How to recognise autism.

I decided to make my first blog about how to recognise autism because it is often very difficult to spot and thus there are many people who are thought to be "Weird" or even "a freak" because of this.

I understand that it can be very difficult to see autism - especially with my diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome - because the signs are often very subtle and easily written off as personal quirks.

But that's all autism really is, a personal quirk. An eccentricity if you like. However, there are several common "traits" which can be used to recognise autism. Firstly, the most obvious sign is if you see a person who walks on their toes. This can vary in severity from constant tip-toeing to a small rocking on the toes instead of the heels. Some people (including an acquaintance of mine) have leaned to completely neutralise this trait. However, he has countered this by a very noticeable swaying of the shoulders and an obvious slouching of the back, both of which become increasingly severe when he feels watched, nervous or angry.

Aside from walking, there are several other, less prevalent signs. One of which is the way we talk. Its not that we have a specific accent or even dialect, its rather that we have an accent that, though recognisable as being from a certain area, is indescribably different. The best way to describe it is like hearing the same note from a xylophone and a glockenspiel. Despite being the same note, its easy to tell that they are different.

Now I don't expect for you to be a musical critic, I'm simply asking you to try.

We also have a tendency to be a socially nervous bunch (perhaps due to being rejected by many people) thus are afraid to actually talk to others. Very often we hide this. Some people use humour, others use manners. There are many different masks we wear, but all to many use a facade of confidence which (all too often) can come across as over-confidence or even vanity and arrogance. If you are able to continue talking to us for a few minutes, an hour, a week, then I'm sure you will find that there is not such an arrogant person hiding behind the turtle's shell.

Have you ever talked to someone who cannot follow the flow of a conversation and continues to return to previous topics and yet still manages to fly around the place within that topic? They may well have been autistic. Even if they did not know it.

I'm not saying for one second that every autistic person displays every one of these symptoms, nor can I say that every autistic person displays none of them. All I'm saying is that if someone displays combinations of them, they may well be autistic.

I hope you have found this interesting and helpful. I sincerely desire to answer many questions on what I have discussed and of course any other queries. That's what I'm here for!