Autism With & Without Intellectual Disability

This month, we’re exploring what it means to be autistic both with and without an intellectual disability.

There’s often a lot of confusion around how autism and intellectual disability relate to each other. It’s important to know that they are two separate conditions. A person can have one without the other — or they can have both.

Autistic children without an intellectual disability usually have average or above-average thinking and learning abilities. This means they’re often able to learn the same content as their peers, but they may need it taught in a different way that makes sense to them. Their main challenges are usually around:

* social communication,

* sensory processing,

* and flexible thinking.

These difficulties are not about their ability to learn — it’s about how they need to be taught and supported.

Autistic children with an intellectual disability may need more time and support to learn new skills in all areas of life, from daily self-care and communication to academic learning. Intellectual disability affects overall cognitive development, which means these children need a different kind of support in both home and school environments.

No matter the cognitive ability, both groups of children are autistic. They share core autistic traits such as:

* different ways of social communication,

* sensory sensitivities,

* and a strong preference for routine and predictability.

But their support needs can look very different.

Understanding whether or not your child has an intellectual disability, as well as autism, can help you access the right kind of support from your local authority, schools, and the NHS.

Most importantly, a child’s intellectual ability does not determine their ability to live a happy, fulfilling life. Every autistic child deserves understanding, acceptance, and the right kind of support to thrive.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be diving deeper into this topic so stay tuned!