Autism spectrum disorders — factsheet
From World Health Organization (WHO) · source: who.int
A short, plain-language overview from the World Health Organization covering what autism is, how common it is across countries, the range of strengths and support needs, and the public-health context.
Autism is a way of being in the world. Autistic people often experience communication, social connection, and sensory information differently from non-autistic people — and that difference shows up in countless small ways across daily life. There is no single "look" of autism; the autism spectrum is wide, and two autistic children can be unalike in almost every visible way.
What autism is Autism is a lifelong, neurological difference, not an illness. It begins early in development and shapes how the brain processes information across many areas at once — language, social cues, attention, sensory input. The strengths and support needs that come with it vary from person to person, and they often shift over time and across situations. A child who finds the school playground overwhelming might be entirely at ease in a quiet library; a teenager who struggles with small talk might run rings around peers on a topic they love.
Researchers estimate that around 1 in 100 children worldwide are autistic, though the rate varies between countries and is rising as awareness improves. That rise is mostly better recognition — particularly of autistic girls and women, who were historically missed because their presentation differs from the older stereotype.
Strengths and support needs Autism tends to come with a "spiky" profile: strong abilities in some areas alongside genuine support needs in others. A child might read fluently but find a busy classroom physically exhausting. They might have an extraordinary memory for the things they care about but need help with the everyday transitions that feel automatic to other children. Both halves of that profile are real, and a child is not "really" only one of them.
Soira treats autism as a way of being, not a problem to be fixed. The goal of support is not to make an autistic child appear less autistic, but to help them thrive as themselves — in environments that work with their wiring rather than against it.
What helps Three things help, almost universally: - A predictable environment, with warning before changes and routines a child can rely on - People who listen — to spoken words, to body language, to behaviour as communication - Acceptance of sensory needs and communication styles, even when they look different from the family norm
Beyond that, support depends on the child. Speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, play-based interventions, school accommodations, and time with other autistic people can all be valuable — but each child needs a different mix, and the mix often shifts year to year.