Teenagers and Autism

As a young person, you may have a lot of questions about what autism is, what it means to be autistic and how it can affect who you are as a person. This page has information and resources to start you on the journey to understanding yourself better.

What is it like to be autistic?

There are a lot of misconceptions about what it is like to be autistic (see Autism mythbusters). However, it is part of natural human variation, a part of who you are as a young person and brings with it a number of strengths.

Here are two videos of young people talking about being autistic:

Ethan’s story

It is also useful not to make unhelpful comparisons with others. The following video talks about the importance of how it is okay to be yourself:

Rosie King – How autism freed me to be myself

Walk in My Shoes 

More videos

Here are some videos which explain more about what autism is.

Jenny’s story

It can sometimes be useful to talk to others who are autistic, and there will be other young people in your school or network who have a diagnosis. 

Neuro Bears

Rosie’s story

Here are some videos on the Ambitious About Autism website from a range of young people talking about making sense of their autism diagnosis.

Get involved

Often, autistic young people can become advocates to help get the voice of autism out to other people, as you will have seen in some of the videos above.

Below are two ways of getting involved and making a difference to future services for autistic people.

Youth Forum at Sheffield Children’s 

Autistic Young Experts Panel

More to read

• Making sense of your autism diagnosis from Ambitious About Autism website
• A comprehensive list of books about autism from Islington Library’s website
• Despite the name, this reading list from The Autistic Girls Network is relevant for both girls, boys and non-binary young people.