Is this a fair description?

Hairyloon said:

How do you describe autism to the non-autistic?

This is a good starting point, and includes links to further, more in-depth, articles about the various different aspects of autism:

NAS - What is autism?

Hairyloon said:

I am trying to figure out if the problem on the table is due to ASD and therefore something that the authority needs to make Reasonable Adjustments for

You might also find the information here helpful:

NAS - What are reasonable adjustments and when can they be requested?

The article includes some examples of reasonable adjustments. But it also links to this related resource that contains many other examples. It provides examples of why and how adjustments can be reasonable in the context of various, specific aspects of autism - and also of the benefits that adjustments can deliver for both parties:

NAS - Common examples of reasonable adjustments

Hairyloon said:

Now, it seems to me that because the autistic brain is effectively wired somewhat different to the normal brain, it perceives the world somewhat differently and as a consequence some things some things which are obvious to neurotypical people are incomprehensible to autistics, and other things are obvious to autistics are incomprehensible to neurotypicals

In respect of this, you might find it helpful to explain the “double empathy problem” to anyone who might struggle to relate to your perspective (it concerns the “breakdown in reciprocity and mutual understanding that can happen between people with very differing ways of experiencing the world” - such as between autistic and neurotypical people).

NAS - The double empathy problem

Is this what you are looking for?

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/about-autism

Or this?

https://the-art-of-autism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UnderstandtheSpectrum.pdf

Thank you for the answers so far, but my question is more academic than social: I am trying to figure out if the problem on the table is due to ASD and therefore something that the authority needs to make Reasonable Adjustments for.

Hairyloon said:

How do you describe the inside of your head when the reference point is the inside of someone else's head?

I like to tell people it is like being at home with all the appliances on the go at the same time on full power - TV, radio, phone ringing, hoover going, microwave binging, washing machine sloshing, smoke alarm going off etc and someone is trying to talk quietly to you and wondering why you struggle to understand them at times or why you look a bit stessed.

This is because our brains never developed the filters that NTs have, and as a result we missed out on a lot of the social development they went through, leaving us more "left out" and ultimately picked on over time.

We develope coping mechanisms that often keep us away from others so we never really get to develop those skills anyway.

I think that covers the main areas.

I tell people it's a bit like being socially dyslexic, more people have an understanding of what dyslexia is than ASC. I may go on to give an example or two, simple things, like never being able to tell if someones being friendly or are they chatting me up? Most people can relate to this and it opens up conversation