Moving story Children on the autism spectrum may not always process bodily movements easily - they may find it difficult to 'see' body language. More
On the ball Swindon Town FC have been giving out sensory packs which have been designed to improve the matchday experience for young autistic people. More Ice breaker An 11-year-old girl, who is autistic and has ADHD, has said she struggled to express herself until she discovered ice skating. Teddy Weston is a British and World champion in inclusive ice skating and is one of the first to represent NI. More Turning teacher Jesse Cross (17) has a knack for coding, but it's not just a past-time or a hobby, it's a profession. More Young voice heard A 12-year-old primary school student from Cashel, Co Tipperary, met with the Taoiseach on Thursday to urge the government to act urgently on the lack of supports for autistic children in Ireland. More Access unequal Most autistic children in the Netherlands have used some sort of treatment or therapy according to a new study. But factors unrelated to their autism often decide who gets what help. More Flying fear For Becca, being autistic means she worries about things that neurotypical people never give a second thought to - “Where are the gates in the airport? How do I get around the airport? What food is at the airport? I get sensory issues with take-off and landing but the unknown is a much bigger issue.” More Improve records Schools must collect isolations data the DfE has said this month. Behaviour guidance on the controversial use of so-called ‘isolation booths’ calls on schools to keep records of ‘removals’. More Parental advice The BBC has a wealth of parents experiences, autism tips and advice on it’s website. More Friendly games Barrington Campbell received an autism diagnosis at 30 years old. He said he had struggles making friends while growing up and felt isolated. Five years later he's created Kagai Games, designed to provide tabletop games and events for people with social anxiety. More
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SEND Support More than two thirds of teachers in England report that they never, rarely or only sometimes receive the support they need to teach learners with SEND effectively. Take a look at a new course for teachers and support staff. More
Early is better? Some therapies use play and other activities to reinforce skills that autistic children often find challenging. Trials show these methods can change a child’s trajectory for the better, but the evidence base remains thin. More Seen and heard "2020 has been the best year of my life — for the first time, I didn’t feel the need to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. As an individual on the autism spectrum, I have lived my life oscillating between being ‘different,’ getting judged for it, and reacting by masking my neurodivergence to blend in" More Let me in If museums can do more to reach out to the estimated 700,000 people in the UK with a diagnosis of autism, they will find a loyal and highly engaged audience. Museums were quick to implement Covid-19 safety measures and now they need to apply that same rigour to improving accessibility. More Letting it out “I have to admit reading that report I just cried because it was so jarring to find out that the last 45 years of my life have been slightly different than I thought they were. It means I’ve always had Autism and didn’t know it.” More Lost in lockdown The coronavirus pandemic has continued to negatively impact on both the mental and physical health of people with learning disabilities. Many people with learning disabilities reported finding it increasingly difficult to cope and have found the current lockdown significantly more challenging than the first one. More We're capable The Skills for Health Capabilities Frameworks describe the skills, knowledge, and behaviours which people bring to their work with autistic people. Training/CPD in England must facilitate staff to surpass these standards. More Mixed results New research suggests that social media interactions and relationships benefit autistic folk. However, findings also suggest that some autistic people continue to be lonely and desire in-person relationships despite cultivating social media friendships. More Big noise A new study may explain why people with autism are often highly sensitive to light and noise. More
Diagnosis and me "My rule-following autistic brain wouldn’t allow me to think of myself as really autistic until someone officially diagnosed me as such" More Stop with the stereotyping These days, it seems fashionable to speculate about whether or not someone is on the autistic spectrum. Is this acceptable? More Socially speaking A number of myths about autistic people abound. It's a great myth that autistic people lack empathy. However, the more you get to know an autistic person, the more you realise just how caring they can be. More That's accepted We are approaching April, Autism Awareness Month. Please do not be fooled. Awareness is not the same as acceptance and inclusion. More Guide to 'me' When Dr Camilla Pang was eight, she asked her mum if there was an instruction manual on how to be a human. She was sick of getting things 'wrong' and being told that her behaviour wasn’t 'normal'. She wanted, above everything, to feel like she fitted in. More Drawing on autism A teenage autistic author published her new comic to show those with autism they are not alone More Describing different For artist and writer Charlotte Amelia Poe, 30, every day feels like a walk across a frozen pond. “It’s how it’s always been,” she explains. “You’re trying to navigate it and stay safe, but you’re aware that at any moment the ice is likely to crack, and at that point you will sink into the water.” More Times of trouble With the current covid19 virus spreading anxiety and uncertainty in the autism community, why not send this newsletter to someone who might just need some positivity right now. Subscription link Family complications Older men and women are more likely than young ones to have a child with autism but as with virtually everything related to the spectrum the picture is a complicated one! More
...and while we are talking family links, just how genetic is atism? A lot as it turns out. More Fit on the spectrum Take a look at this innovative fitness programme that aims to tackle fitness of young people with autism and other disabilities. More Acceptance is key New research that shows a lack of acceptance can significantly impact on the mental health of autistic adults. More Help for parents "I have learned so much in my two decades of being a mother. My children have been my best teachers." More Health equality please A lack of clear mental health support for people with Autism spectrum conditions is leaving vulnerable people at risk and costing lives, campaigners have warned. More Sensory spectrum Differences in sensory sensitivity, processing and perception have always been part of our understanding of autism, but maybe it's a bigger part than we ever thought. More Making friends making music "Nat’s now 28, and I have looked into so much that eventually I stopped looking. Nothing worked. I didn’t even know what “worked” meant. By the time Nat was a teen, all I wanted was to find something he liked to do. More Fixing education figures Children's Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland, said she was concerned some schools wanted autistic children removed to improve their results. More The 'A' Word Anxiety exacerbates social communication problems in children with autism — and not the other way around, a new study suggests More |
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