WINNEMUCCA - On April 2, World Autism Day, people across the country may have noticed blue lights around their community in support of those with autism, but many do not understand what it really means to have autism.
Autism is a developmental disorder with signs that generally appear before three years of age. Individuals with autism primarily struggle with issues related to social interaction and communication. Things that are taken for granted as a part of conversation for most people, such as noting and correctly interpreting tone of voice, paying attention to the other person's choice of words and reading facial expressions and gestures are all struggles for a person who has Autism. These difficulties may cause the autistic person to fail to correctly interpret sarcasm, puns, jokes, veiled anger and other details that make up the message another person is trying to convey.
Autism may cause a person to talk endlessly about one topic, repeat a behavior or engage in repetitive movements, even when those without autism would realize that this was uninteresting or annoying to someone else. They may also compulsively repeat words, lack imagination and display an unusually strong attachment to objects while seeming distant or unattached from people.
While autistic individuals struggle to emotionally attach to others and may seem to lack empathy, they are not deliberately cruel or cold. People who deliberately disregard the feelings, rights and general well-being of others are called "psychopaths." These individuals are able to interpret facial cues, tone of voice and other indicators of emotion quite well and deliberately use this insight for their own gain regardless of the impact that has on other people or society in general. Autistic people struggle to note and interpret these social cues and most do not set out to harm or offend others in any way.
Autistic children and adults may be extremely sensitive to light, sound, taste or touch. This can result in an oddly rigid personality. A person with autism may only be able to stand to eat foods of certain colors, or experience a fabric that is merely heavy to most people as suffocating or itchy. Routine is vital to most autistic individuals and they may become greatly upset or angry over slight changes that would be a mere annoyance or even a welcome break to others.
The interests and focus of autistic people also tend to be very narrow, but this does not necessarily mean the person is cognitively impaired. While some people with autism do suffer from intellectual disabilities, others are of average or above-average intelligence. Some even hold PhDs or other terminal degrees in their field.
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