How do autistic people experience fear?

Question

How do they experience it? And also how do they respond to it?

Answer 1

YES - but not necesarily about what you expect someone to be scared about.

First thing to note is that autism can mean many different things. You will probably get a lot of people with autism replying to this question. These are people with high-functioning, likely Asperger's Autism.

My neice & nephew are both autistic. My nephew had no fear of heights, he's chew on electrical cords & jump into deep water in an instant. But try to cut his hair or nails, or turn on the vaccuum cleaner, and he's be screaming in terror! My neice is not as bad, but we do need to put a life jacket on her before she even catches sight of water, in case she gets away from us in a rush to get to the water.

But, again, this is just our case. I predict you will get a wide variety of answers, because people, autistic or not, vary widely.

Answer 2

I work with the developmentally disabled and have autistic family members. I can say absolutely they experience fear just as we do.

However, there is a difference between feeling *fear* and recognizing *danger*. An austistic person might be afraid of loud noises, people yelling, or other things that usually frighten people. However, because insight and cause & effect can be limited they may not recognize that some actions can be dangerous, such as walking into the street.

Answer 3

My two sons are high functioning autistics. They have both given me more than their fair share of scares in 8 and 4 years. From running off in public places to walking in front of cars, to setting off rat traps on their fingers (over and over again). I have discovered that in nearly every situation/environment we are in I have assesed and determined what sort of dangers we may face that day. They are both beautiful boys but, we have been unsuccesful thus far in teaching them (with certainty) what to fear and why. I wish you luck, contact me if you have any further questions regarding ASD.