Autism is a ‘hidden disability’, meaning it is not easy to recognise when someone has the condition. The condition can occur in people of all backgrounds, races and ethnicities, but currently more males than females are diagnosed. In fact many people are unaware that they are autistic, and there is no specific test that can determine if someone has autism - so everyone having a better understanding of autism has the power to change lives.

Autism is a lifelong condition. It is a spectrum of disorders, so also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. Autism includes conditions that were previously considered separate - Autistic Disorder, Asperger's syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and an unspecified form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Today they are all generally called 'Autism Spectrum Disorders'. While these types are no longer official diagnoses, some people still find them useful as a way to describe how symptoms are experienced and their severity. For example, people often find that Asperger's is helpful as a self-identity or to connect with peers with similar experiences.

While autism is often diagnosed in early childhood, it can also be diagnosed during adolescence and adulthood. Diagnosis later in life can sometimes be more difficult since some symptoms of autism can be confused with other mental health conditions such as anxiety, OCD, and ADHD. Symptoms can vary quite considerably from one person to the next, particularly including how they make sense of the world. It is a developmental disorder characterised by communication, social, and behaviour challenges, including repetitive behaviours, limited interests, and problems with interaction, so people for example may have difficulty in accessing community activities, leisure facilities and other services. It's important to remember that because autism is a spectrum condition, people can have symptoms that are described as mild, moderate, or severe. Some people may have several or many symptoms, but only experience them to a mild degree. In other cases, people might only have a few symptoms in key areas but experience severe impairments as a result of those symptoms. People who have milder autism symptoms are often able to function in their daily lives, but they may be more likely to have other mental health concerns including excessive stress, obsessive behaviors, sensory issues, anxiety, and depression.