessment with Sanctum Healthcare today.
Sanctum has been established since 2019 and is led by our founder Dr Raffi who has experience spanning over 2 decades. Neurodiversity isn't just a job for us, it's our passion.
We don't just give you the answer, we don't just show you the working out, we educate you so that you are empowered to manage yourself in the longer term and aren't reliant on services.
We have read every book and piece of research and have years of clinical experience, but what gives us the true badge of expert is being neurodiverse ourselves or as parents of neurodiverse children.
We offer specialised care for a variety of Brain Health issues such as ADHD, Autism & addictive behaviours at our clinic in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Our team offer appointments via phone, video call and face to face.
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