Researchers have shown that people with Autism are up to 3 times more likely to have hallucinations. Often when people with autism hear voices, they are hearing their own thoughts spoken aloud in their head.
Autistic children reporting “verbal hallucinations,” sometimes have difficulties in recognizing whether they hear their own voice or that of another person and often aren't able to report the specific words or sentences that the voices might be saying (55, 67).
People with ASD may experience comorbid psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (we have termed this comorbidity 'ASD–P'), and evidence is accumulating that individuals with ASD are at greater risk of developing psychotic illnesses than those in the general population.
Auditory verbal hallucinations (avh) are known to occur in relative isolation in various psychiatric disorders and as well in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Unusual speech.
Children with autism spectrum disorder have good vocabularies but unusual ways of expressing themselves. They may talk in a monotone voice and do not recognize the need to control the volume of their voice, speaking loudly in libraries or movie theaters, for example.
People with autism often speak with a different rhythm, prosody, and/or volume than typical peers. Thus, even if the words themselves are appropriate, they may sound flat, loud, soft, or otherwise different. It's not unusual for people with autism to "script" their conversations.
Making sense of things. Lots of young people hear, see, feel, smell or taste things that other people don't. Hearing voices and other unusual sensory experiences can sometimes be a symptom of a mental health condition. But lots of people who have these experiences are able to live with them as part of their life.
Research has shown that hearing voices can begin for a range of reasons, including after an operation or an acute fever – or in response to emotional distress. Voice-hearing can also be triggered by traumas, such as bullying, loneliness, the loss of a loved one, abuse or neglect.
Just like everyone, autistic people can have good mental health. However, according to the autism research charity Autistica, seven out of ten autistic people have a mental health condition such as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia involve disturbances in executive functions, working memory impairment, and inability to sustain attention. The main psychopathological features of autism are severe deficiencies in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors (11).
In fact, autism is not a mental illness and autistic persons do not choose to behave as they do. There is no known psychological factor shown to cause autism. There are however, links to biological and neurological differences in the brain, suggesting a genetic relationship to autism as opposed to a psychological one.
Autistic people may also be able to hear sounds from inside the building – such as voices or noises from other rooms, or water in pipes and electricity in the walls. A decibel meter can be useful to support this work (now available as a phone app for those in need).
Someone with autism may process information from their senses differently. He may be unable to filter out irrelevant noises or sights, such as, in the previous example, the microwave or flickering light. Or he may find certain sounds, lights, or textures to be severely distracting or uncomfortable.
Hearing voices may be a symptom of a mental illness. A doctor may diagnose you 'psychosis' or 'bipolar disorder'. But you can hear voices without having a mental health diagnosis. Research shows that many people hear voices or experience other types of hallucinations.
ADHD may also be paired with other forms of psychosis, which may be caused by specific lifestyle factors. For instance, a 2015 study suggests that folks living with ADHD who experience hallucinations or hear voices may be linked to the use of illegal drugs, particularly at a young age.
Mental health problems – you may hear voices as a symptom of some mental health problems, including psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder or severe depression.
“Daydreaming, by itself, is an example of what is called "autistic thinking ", which means thinking that is sufficient unto itself, and not subjected to any criticism.
In the most severe cases of untreated autism spectrum conditions, people can end up hospitalised in a mental health unit and subject to inappropriate treatment.
It's a common misconception that autistic people are unaware of their condition. The truth is, many autistic people are very much aware of their autism and how it affects them. In fact, some say that it's through understanding and acceptance of their autism that they've been able to lead fulfilling lives.
When children with autism speak they sound different from most people. Their speech usually follows one of several characteristic patterns: Some talk in a flat, toneless voice, others in an exaggerated, hyper way that doesn't match the subject matter.
Mild autism is level 1 autism spectrum disorder. It means a person does not have severe symptoms and needs a lower level of support than someone else with autism. People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others.