Speaker: Nick Appleton Tom Bowes Autism Awareness

2 Autism Autism is a hidden disability. Asperger Syndrome is a form of Autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism characterised by: Impairment of communication Impairment of social interaction Impairment of Flexibility of thought Sensory perception difficulties 3

Triad of Impairments 4 Integrated Services – Specialist Support

Communication 5 Non-verbal communication skills. Processing difficulties. Poor listening skills. Unaware of how to assert themselves appropriately. Poor intonation. Repetitive speech and echolalia.

Communication (continued) Talk centred around a preferred subject. Deterioration in communication skills when anxious. Literal understanding of language. Well developed vocabulary. Hyperlexia. Fine motor difficulties. 6

Social Interaction Poor understanding of social conventions and rules. Joining in and making friends. Problems handling confrontation. Extreme emotions. Isolation & a need for personal space. Appearing arrogant. 7

Flexibility of Thought Dislike of change. Development of rituals or routines. Development of strong personal interests. Difficulties in seeing things from another person’s point of view. Difficulties with personal organisation. Difficulties with skill transference. 8

Sensory Difficulties Tactility – touch / proximity. Vision. Hearing. Olfaction (sense of smell). Gustation (sense of taste). Proprioception (body awareness). Vestibular (balance & spatial orientation). 9

Difficulties with Executive Function Has difficulty planning a project. Does not understand how long the project will take to complete. Fails to communicate details in an organised and sequential manner. Cannot retrieve previous information from his/her memory. Has difficulty retaining information previously discussed. 10

Theory of Mind Understanding how others think and feel. Putting yourself into someone else’s shoes. 11

12 What is more difficult when you have Autism? Mixing with people. Communicating with people. Thinking flexibly. Sensory differences.

13 Mixing with people It can be difficult to make friends. Not knowing how to act with people. Difficulties doing things with other people – e.g. working in pairs or small groups. Not understanding why people get angry.

14 Communicating with people Not always understanding what other people mean. Taking things very literally. Finding it hard to ‘read’ faces and body language, and to understand ‘personal space’.

15 Communicating with people Not always knowing what to say to people or how to say it. Talking too loudly or too quietly. Difficulties expressing themselves and feeling frustrated and angry.

16 Literal language interpretation ‘Pull your socks up!’ ’Keep your eyes on the ball!’ ‘I’m on top of the world!’ ‘If you don’t stop doing that you’ll be in hot water! ‘It’s on the tip of my tongue’. ‘I’m tied up at the moment’. ‘Now we are going to toast the bride and groom’.

17 Flexible thinking A need to know what is going to happen - where, when and with whom. Finding it difficult to be in unknown situations. Difficulty understanding what other people are thinking or feeling or that other people may be thinking or feeling differently to me. Finding it difficult to forget when someone has upset them.

Co-occurring Conditions ADHD Anxiety Depression Dyslexia Dyspraxia OCD Tourette’s Syndrome 18

Creating an autism friendly environment Ensure structure and predictability, as far as possible, for the student. Have clear & positive rules (Health & Safety). Written instructions / cues. Give the student time to process language and respond. 19

20 How you can help? Be patient. Be clear when communicating – Jargon free. Break it down – Bite sized chunks. Minimise distractions. Allow time for verbal instructions to be processed – up to 8 seconds. Offer support and understanding in social situations.

Famous people with Autism / Autism-like Difficulties 21

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