Autism spectrum disorder
A lifelong neurodevelopmental difference, often with anxiety and sleep difficulty.
About this condition
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference affecting communication, social interaction, sensory processing and how a person prefers routine and predictability. It is not an illness and it is not something to be treated or cured. Support is about the environment, understanding and reasonable adjustments rather than changing who someone is.
What often does need clinical attention is what sits alongside it. Anxiety, low mood, chronic insomnia, gastrointestinal problems and sensory distress are all common in autistic adults and are frequently undertreated. A specialist assessment focuses on those coexisting conditions, with adjustments made so the consultation itself is manageable.
Treatments people usually try first
These are the treatments commonly offered in the UK for this condition. A specialist doctor will want to know which of them you have tried, and what happened.
- Environmental adjustments and sensory accommodations
- Autism informed cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety
- SSRI medicines for coexisting anxiety or low mood
- Melatonin or sleep support for chronic insomnia
- Speech and language therapy and occupational therapy
- Local authority and specialist autism support services
Could medical cannabis be appropriate?
People with this condition sometimes ask whether medical cannabis could be appropriate for them. That is a question for a specialist doctor, who will look at your diagnosis, your history and everything you have already tried before saying anything either way.
Medical cannabis is an unlicensed prescription only medicine in the UK. It is considered only where a diagnosed condition has not responded adequately to conventional treatment, and it is never a first step. We cannot tell you in advance what might be prescribed, and UK law does not allow us to describe or advertise any medicine on this website.
What we can do is assess you properly and be honest with you. If a specialist doctor does not think this route is right for you, they will say so, and they will explain why.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Questions about autism spectrum disorder
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