A healthy diet for people with autism means eating foods like grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, organs, and fresh fruit. Make sure to avoid any processed foods with added sugar and vegetable/seed oils completely if you want to thrive. Avoid drinking anything with caffeine or added sugars or artificial sweeteners.
In conclusion, there are many factors that can make autism worse. Sensory overload, changes in routine, social isolation, co-occurring conditions, and lack of support can all exacerbate the symptoms of autism.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
When interacting with an adult with autism, be literal, clear, and concise. Avoid the use of slang, nuance, and sarcasm. These forms of communication may be confusing and not easily understood by a person on the autism spectrum.
It happens when someone's brain is getting more information from their senses than it can process. Overstimulation can be triggered by a variety of factors, including loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, and tactile sensations.
“You should be very proud of yourself. You seem so normal. I couldn't tell that you're Autistic.” While this is rarely said to Autistic people whose disability is very visible, it is very frequently said to Autistic people with much more invisible disability.
Amazingly, many of the fears reported in our sample were described in children with autism 70 years ago by Kanner, including fear of vacuum cleaners, elevators, mechanical toys, swings, and the wind. Children with autism perceive, experience, and react to the world differently than children without autism.
Once you have a clearer idea what may be triggering meltdowns, think about ways you might minimise that trigger. Every autistic person is different, but sensory differences, changes in routine, anxiety, and communication difficulties are common triggers.
Phobias – or unusual fears – have been a feature of autism. Some kids are scared of loud noises, while other kids fear other seemingly every-day, “shouldn't-be-scary” things, like running water, swings, or vacuum cleaners.
Strained social interactions
It is common for people with HFA to have difficulty interacting with their peers. Often, they are deemed socially awkward and have a problem making friends. Also, it is often challenging for them to understand nonverbal communication, puns, and other subtle forms of humour.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
While autism does not necessarily get worse with age, it is important to note that symptoms can vary over the course of a person's life. In fact, research has shown that autism symptoms tend to peak around the ages of 2-3 years old.
Research also tells us that many individuals with autism tend to have strong preferences for carbohydrates and processed foods, while rejecting fruits and vegetables. This, too, may reflect an aversion to strong tastes and textures.
Sensory objects and toys are perfect for soothing the early stages of a meltdown. They can help decrease sensory overload (even if that seems counterintuitive) and provide a helpful distraction for the person with autism. There are plenty of sensory toys on the market if you want something convenient.
Aggression, such as hitting, biting, scratching, hair-pulling, or kicking another person, is relatively common in children on the autism spectrum. A study of children and teenagers with autism found that 68 percent had been aggressive to a caregiver, and 49 percent had been aggressive to someone else, at some point.
There is not just one cause of ASD. There are many different factors that have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
A common question after an autism diagnosis is what is the cause of autism. We know that there's no one cause of autism. Research suggests that autism develops from a combination of genetic and nongenetic, or environmental, influences. These influences appear to increase the risk that a child will develop autism.
Many autistic people enjoy spending time alone and consider it important for their wellbeing.
Sensory Issues
Many people with autism experience sensory processing disorder. This is more commonly known as sensory overload. Noise, crowds, bright lights, strong tastes, smells, and being touched can feel unbearable to someone with HFA. This makes going to restaurants, movies, and shopping malls difficult.
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. For many younger children it's Thomas the Tank Engine, dinosaurs or particular cartoon characters.
For some, it will be talking about their special interests to someone who will actually listen, or just listening quietly to music through headphones. And remember, what makes one person happy may be unique to them. Sometimes a quiet contented mind can be the happiest feeling of all.
Understanding the Response to Affection
Individuals with autism can also have an aversion to touch. Touch can cause a lack of emotional response or may even cause emotional stress and turmoil.
Autistic people overwhelmingly report that they want friends. And they have shown that they can and do form friendships with both neurotypical and autistic peers, even if their interactions sometimes look different from those among neurotypical people.