Autism advice and guidance

Autism is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Children and young people will experience the world and process information differently.

Autism is not an illness or disease, it cannot be cured.

To find out how to approach autism, watch Why Autism is a Difference, not a Deficit on the AET website.

The affects of autism

Autism affects the following areas:

• flexible thinking, information processing and understanding
• sensory processing and integration
• social understanding and communication

To find out more about autism, watch The National Autistic Society’s YouTube video, What is autism? 

Further information can also be found on the Autism Education Trust website.

Co-occurring conditions

Many conditions commonly occur together (or ‘co-occur’) with autism.

It’s important to consider co-occurring conditions when approaching specific support someone might need.

To find out more, visit Co-occurring conditions on the Autism Central website.

Local and national guidance

To find out more about policies and strategies affecting local autistic children and young people’s education, use the following online guidance and downloads:

• Essex All Age Autism Strategy 2020 to 2025 on the Essex Provider Hub website - A five-year partnership strategy setting out clear objectives and actions to work towards Essex being an autism inclusive county.
• Meaningful Lives Matter on ECC website - Disability strategy setting out our plan for a more inclusive Essex by 2027 including support for children and young people with autism, learning disabilities, neurodivergence, physical disabilities and sensory impairment.
• My Life, My Rights - Essex Local Area SEND Strategy 2022-2027 (PDF, 4.25MB) - Our commitment to delivering high-quality education for all young people with the health, care and educational support they need to flourish.
• Ordinarily Available - Two frameworks setting out common expectations for all early years settings, mainstream schools and post 16 providers for all children and young people with SEND across Essex

To find out more about the national policy frameworks and strategies affecting local autistic children and young people’s education, visit the following websites:

• Autism Education Trust - Framework Documents - Tools to help support and develop good autism practice in early years, schools and post-16 settings
• National framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services​ - Guidance to help integrated care boards deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways
• National strategy for autistic children, young people and adults 2021 to 2026 - Joint Department for Education (DFE) and Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) strategy

Autism terms and jargon

To find out about the different words you hear and come across around autism, visit our Autism terms and jargon web page.