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Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurological spectrum disorder which can occur to varying degrees and affect all levels of mental.

In School of the Holy Spirit the percentage of children on our roll with a diagnosis of ASD is currently 86%.

No two children with ASD experience the world or react to it in the same way, but some common characteristics included -
 
  • Difficulty in using verbal and non-verbal communication.
  • Lack of or poor eye contact.
  • Poorly developed social skills and inappropriate play skills.
  • Over or under sensitivity to sound, touch, smell, taste and sight.
  • Repetitive and sometimes obsessive behaviours such as spinning items, collecting objects, unchangeable routines.
  • Repetitive behaviours to stimulate the senses such as flicking, humming, rocking.
  • Difficulty with unstructured situations, unfamiliar events or locations, or a change in routine.
  • Uneven skill development. Some skills are normal or superior for their age, while others show significant delay.
  • Particular interests pursued to extremes, such as trains, timetables, and computers.
  • Failure to realise the effects of their behaviour on other people. Lack of empathy.
  • Sluggish or delayed information processing.