A presentation to the parents of Pixies Hill Primary School April 2015

* A lways * U nique * T otally * I nteresting * S ometimes * M ysterious

* Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of disorders with common disabilities in three key areas: * Social awareness and interaction * Language and other communication skills * Imaginative Play * Autism consists of disorders of brain development and brain function * Causes are not yet known * Autism affects all races and cultures around the world * Autism affects boys more than girls.

* Reading skills – although they can struggle with inference and deduction * Exceptional balance * Drawing skills * Computer skills * Exceptional memory * Music skills * THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT! *

* Social interaction * Communication * Unusual obsessive and repetitive behaviours * Sensory Issues * Gross and fine motor issues – hypermobility * Anxiety * Issues with personal space * Poor chronology

* Anxiety can be caused by all sorts of things… * Sudden changes in timetabling * Changes in routine, changes in teaching staff. * The environment: furniture changing from its normal place, bridges, escalators, lifts, stairs. * Getting dressed/undressed. * Noisy environments. * PE lessons * Following complicated instructions

* Mrs Tate shares her experience of living with Autism.

* Autistic children have difficulty processing language. * They tend to take things literally eg. Struggle with idioms – ‘Who let the cat out of the bag?’ * Too many words can confuse. * Autistic children can be hyper sensitive to lights, smells and touch. * Abstract concepts – like God – if it isn’t concrete they might fid it hard to comprehend.

* Autistic children can be stubborn or single minded. * They sometimes make a decision about something and then find it impossible to change their opinion. * They can become obsessed with rules and regulations. Can be regarded as bossy. * They find it hard to take turns in conversations and listen to other peoples ideas.

* When an Autistic child displays challenging behaviour there is normally a trigger. * Sometimes the trigger isn’t apparent – it could be because they are harbouring a grudge about something that happened a long time ago. * When the level of anxiety is so high that the child throws a tantrum it is best to leave the child to calm down in a quiet place and not use too much language.

* Many people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty processing everyday sensory information such as sounds, sights and smells. This is usually called having sensory integration difficulties, or sensory sensitivity. It can have a profound effect on a person's life.autism spectrum disorder

* How our senses work * Our central nervous system (brain) processes all the sensory information we receive and helps us to organise, prioritise and understand the information. We then respond through thoughts, feelings, motor responses (behaviour) or a combination of these. * We have receptors all over our bodies that pick up sensory information, or 'stimuli'. Our hands and feet contain the most receptors. Most of the time, we process sensory information automatically, without needing to think about it much. * People with sensory integration difficulties - including many people with an ASD - have difficulty processing everyday sensory information. * People who struggle to deal with all this information are likely to become stressed or anxious, and possibly feel physical pain. This can result in challenging behaviour. behaviour * “If I get sensory overload then I just shut down; you get what's known as fragmentation...it's weird, like being tuned into 40 TV channels.”

* Some children who are Autistic also have a diagnosis of ODD. * This behaviour is best described as a child having an angry argumentative approach to almost everything they are asked to do. * It is like a knee jerk reaction where the child feels compelled to say or do the opposite of what is being requested.

* A person with Autism has problems understanding another person's emotions. He may not be able to properly interpret facial expressions, body language or gestures. The inability to interpret others emotions is often referred to as mindblindness. This may lead a person to misunderstand his reactions to an emotional situation and view a response as inappropriate or negative.emotions * Sometimes people assume that with Autism will have an emotional response or lack of response as an inability to feel emotion. This is not true. A person with Autism feels emotion but he may have trouble expressing his emotion or find unusual ways to express it.

* Autism causes problems with language, communication and social interaction. A person with Autism may not be able to make friends easily and may also find two-way conversation difficult. He may appear to talk at people, rather than with them and fixate on favorite topics even if the other party shows distinct signs of disinterest or distress. He continues to talk about the topic and is oblivious to the other party's reaction. He also may misunderstand language at time and taking many things literally, missing subtlety. In a relationship, the communication problems can easily lead to misunderstandings.

* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. * Common symptoms of ADHD include: * a short attention span or being easily distracted restlessness, constant fidgeting or overactivity * being impulsive * ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although it is more common in people with learning difficulties. People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.

Inattentiveness * The main signs of inattentiveness are: * having a short attention span and being easily distracted * making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork * appearing forgetful or losing things * being unable to stick at tasks that are tedious or time- consuming * appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions * constantly changing activity or task * having difficulty organising tasks

Hyperactivity and impulsiveness * The main signs of hyperactivity and impulsiveness are: * being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings * constantly fidgeting * being unable to concentrate on tasks * excessive physical movement * excessive talking * being unable to wait their turn * acting without thinking * interrupting conversations * little or no sense of danger

* There are organisations who can support families with Autism: * ADD-Vance:- ADD-vance is a registered charity set up in Hertfordshire in 1996 to support and empower adults, children and families with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related conditions in Hertfordshire. * Autism Education Trust: * National Autistic Society: * Hertfordshire HUBs The KIDS East and West HUBs offer information and support for parents and carers of disabled children and young people aged 0-19 in Hertfordshire.