AUTISM NEWSLETTER APRIL 2017 COMMENT

Come and visit We have courses, resources, news and views, all on our colourful new website More

Parent journey Read this moving account of one families journey from realisation to diagnosis - from acceptance to advocacy More
...and if you like that, you'll love this blog by Danielle More

Friendship skills Kids on the spectrum (contrary to the stereotype) often want friends but don't always know the best way to go about getting them. Keeping them can be quite a challenge too! More

Marriage of different minds 'On my first date with Mike — we’ve been partners now for 24 years — he asked me, “Are we on a date?” And on the second date, he asked, “Are we still dating? - It took me nearly 17 years to realize having to ask someone to know exactly what was going on is typical of someone with Asperger’s Syndrome More

School: being there not enough On March 22, 2017, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of raising the educational standard for children with disabilities by saying that a child's "educational program must be appropriately ambitious in light of his circumstances" and "every child should have the chance to meet challenging objectives." More

Autism schools rise The “more complex” requirements of autistic pupils compared with other special needs have led to high exclusion rates in England and a rising demand for specialised school places. Of the 44 special needs free schools set to open or already opened in the past five years, 21 (48 per cent) primarily or solely focused on autism More

Residents rights A group of autistic Hackney residents has joined forces with the council and local health services to make the borough “more autism-friendly” - tackling bullying, discrimination and lack of services More