GLOSSARY
A
accommodation
Change or adjustment that helps meet a person’s individual needs, such as allowing the use of a service animal in a pet-free building.
anxiety
Strong feelings of worry or fear about everyday activities.
B
boundaries
Terms of your relationship that define what you are comfortable with and how you would like to be treated by others.
C
codependency
An unhealthy excessive reliance on another person which can lead to feeling ‘trapped’ in relationships.
D
depression
A mood disorder that affects how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working.
E
eating disorder
Serious conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions and your ability to function in important areas of life. The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder.
emotional dysregulation
Difficulty managing emotional responses or keeping them within an acceptable range of typical emotional reactions.
executive functions
A set of mental skills that make it possible to manage daily life, like planning, organizing, setting goals, and managing time.
G
gaslighting
When an individual is being told their experiences are not real, even when there is proof of conversations or behaviors, and they begin to question their reality.
I
interoception
The ability to understand the physical reactions going on inside our body.
N
nonverbal communication
Communication that does not involve speaking - such as facial expressions, gestures, or tone of voice. Autistic people often have challenges in this area.
O
outburst
A sudden release of strong emotion.
P
proprioception
The ability to know where our body is in space.
S
sensory avoiding
When an individual may feel sensory stimuli too much and the 'average' amount causes them pain.
sensory seeking
When an individual may not register a sensory stimuli and need more of it to have their body process it as ‘average’.
shutdown
When an individual may not register a sensory stimuli and need more of it to have their body process it as ‘average’.
supports
Tools or services that help people with autism in their daily lives. Examples of supports include activities that get you involved in the community, communication devices, job coaching, mentors, social skills groups and summer camp programs.
T
trauma
An emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, physical attack or natural disaster.
V
vestibular sense
The ability to balance and helping to prevent being dizzy all the time.
visual cue
A picture, video or written instructions that help you learn or know to do a task or follow directions. Also called a visual prompt.
