Intense interests Many autistic people have intense and highly-focused interests, often from a fairly young age. These can change over time or be lifelong. It can be art, music, gardening, animals, postcodes or numbers.
Autism support in Fayetteville often focuses on choosing fun social activities for adults with autism, including storytelling, gymnastics, sports, and card games. Many individuals with autism find that engaging in social activities helps with their communication skills and ability to work within a group.
Research often suggests that common 'happiness factors' include: a sense of connection/community, relationships with others, resilience, exercise, learning new things, having goals, experiencing positive emotions and accepting oneself.
Many autistics have a special interest or obsession that revolves around objects or factual topics. Some may be surprised to learn that a subgroup of autistics become fixated on people or a particular person. People-watching then becomes their "obsession" or "special interest."
These interests are extremely common among people with autism: 75 to 95 percent have them. An interest may involve collecting items such as postcards or dolls, listening to or playing music in a repetitive way, or focusing intensely on a narrow topic, such as insects fighting.
An autistic person will feel emotions and will want to communicate emotions to those around them. However, it is not uncommon to encounter difficulties in expressing oneself. Indeed, people with autism spectrum disorder will encounter certain obstacles in recognizing various facial expressions.
People with autism spectrum disorder are sometimes said to lack empathy (the ability to feel along with others) and/or sympathy (the ability to feel for others). While this stereotype is often used to describe all people with autism, these challenges are not experienced by everyone on the spectrum.
While love is expressed and experienced differently from person to person, those with autism are fully capable of forming deep emotional connections. These can include love for their family, friends, romantic partners, or even interests and hobbies.
Many people with autism crave intimacy and love. But, they don't know how to achieve it in a romantic relationship. They can feel blind to everyday subtle social cues from their partner. This can cause conflict and hurt feelings.
Does autism affect sexual interest, behavior, and intimacy? Being autistic doesn't mean a person is uninterested in sex. In fact, most people on the autism spectrum want to have romantic relationships, sexual relationships, or both.
Many autistic people enjoy spending time alone and consider it important for their wellbeing.
As an autistic person, it can sometimes be difficult to feel like you 'fit in' or to find your place in the world. Because of this, many autistic people can end up being socially isolated and lonely. Some autistic people may enjoy being alone, while others may want to socialise but may not know how to.
Strategies to consider include distraction, diversion, helping the person use calming strategies such as fiddle toys or listening to music, removing any potential triggers, and staying calm yourself.
Some people on the autism spectrum may seek social opportunities and may initiate social interactions themselves, others may enjoy social situations and interactions when they are initiated effectively by others.
Some autistic people might like more 'obvious' forms of flirting like grand gestures, crafting things for someone or writing letters.
Some kids on the spectrum feel a constant need for affection because they are not sure when or if the attention will be available. Schedule 5 to 10 minutes every day when you can provide your youngster with undivided attention (i.e., no computer, T.V., cell phones, etc.).
Associative Thinking: Most individuals on the spectrum are associative thinkers rather than linear thinkers. In other words, one thought connects to another and so on through sometimes loose or seemingly irrelevant connections.
The aversion to touch may be misunderstood as a lack of comfort with affection. Children with autism do experience and express affection – some may simply experience and express it differently than others.
Individuals with autism also show equal or superior abilities in pitch processing, labeling emotions in music, and musical preference compared to typically developing peers.
People with autism often experience love differently from neurotypical people. Their expression of love is less straightforward, as they tend to rely heavily on non-verbal communication.
Autistic people need a full night's sleep to get even close to enough REM sleep. When you fall asleep, you cycle between NREM and REM sleep. During NREM sleep, your brain moves memories from short-term storage to long-term storage.
Every person with autism manages their sensory input in a different way and their emotional regulation skills can vary. It's difficult to make any blanket statements on the signs of dysregulation, but generally, any kind of change in behavior can indicate that a person is having a hard time managing their emotions.