ABSTRACT
Autism is a heterogeneous neurological condition which can be associated with difficulties with social relationships, communication, adjusting to unexpected change, dealing with ambiguity, anxiety and sensory hypo- and hypersensitivity. Many people on the autism spectrum demonstrate a preference for detail, and develop unusually narrow interests, and an unusually strong preference for facts, patterns, repetition and routine. As Dame Stephanie Shirley reminded her audience at the North East Autism Society's employment conference in Gateshead in 2016, Picasso called work 'the ultimate seduction' and Thomas Carlyle believed it was 'the grand cure of all the maladies'. Self-esteem is extraordinary, in fact, how profoundly lack of self-esteem can affect even the most gifted of individuals on the autism spectrum. The prevalence of autism spectrum conditions is reported to be as high as one in 68 by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
