Even with increasingly more information about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there are still many stereotypes about autistic people today, ranging from how diagnosis is made to the characteristics a person may or may not have.
That is why it is so important to stay informed, raise awareness, and help educate the people around us.
And to help you better understand the topic, we spoke with psychologist Fabíola de Lima, who answered some essential questions about the subject.
Why do we use the term “spectrum” when referring to autism?
We use the term spectrum because there is no single way of experiencing autism. Each person is unique. Within the spectrum, characteristics are diverse and permanent: the way the brain processes the world is, in itself, different.
It is essential to distinguish this diversity from support levels (1, 2, and 3). These levels do not measure the “intensity” of autism or a person’s potential, nor do they mean that one individual is “more autistic” than another. They only indicate the amount of external support a person needs to manage their daily demands at a given point in their life.
Understanding autism as a spectrum means recognizing this uniqueness of each person’s experience and understanding that support is a tool for equity, not a definition of identity.
How can a family support an autistic person?
Support begins when we stop looking only at behavior and start considering the person’s lived experience. An autistic person does not respond to the world in the same way as most people. They may experience it more intensely, more directly, and in a fragmented way. Sounds, smells, textures, social ambiguities—everything can take on a heightened dimension.
What may appear to be disinterest or opposition may actually be:
- overload;
- confusion;
- excessive stimulation;
- or difficulty internally organizing what is being experienced.
Families provide support when they are willing to understand before interpreting. When they recognize that this way of existing is not a mistake, but a structural difference in how a person perceives and relates to the world.
Seeking qualified information and guidance from professionals specialized in autism is also an important step. Appropriate support broadens understanding, prevents reductive interpretations, and provides practical resources for addressing everyday challenges in a more ethical and consistent way.
What is the role of therapy in supporting an autistic person?
Therapy is not intended to correct a person’s way of being. Its role is to support the individual in understanding their own way of existing.
In the autistic experience, the body is often felt intensely while, at the same time, being difficult to put into words. Some people learn to ignore their bodies in order to cope with them; others live in a constant attempt to adapt to their environment.
Therapeutic work creates a space where this experience can be welcomed and translated. Not to erase it, but to give it shape and meaning. By naming sensations, understanding boundaries, and recognizing genuine needs, a person begins to organize themselves in a less reactive and more conscious way.
When conducted with ethics and presence, therapy supports this process: less focus on correction and more on taking ownership of one’s own experience.
