Characteristics of Autism
Now let's move on to something more interesting - watching videos from TV shows and movies about autism! By watching these, we can learn about the different characteristics of that many autistic kids have, while having fun at the same time! The number one most important thing to remember when we go over these characteristics is that every single autistic kid is different, so not every autistic kid will have all these characteristics.
Trouble Understanding Tone of Voice
This video clip, while it doesn't show anyone autistic, is helpful for understanding how many autistic kids see the world. Not only can some autistic kids not always control their tone of voice well to show what emotion they're feeling, but some autistic kids can find it hard to understand what different tones of voice mean when other people use them. In the following video clip from Despicable Me, most of us can understand what emotions the Minions are feeling simply by listening. But my sister told me that because many autistic kids have trouble with understanding tone, they might have trouble understanding what the Minions are feeling without watching.
The point: Trouble understanding people's tone of voice can make it really hard to figure out when others angry, happy, or being sarcastic. This can be pretty frustrating at times for autistic kids, and sometimes lead to trouble. My sister, for example, had a teacher that smiled when she was angry. When Caley saw her smiling, she thought the teacher was happy, but other kids in her class heard the teacher's tone of voice and warned Caley that the teacher was actually really angry! Mistakes like this are easy to have happen if it's hard to hear different tones of voices and know what they mean.
Repeating What Others Say
Repeating what other people say is something called "echolalia" which is a characteristic that a lot of autistic kids have. If you look closely, you'll see the word "echo" is part of the word "echolalia". That's because that's basically what echolalia is - echoing words that others have said. A lot of autistic kids are able to repeat the words they've heard from other people before they're able to talk on their own. That's actually a really good thing, because it can help them be able to communicate. Not every kid on the spectrum has echolalia, but many do.
You have to be careful and understanding, though, because sometimes what someone echos isn't actually what they want. For example, a mom might ask, "Do you want milk or water?" and some autistic kids might repeat "or water" even if they wanted milk all along, because they could only repeat the end of the sentence. There's also something called "delayed echolalia" which is repeating things you hear other people say even if it's been a while since you heard them say it. Even if they might not seem related, the echoed words often have meaning to the current situation. It's kind of like the way that Bumblebee talks through the radio! Skip to 3:23 for the scene.
You have to be careful and understanding, though, because sometimes what someone echos isn't actually what they want. For example, a mom might ask, "Do you want milk or water?" and some autistic kids might repeat "or water" even if they wanted milk all along, because they could only repeat the end of the sentence. There's also something called "delayed echolalia" which is repeating things you hear other people say even if it's been a while since you heard them say it. Even if they might not seem related, the echoed words often have meaning to the current situation. It's kind of like the way that Bumblebee talks through the radio! Skip to 3:23 for the scene.
The point: Speaking out loud can be really hard for a lot of autistic kids, so many of them learn to repeat other people's words before they can use their own. It's not done to be annoying, it's just the way some autistic kids communicate. And, like Bumblebee talking through the radio, there's often a lot more meaning to echoed words than people think.
Trouble Understanding Unspoken Social Rules
Most autistic kids have a hard time figuring out social rules that neurotypical people have. And neurotypical people do have rules for everything. For example, we have a rule about how you start up a conversation. The rule changes depending on who you're talking to. If you're talking to a teacher, you might say, "Excuse me, Mr. Johnson", but if you're talking to a friend, you could say, "Hey, Joey!". But you wouldn’t want to flip that – if you called your friend “Mr. Joey” he might think you were silly, and if you called your teacher by their first name, you could get in trouble. Rules like these neurotypical kids know without thinking about it, but autistic kids don't learn them as easily. A lot of autistic kids have compared trying to interact with neurotypical kids to being dropped on a planet full of aliens, which is actually a really good comparison.
Another example of how this can feel is if a kid woke up one morning and it was secretly opposite day, and everyone else was acting opposite, like in the video below. It'd be really hard to figure out what was going on and really confusing because you might accidentally say or do the wrong thing (like if you told someone you thought they looked pretty, they might get mad because on opposite day that would be the same as saying someone was ugly!). That's how confusing some neurotypical rules can seem to autistic kids sometimes.
Another example of how this can feel is if a kid woke up one morning and it was secretly opposite day, and everyone else was acting opposite, like in the video below. It'd be really hard to figure out what was going on and really confusing because you might accidentally say or do the wrong thing (like if you told someone you thought they looked pretty, they might get mad because on opposite day that would be the same as saying someone was ugly!). That's how confusing some neurotypical rules can seem to autistic kids sometimes.
The point: Autistic kids have trouble with social rules, which can make it hard to make friends or make other kids think they're being mean when they're not trying to be. But it's not on purpose, it's just a quirk of a different way of seeing the world.
Different Sensory Experiences
Most autistic kids experience their senses (all of them - taste, touch, sound, sight, and smell) differently from neurotypical kids. Some autistic kids tend to feel senses more strongly than neurotypical kids. So a noise that might feel a little bit loud, or a sweater that may be a little bit itchy to a neurotypical kid might feel SUPER loud or itchy to an autistic kid. Other autistic kids might experience senses as being less than neurotypical kids, like not feeling pain even if they've hurt themselves.
Sensory processing diffferences affect every autistic kid differently (and some not at all). Some kids, the ones who experience their senses as being less than other people, need more sensory stimulation than others. They might constantly be moving around or jump a lot or like really loud noises. These autistic kids are called sensory seekers.
Other autistic kids don't want as much stimulation as others. They may cover their ears when it's too loud or dislike tags in their clothing, for example. No one is 100% a sensory seeker or sensory avoider - someone might be super sensitive to loud noises while not caring about tags in their clothing, for example - but most people are mostly one or another. Here's an example of what the world can feel like to someone who is mostly a sensory avoider.
DO NOT WATCH THIS IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO NOISE! IT IS LOUD!
Sensory processing diffferences affect every autistic kid differently (and some not at all). Some kids, the ones who experience their senses as being less than other people, need more sensory stimulation than others. They might constantly be moving around or jump a lot or like really loud noises. These autistic kids are called sensory seekers.
Other autistic kids don't want as much stimulation as others. They may cover their ears when it's too loud or dislike tags in their clothing, for example. No one is 100% a sensory seeker or sensory avoider - someone might be super sensitive to loud noises while not caring about tags in their clothing, for example - but most people are mostly one or another. Here's an example of what the world can feel like to someone who is mostly a sensory avoider.
DO NOT WATCH THIS IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO NOISE! IT IS LOUD!
The point: Autistic kids may react differently to noise and lights and other senses than other kids (my sister Caley, for example, HATES fireworks because they're so loud!), and that's something to be respected. If people were more understanding about sensory differences, and provided autistic kids with what they need (lots of fun stimulation for seekers, protection from too stimulation for avoiders), things would be a lot better. But in the meanwhile, if you're an autistic kid and there's a sensory issue that's bothering you, speak up and tell someone! Who knows, maybe they'll be able to help!
Stimming
"Stimming" is a funny word which is short for self stimulation. What stimming basically involves is a repeated motion or sound that autistic people make that helps them feel better. Common types of stims are hand flapping, rocking, spinning, making the same noises over and over, and more. Autistic kids aren't the only ones who stim - if you're a neurotypical kid and you've ever tapped your foot, doodled, or played with your pen, you've stimmed, too.
Stims are really important to let autistic kids do - one autistic woman I spoke to, Vicky Gleitz, says when she stims 'happy feels happier, and scary and confusing feelings go away or get smaller'. Stimming is also a good way to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that can come with sensory problems.
Here, Anthony, a boy with Asperger's (a type of autism) explains what stimming is like for him.
Stims are really important to let autistic kids do - one autistic woman I spoke to, Vicky Gleitz, says when she stims 'happy feels happier, and scary and confusing feelings go away or get smaller'. Stimming is also a good way to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that can come with sensory problems.
Here, Anthony, a boy with Asperger's (a type of autism) explains what stimming is like for him.
The point: Stimming is something that helps autistic kids feel better, and it's not something that can be controlled. Because it's helpful, and most of the time it doesn't hurt anyone, no one should make other kids feel bad about stimming - stimming is awesome!
Problems Dealing with Changes
Autistic kids can have trouble dealing with changes, especially ones that are unexpected and come without warning. That's understandable; if you're autistic, the world can feel like a kind of scary place at times and having a big change like that can be really upsetting.
Here, Sheldon talks about how much change bothers him. For autistic kids, and adults like Sheldon, changes can feel pretty bad, even when they're good, and the changes actually get to be too much. That's when you can ask for alone time or a break, like Sheldon often does.
Here, Sheldon talks about how much change bothers him. For autistic kids, and adults like Sheldon, changes can feel pretty bad, even when they're good, and the changes actually get to be too much. That's when you can ask for alone time or a break, like Sheldon often does.
The point: It's normal for autistic kids to have trouble dealing with changes. If you're autistic and having difficulty, think about asking your parent or teacher for a schedule of activities and some transition time between them, to help give you warning that a change is coming and make it easier to adjust to them.
Need for Routine
To try to avoid changes and make the world more predictable, most autistic kids really like routine - doing things the same way and always knowing what comes next. Because of this, a lot of autistic kids really like having schedules for what they're going to do, and transition time between activities (which is why I recommended them!).
In this video, Sheldon gets upset because it's the day he normally eats Italian food at home, but they're going to eat different food in a different place instead. It's not just tradition to him, it's important to keep up the same routine....he's done the same thing for eight years! One time, in another episode, one of his friends made him some French toast - but since it was oatmeal day, even though it was really yummy French toast, which he likes, Sheldon threw it away and made himself a bowl of oatmeal instead. Keeping the same routine is important to many autistic kids and adults, and you can see that in what Sheldon does.
In this video, Sheldon gets upset because it's the day he normally eats Italian food at home, but they're going to eat different food in a different place instead. It's not just tradition to him, it's important to keep up the same routine....he's done the same thing for eight years! One time, in another episode, one of his friends made him some French toast - but since it was oatmeal day, even though it was really yummy French toast, which he likes, Sheldon threw it away and made himself a bowl of oatmeal instead. Keeping the same routine is important to many autistic kids and adults, and you can see that in what Sheldon does.
The point: To a lot of autistic kids, routine is REALLY important. That's just part of being autistic, and it's important for others to respect autistic kid's desire for routine when possible.
Different Ways of Communicating
Autistic kids communicate in different ways, and not all autistic kids speak out loud. Some, like my sister Caley, don't have trouble speaking unless they're really stressed. Most autistic people learn how to speak at least a little, although it may take longer for them to learn than other children and they may have a harder time with it. Some autistic kids can't speak out loud at all. If they're like Carley, who is a real person and the girl in the video below, they might type to communicate instead of speaking.
Others might point to pictures or use sign language to show what they mean, like this boy does:
The point: Some autistic kids don't speak out loud, but that's okay, there are other ways to communicate! And just because an autistic kid can't say something out loud, remember, that doesn't mean they can't understand what you're saying or that they can't communicate in other ways. It just means they aren't speaking.
Special Interests
One of the most fun things about being autistic is having special interests! Special interests are things that autistic people really REALLY like. They like them so much, they learn all about them, and can become almost experts on whatever the subject is. Common special interests for kids include Disney, trains, super heroes, Legos, Minecraft, TV shows, and video games (like Pokemon!), but a special interest can be in anything, like fans or vacuum cleaners! For example, Sheldon's special interest is in flags. Other people might not think flags are that interesting, but Sheldon loves them and knows everything about them!
The point: Most autistic people have a special interest, or more than one special interest. Working on their special interests makes autistic people feel really good - so good that they might want to share that good feeling with other people and teach them about their special interest. Having special interests is a fun part of being autistic!
Up Next: Famous Autistic People
A lot of the videos we just watched were from TV shows, but there are a lot of real life autistic people who are famous, too! Learn more about them in the next article!
