Do you work with children who are on the autism spectrum?Or do you have a family member who was recently diagnosed with ASD?It can be a confusing time, and while a lot is known about ASD in 2024, it can still be difficult for people to understand exactly what happens in the mind of individual with an autism diagnosis.
A wide range of cognitive profiles can make a person with ASD different from their peers, so in this article, the top 5 will be explored to help you better understand this condition and how it may present.
Please note that the cognitive profiles of a person who has ASD will vary based on the severity of their symptoms, as well as any comorbid disorders.
Social Functioning
The main difference that many people note when it comes to individuals who have an autism diagnosis is that they often have issues perceiving thoughts, feelings, and ideas that are different from their own. This can have a drastic impact on everyday social interactions as well as empathy.
For example, a child who has a diagnosis of autism spectrum maybe less willing to engage in social gatherings and may have less interest in talking or communicating. This can be helped across age groups, especially with apps for autistic adults and children, but it also requires trying to involve them in normal social interactions, if possible.
Intellectual Functioning
There is a common myth that an individual who has a diagnosis of autism spectrum will have something known as savant syndrome.This is when some individuals who may have autism display abilities in a specific area, such as mathematics or music, which surpasses the average by a long way.
However, cognitive abilities in the autism spectrum can range from an intellectual disability to average or even above-average intelligence. It’s also worth noting that autism spectrum can and does co-occur with other intellectual disabilities, which may impact somebody’s ability to learn either academically or socially.
Cognitive Flexibility
Many individuals who have autism spectrum often experience difficulty with cognitive flexibility,or the ability to shift their thinking in response to changing demands or perspectives. This can also present itself as issues with planning, organising and completing tasks. It might also make it harder for an individual who has autism spectrum disorder to change the plan that they had for the day, without becoming distressed. This may look like an obsessive need for routine and inability or inflexibility to adapt to change.
Memory
Many people who have autism will have strong rote memory skills and will excel at recalling facts or details of sequences. However, there can also be challenges with episodic memory which will involve recalling personal experiences: this can be confused for an eidetic memory, but it is more commonly linked to fixation on the sequences of events rather than remembering every single detail as it happened.
Sensory Processing
It is common for individuals who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum to experience atypical sensory processing. This can look like over-responsiveness or under-responsiveness to sensory stimuli, such as sounds, lights, touch, or taste.This is worth noting for teachers and family members, as too much sensory stimulation can lead to an overload, which could lead to a meltdown.
