Most autistic people experience sights, sounds, smells, or other sensations differently from other people. They may experience pain, anxiety, discomfort, or even joy from sensations that other people don’t even notice. They may also notice sounds, patterns, or subtle changes that other people don’t.

Autistic people tend to have strong, sometimes life-long interests and may be able to focus intensely on certain tasks for long periods of time. This can be something simple like an intense fascination with letters and numbers, or it can be something more complex like the history of the Titanic.

Some researchers estimate that up to 80% of autistic people also meet the clinical criteria for dyspraxia. Dyspraxia is when someone has an unusually hard time getting their body to do what they want - they may want to open a door, for example, but be unable to get their body to follow the necessary steps to make it happen. This can affect speech, early learning, writing, and self-help skills.

Autistic people may struggle with planning, prioritizing, switching their attention between two different tasks, or moving on to a new task. But they may also have unusual, creative ways of thinking about problems. Some autistic people describe themselves as “visual thinkers,” while others have trouble with visual information.

Autistic people tend to socialize and connect with others differently from non-autistic people. They may find social situations confusing or unpleasant because they are overwhelmed by lights, smells or noises, or because they have trouble keeping up with both verbal and nonverbal communication at the same time. Many autistic people find it easier to communicate with other autistics, who often do not expect them to “perform” by using the right facial expressions, tone, and body language while trying to get information across.

Autistic people often manage their sensory systems by moving their bodies in ways that help them calm down. Actually, most people do this - it’s not unusual for someone who is anxious or overwhelmed to stare at the water in a fountain for several minutes, hug themself, tap their foot, bite their nails, etc. But most autistic people also have sensory processing issues, which means that they need to do this a lot more often. Stimming can include things like flapping hands, spinning, or rocking, as well as more subtle stims like rubbing the carpet or chewing on a bracelet.

Many autistic children develop speech and language differently from other children their age. This is in part because of the features above - they may have trouble processing auditory information, coordinating their body movements, or find social situations overwhelming. Echolalia (repeating familiar phrases or echoing what someone else just said) is also much more common in autistic children and has several important purposes.