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25.01.2022 Empowering Teens and Adults Understanding the Four Challenges to Quality Living! As teens begin to reach adulthood, they need to understand and advocate for the...ir own needs. The ability to do so will be determined more by their cognitive abilities than by the severity of their autism. However, regardless of the cognitive skills, most of the spectrum share these four core challenges that they must understand and learn to cope with. Speaking to older teens and young adults, these four issues will be presented by discussing the challenges, how to accommodate, and how to advocate for your needs. 1. Sensory Processing Issues! Challenges! Since sensory sensitivities to light, noise, touch, and smells can bombard and overwhelm the nervous system, you have to become keenly aware of and learn how to accommodate for your sensory sensitivities. Nothing sets off the panic fight or flight response more than sensory overload. The neurotypical (NT) world is filled with many artificial lights that may blind you, overwhelming noise from motors, blaring ads, horns, alarms, vacuums, noxious chemical smells, and irritating fabric textures. Whereas NT people can filter out and tone down these stimulations, your nervous system takes a direct hit, becomes overwhelmed, and breaks down quickly. Accommodate! You must understand your sensitivities, how to avoid them, or modify your immediate environment to lessen their impact. You have to be able to appraise new environments for the sensory threats that are inherent. If you can tone down the stimulation (modify the lighting, sounds, smells, and visual noise) and/or learn coping strategies for masking them (e.g., wear brim hat, shaded glasses, earplugs, face desk toward the window for natural lighting, use partitions to block out light and distracting activity, etc.) you can learn to make adult living more tolerable. You also need to know how much you can handle and when to back away and give your nervous system a break. Modify the environment, mask what cannot be modified, use simple strategies for coping with sensory bombardment, and give yourself frequent breaks, are the pillars to protecting your nervous system! Advocate! You will no longer have parents and teachers adapting the world for you! You are on your own. You must be able to appraise the environment for what accommodations will be needed and know what to disclose and what to advocate for. You need to build your home or apartment to be a sensory-friendly, safe haven for you to escape and rebound from the hectic outside world. You cannot avoid the bombardment outside the home, but you can develop a sensory-friendly, soothing environment at home. If you live with others, who still irritate your nervous system, set aside one room that is your sensory-friendly escape. It is a must if you are going to allow your nervous system to rebound. At work, you have to make modifications and accommodations to the work setting or build in accommodations to mask and tone down the stimulation to excel. You may need to disclose what your sensitivities are and advocate for what accommodations you need. However, if you don’t, you may not be successful at the job, more than likely. You have to be clear on what you need and use your voice to advocate how to get it. 2. Information Processing Challenges Challenges! You must realize that much of the dynamic world simply moves too, with too much, for your nervous system to process. Whereas NT people can filter out and process most of the information simultaneously and subconsciously with minimal mental energy, you do not filter out the stimulation. It all comes in bombarding the nervous system. You must process it sequentially and consciously, which can be very taxing and quickly drains your mental energy. As the day rolls on, the simple daily activities that NT people take for granted require intense processing from you. What comes easy for them is a constant struggle for you. Accommodate! You have to be conscious of how much mental energy you have at any given moment, appraise how much mental drain each activity or event will have for you, learn what to avoid and tone down the flow of information, understand when you metal energy reserve is being depleted, and how to pull away and re-energize. You have to eat a proper diet, get plenty of sleep (and rest), and exercise regularly. These three conditions significantly affect your ability to process information. You need to slow the world down, give yourself plenty of time (which is hard for you to estimate), give yourself frequent breaks, and learn to escape the bombardment before you hit overload. This is an ongoing problem for many adults on the spectrum. Don’t wait until you feel yourself melting down; slow it down, tone it down, and give yourself frequent breaks. Advocate! Like with the sensory challenges, you need to be able to accommodate yourself. Be able to appraise an event for how draining it will be, position yourself to buffer yourself from much of the overload, and take frequent breaks to rebound. Those breaks might be going for a brisk walk or going to the bathroom to engage in 5 minutes of your favorite self-stimulation. If you choose to go to a party with friends on Friday night, assume it will exhaust you, planning ahead to stay home all day Saturday to rebound from the stress. At work, be honest with your boss about what you can effectively handle and what you cannot. It will come back to haunt you eventually if you don’t. Tell him you will not be able to multi-task and will need information given to you sequentially and visually (written instructions rather than verbal). Be clear on working in a distraction-free setting to focus on your work, break the work down into simple steps, pace yourself, and have frequent mini-breaks. Tell your supervisor that he needs to be clear and to the point and that you may need to clarify and verify expectations. You need to find a job where you can advocate for your needs to be productive and successful. Again, at home, create an environment where you can slow down, pace the information flow, and build in a lot of isolative activity to re-energize (rest, exercise, favorite hobbies, etc.). Your home must give you plenty of opportunities to re-group and re-energize for the next day. Otherwise, your energy reserve will not be enough for the next day. Eat well, get a good night sleep, and get some exercise! 3. Executive Functioning Challenges Challenges! It is a given; if you are on the spectrum, you will have a hard time organizing yourself to get things done, forget to do things or where you put things, forget to make and keep appointments, have difficulty judging how much time things will take, have problems multi-tasking several jobs at one time, and struggle transitioning from one activity to another. You will either have a hard time keeping your home clean and organized or be compulsive in doing so. You will struggle to make deadlines, has difficulty knowing how to plan out events, organize what is needed, and follow through with things. This is due to the weak neurological connections in the frontal lobes of the brain. Get used to it, and learn to accommodate for it. Accommodate! Lists, calendars, outlines, and written instructions are you savor. You need rigid routines to make everyday activities habits, so you can do them automatically without thinking about them. Build-in strong structure and consistent routines and adhere to them religiously. They become your lifeline, the foundation for your security. You need predictability to feel secure; otherwise, anxiety will overcome you. Without a predictable routine, filled with set rituals, you will become disorganized and risk falling apart (figuratively), of course. The technology of today can drastically help with this. PDA, smartphones, iPads, wristwatch alarms, etc., can all help you schedule your day and cue you when it is time to do things. Electronic calendars, to-do lists, and alarms from your watch or phone can cue you into what and when to do things. Ensure you have set spots to keep everything at home and work so you do not lose them. Color-code files, notebooks, and information so that you can categorize and quickly retrieve information when you need it. Pay your bills, do your shopping, clean your house on the same day and time of the week to keep the routine. For larger projects like house cleaning, break them into smaller tasks (make the bed, do laundry, clean bathroom, etc.) and do them separately, each with their routine day and time. Make sure you preview and prepare for all events that are not routine and done automatically out of habit. Know what you are entering into, appraise what is needed, and develop a script, or map, for how to do it. This is very time consuming and energy-draining, but much better upfront than trying to organize yourself once in the event. Layout the course of action before entering the event. Know what your exit plan will be ahead of time in case it becomes overwhelming for you. Advocate! This is where you may need to build in a few supportive people to help you out. Life at work can be much easier if you disclose these challenges with planning, organizing, and timeliness with your supervisor and possibly a close co-worker. You will need help with reminders, visual outlines for breaking work down, sequencing work out, making timelines for completion, and providing constructive feedback to maximize success. If you cannot trust your supervisor and/or a close co-worker, more than likely, the job will be a bad match for you and will not last long. Often at home, it is good to have a roommate, spouse, or friend that is good at what you are weak at. If you are scattered, forgetful, and disorganized, it is good to have a spouse or housemate that is strong in those areas. If you cannot do it yourself, it is helpful to have someone who can do it for you, or at best remind you to do it. You will struggle in these areas for the rest of your life. Accept it; we all have strengths and weaknesses. Learn how to compensate for what you need and advocate for getting it. 4. Social Challenges Challenges! Face it; you will always have a hard time reading social cues, reading the thoughts, feelings, perspectives, and intentions of others, and learning how to emotionally please others. You are pragmatic, factual, and intellectual, not social, emotional, and relational. What comes natural and intuitive for NT people requires intense processing for you. You cannot regulate small talk and the give and go flow of spontaneous conversation. You may get good at interacting with one person at a time but will always struggle regulating group interaction. You will not be able to keep up with the nonverbal communication, read between the lines, understand the invisible social rules, and understand the social context. Your brain is just not wired to do so smoothly and effortlessly. Accommodate! This does not mean you cannot have friends and marriage. You love and care for others in your own way and can be a very committed friend, spouse, parent, and co-worker. However, more than likely, you will express your love very pragmatically, not emotionally. You will be there for and do things for others but struggle at supporting others emotionally. You will never be good at guessing what others need and providing the emotional support NT people often desire. This doesn’t mean that you cannot have a healthy relationship with others, but they will have to know and accept you for who you are. Once you trust someone, you have to be upfront with them to disclose your strengths and weaknesses. You have to be clear that you cannot read their thoughts, feelings, and needs and that they will have to spell them out for you. Both you and your partner will have to learn to clarify information and verify the meaning and not assume understanding. You both will have to mean what you say and say what you mean. They will have to value you for who you are, not hope to change you into more. Advocate! You will have to be upfront with your boss and close co-workers. They need to know that you may seem rude and overbearing at times, without realizing it may hurt their feelings. Let them know that you feel uncomfortable with small talk and will not join in with informal conversations. Let them know that regulating teamwork and group interaction is very draining for you and that you may not be included or do so only for brief periods. You have to be very aware of how taxing interacting is for you and what situations you need to avoid. Don’t try and be more than you are, and pretend to be something you are not. It will only invalidate your identity and wear you down. Be you, accept you, and only stay in situations for which you are accepted for that. Yes, you may have to sample many settings, events, and jobs before you find the right fit. You need someone at work (supervisor or close co-worker) and a spouse or close friend to be a tutor and social navigator for you. They need to be honest and give you precise, concrete feedback on what is expected, how you are acting, and what changes you need to make. Temple Grandin has been very clear on how important it was for key figures in her life to tell her very clearly when she was stepping out of line and what she needed to do. These people need to be able to stop you quickly, tell you not only what you are doing wrong, but what you need to do right. They can help interpret the invisible social rules, expectations, and behavior of others for you. They can help you navigate the often chaotic and confusing social world for you. This series on empowerment can be found in the green book, Autism Discussion Page on Anxiety, Behavior, School and Parenting Strategies. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2

24.01.2022 Stimming refers to self-stimulating behaviors, usually involving repetitive movements or sounds that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner. M...ore known stims among the autism community include hand flapping, rocking, spinning, jumping, and mimicking noises. After realizing I’m autistic as an adult, I questioned my own diagnosis because I didn’t stim in the ways deemed most common for autistic people. After reading more on stimming, I found tons of lesser-known stims that I engage in every day, as shown above. When speaking about this with my mom, I soon realized that I used to stim in less socially acceptable ways as a childeven self-harming stims like banging my head against the wall. But as I got older and started receiving criticism, I stopped so I would blend in with neurotypicals. At its core, stimming is a way to decrease or increase stimulation, self-regulate emotions, and express oneself. In other words, it can drown out the world or improve sensory input, regain equilibrium when experiencing strong emotions (both negative and positive), and simply express happiness or other emotions! We all stim, but autistics stim more often and differently than NTs. Our stims are also much more necessary for us. It helps us focus and makes us uncomfortable when it can’t be done. Is shivering when you’re cold bad? Is crying when you’re sad bad? Both of those things, like stimming, are ways for our bodies to cope with something. Imagine if you were forbidden from scratching an itch on your arm, just because society didn’t particularly like it. People may discourage stimming because it’s stigmatized and viewed as odd. But how will that ever change if the public isn’t exposed to it? When possible, stimming in public helps normalize and destigmatize the behaviorit’s something that I’ve found to be incredibly empowering. I no longer view stimming as something I have to stop or hide. I see it for what it is. Stimming is a beautiful expression of neurodiversity and part of who I am. #actuallyautistic Image ID Below #stimming #autism #aspie #autistic #autisticadults #autismawareness #neurodiversity #autismcommunity #autismproud #aspiegirl

23.01.2022 CHEAT SHEET Sensory processing issues can cause all sorts of behaviors. Take a look at this fascinating cheat sheet - does your child fit into several different categories at once? Read more here: https://momentousinstitute.org//making-sense-of-sensory-pr

22.01.2022 Words matter. If you’re experiencing a strong emotion, take a moment to consider what to call it. But don’t stop there: once you’ve identified it, try to come ...up with two more words that describe how you are feeling. You might be surprised at the breadth of your emotionsor that you’ve unearthed a deeper emotion buried beneath the more obvious one.

21.01.2022 This #RUOK? Day let’s pause and chat with a friend or colleague. Right now, it’s harder than ever for us all mentally to engage with each other, and some are f...inding the physical and mental isolation a real challenge. R U OK day is a good reminder to check- in on our mates, family and friends, and ask R U OK? Learn the Key Word Signs to ask ‘R U OK?’ so that you can talk to people who use #KeyWordSign to communicate. #Scopeaust For more resources visit https://www.ruok.org.au/ You can download the PDF version of the poster from our website: https://kwsa.com.au/r-u-ok-day/

21.01.2022 Emotion coaching is the process of guiding your child through intense emotions by validating, relating, naming the emotion, and holding boundaries. Children nee...d to learn that emotions are normal, they’re important, and they need to be followed through (not suppressed or avoided). This method was developed by Dr. Adele Lafrance Robinson and Dr. Joanne Dolhanty. Read the steps in more detail here: https://hes-extraordinary.com/social-emotional-learning-at-

20.01.2022 Hey Australia! Amaze's Autism Advisor service has gone national. Now called Autism Connect, it is Australia’s first national autism helpline. Autism Connect i...s available Monday Friday, from 8am 7pm, by phone, email and webchat. It's the same service Victorians know and trust. They help autistic people, their supporters, and professionals. You can contact Autism Connect to get: - credible, evidence-based information about autism - caring advice and guidance, specific to your situation/needs - connections to services that can support you. Contact AMAZE to see how they can help you. Amaze

19.01.2022 #earlychildhood #earlychildhoodeducation #preschool #earlylearning #education #kindergarten #learningthroughplay #kids #playbasedlearning #earlyyears #childcare... #parenting #daycare #toddler #children #playmatters #montessori #teachersofinstagram #learning #homeschool #play #kidsactivities #earlyeducation #childdevelopment #ece #sensoryplay #teachersfollowteachers #prek #earlychildhoodeducator #bhfyp See more

18.01.2022 MY PASSIONATE MIND An Autistic-crafted resource by Dr Wenn Lawson as part of the "Nothing about me without me" series for South Australia Department of Educatio...n (downloadable version here: tinyurl.com/ycj7mq73). TEXT: Autism: I learn best when I am interested. Sharing my interests is a way to connect with others. Relationships centered around shared interests work well for me, as long as it begins with mine. Communication and being social works best around my interests. As an autistic I am single minded. I think OR I feel. I am great at doing one thing at a time. I can’t multitask unless I am connected by motivation. Learning is offline unless I am interested. My interest facilitates and maintains learning for me. Sometimes I get anxious. My stomach gets upset and I might eat smaller portions. I might have joint pains and not like to walk. I might need a heat pad, to walk shorter distances (10 15 min) and not sit too long (move every hour). I learn differently to others. Ask me what might help. It may be technology, visuals, auditory information or clear instructions. Using colours may help me find my place. Stories can help explain stuff. People use metaphors which I may take literally. I may get anxious trying to understand them. I can ask people to say what they mean and mean what they say. Sometimes nonautistic people don’t understand me. I need to be patient with them. Interests connect me. I connect to what interests me. Motivation draws me towards learning. Negotiation helps me feel more valued Learning through what interests me suits me. Rewards can make me happy, but don’t help me learn. Make reasonable accommodations for my autism. No interest = no attention. This is not a choice. It is my default setting. Interest = attention. I notice and give attention when I’m interested. My interests turn me on. Personal stories by autistics show that interests have opened doors to learning in ways nothing else could.

18.01.2022 2020 Autism Explained Online Summit - September 21-25 A FREE week long event with 25 expert speakers. Register today with my affiliate link: https://autism-explained.teachable.com/p/2020-online-summit

17.01.2022 The "Anxiety Buster Tool" is a framework for helping manage anxiety around new activities or events. Originally designed with young people in mind, many adults ...have found the tool useful, too. A free downloadable version (+ black & white version that can be coloured in) is available here: tinyurl.com/y4hds998 From Healthwatch Southampton

14.01.2022 Teaching Self Advocacy! Promoting voice and choice! Many parents fight hard for accommodations and supports while their children are in grade school. Then... once out of school, parents arrive at the rude awaking that their advocacy has less impact. Once an adult, the person on the spectrum is expected to advocate for themselves. Whether entering the workforce, college, or vocational schools, young adults on the spectrum are expected to advocate for their own needs. The two main differences in the adult world are (1) the person is not entitled (by government standards) to automatically have these institutions (work, college, government services, etc.) seek them out and provide needed services, and (2) they are expected to be their own voice and advocate for their own needs (instead of their parents). The service providers will listen and talk to the young adult themselves, not their parents. Unless prepared ahead of time, this can be a very rude awaking for both the parents and the young adult. Self-advocacy skills do not come overnight or simply arrive at the child’s 18th birthday. It takes time to develop and foster the skills needed for advocating for your own needs. Since early childhood, parents have been the protector and strong voice for the child, making all the important choices and decisions. However, it is so very important that parents and teachers learn to transfer these skills to the child as they grow through their teen years and adulthood. How do you do this? Not only is it scary for the parents who have grown used to feeling more secure making these decisions for the child, but also the child becomes dependent on relying on the parents making the choice and being the voice. First, we must take a look at what self-advocacy skills consist of. There are many skills, but several fundamental ones include: 1. Before you can advocate for your own needs, you must know what those needs are! People on the spectrum need to have a good awareness of what their vulnerabilities are. These include sensory vulnerabilities, emotional regulation difficulties, cognitive processing problems, social weaknesses, and communication issues. Parents often become very competent in identifying these issues but never teach the child to be aware of their own vulnerabilities. 2. Not only does the person need self-awareness of his vulnerabilities, but he also needs to recognize (1) what environmental conditions cause problems for these vulnerabilities and (2) what accommodations are needed to lessen their negative impact and allow him to cope with the challenges. He or she needs to be aware of what situations cause him the most challenges and learn how to recognize them. From there, he can learn what to avoid, how to compensate, and how to advocate for these needs 3. Next, the person needs to have a keen awareness of his strengths, so he can use them to compensate for his weaknesses. He also needs to use these strengths to develop social, leisure, and vocational skills. We all have strengths and weaknesses. The person needs to learn how to make the most of his strengths and gravitate to areas that showcase them. 4. Lastly, the person needs to know how to communicate these needs to others, ask for the accommodations for these needs, disclose his disability (if he chooses), and negotiate inevitable social conflicts that will arrive. How do we teach these skills? When do we start teaching? This should start as early as possible, including early childhood. 1. As parents begin identifying and defining these vulnerabilities (sensory, emotional, cognitive, social, etc.), they need to talk to their children about them. It doesn’t matter if the child is verbal or not; they can understand if you keep it simple. Be their inner voice. Describe what you see them experiencing, especially their emotions; Sally is sad! Next, connect it to the event that causes it, Sally is sad because daddy is going to work. Keep it simple and as literal as possible. This will help the child label his feelings, connect them to events, and learn to regulate his emotions. 2. In addition to what they are thinking and feeling, verbally describe what you are thinking and feeling and what you see others thinking and feeling. Again, connecting these thoughts and feelings to specific events. This running dialog helps give the child an awareness of the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of those around him and how they may differ from their own. 3. As you accommodate the child’s vulnerabilities, talk to him about what you are doing. This could consist of (1) modifying the environment (I am turning the light down because it may hurt your eyes), (2) adapting to the environment when it cannot be modified (Let’s wear sunglasses because the sun is bright and hurts the eyes.), and (3) coping strategies for when overload occurs (If the noise becomes too loud, tell mommy go and we will leave). This way, the child is learning to recognize his vulnerabilities and connecting them with making needed accommodations. 4. Next, you have to listen to your child and give them a voice in what he thinks, feels, wants, and needs. He has to learn how to communicate his needs and wants, as well as for us to learn how to listen. Whether he communicates with spoken words, pictures, signs, gestures, facial expressions, or typed words, we need to give him a voice. Also, once he has a voice, we need to listen to him and respect his voice. This can be hard to do but must start as early as possible. Start by giving him simple choices in his daily routine. Give choices between two snacks to eat, two shirts to wear, two toys to play with, etc. Start with just two items and gradually move up. Before jumping in and deciding for the child, let him participate and voice his opinion. Nothing for the child, without the child! 5. Throughout the years, teach your child to negotiate and collaborate, first with you and then with others. Teach him to (1) communicate his concerns, (2) listen to the other’s concerns, then (3) collaborate and compromise to meet both needs. This is hard for us because it means taking time to collaborate, and also compromising our position. However, this is a must skill to learn. Start early and start simple; first with you (where errors can be tolerated) and then with others. 6. Then, finally, teach children how to problem-solve. Similar to negotiating and collaborating, teach the child to (1) label what the problem is, (2) identify several options for solving the problem, (3) assessing the pros and cons of options, (4) picking and trying out an option, then (5) evaluating the effectiveness of the choice. Of course, this will have to start with the parent coaching the child through the steps and thinking out loud for simple decisions that the parent typically makes throughout the day. Include the child in these simple decisions and mentor the decision-making process. As the child becomes older, teach them to use a problem solving worksheet with the above steps to list out and use the steps. These skills must be fostered throughout childhood. Once the child is in school, include them in assessing the classroom setting needs, academic and social accommodations, and describe and connect all accommodations to the given vulnerabilities; what and why! Have the teacher help coach the child in voicing his needs as they arise throughout the day. The teacher needs to teach and coach him when and how to ask for help, say no, and when he needs a break. As he gets older, he should know each of the accommodations in his IEP and how to ask for them if people forget. Also, as he starts into middle school, give him more and more of a voice at the IEP process itself. By the time he is in his last couple of years in school, he should be the main voice at his own IEP meeting. Self-advocacy skills should be prime importance in the high school years. Parents need to push for it, but teachers need to be the mentors (prompting and coaching the child.) This series on empowerment can be found in the green book, Autism Discussion Page on Anxiety, Behavior, School and Parenting Strategies. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2

12.01.2022 "Hyper" means above or better than, while "lexia" refers to reading. Hyperlexic children often begin reading when they’re very young, sometimes as early as age ...two, and without reading instruction. I remember as a hyperlexic child reading back to my mom my Carebear book at age 3 and everyone freaking out. We might figure out how to decode or sound out words very quickly but may not always understand what we're reading. People who are hyperlexic have excellent visual and auditory memories and tend to remember what we see and hear with little effort. As a kid, I remember being the TV Guide. Although I never remember actively trying to memorize the day and time of different shows, I just knew them. Yet this exceptional memory doesn’t always help with speaking or understanding language. While we have advanced reading skills, we can have limited vocabulary and communication difficulties. Hyperlexic children learn to speak differently. We memorize phrases, sentences, or entire conversations from television or books, often reciting them verbatim after being exposed only once or twice. This act is called echolalia and is one theory surrounding the idea of how we teach ourselves to read. To express an idea, a child with hyperlexia must be able to dissect what they’ve memorized to create original expressions, which is something we can have a tough time with. I remember being accused of copying others when I was just trying to express myself. Hyperlexia is often associated with Autism, ADHD, and Sensory Processing Disorder. And even though it’s key in describing a learning difference, it isn’t a stand-alone official diagnosis in the DSM. But it should be. We learn primarily through the written word, so therapeutic and educational programs need to take our skills into account. It’s our strength, and we need to be taught in the way that WE learn. Image ID: A pastel info-graph with pink, purple, blue and green. Hyperlexia is at the top in white. Below reads, Exceptional reading ability at an early age without age appropriate language and speech skills. The first point is in green with 123ABC above the sentence, Often fascinated with letters and numbers. The second has a book above the sentence, Reads at levels far beyond what is expected at their age. The third has an eye with a magnifying glass above, Learns best visually. The fourth has an ear above, Strong auditory and visual memory. The fifth point has a television with a pink unicorn that reads underneath, May learn to speak by memorizing phrases, sentences or conversations from movies TV or books. The last point has a flash card with the letters SN and a picture of a snail with the word snail underneath. The paragraph below reads, Extremely good at decoding language and sounding out words very quickly. #Hyperlexia #sensoryprocessingdisorder #neurodivergent #ADHD #adhdcommunity #adhdsymptoms #ADHDproblems #adhdadults #adhdsupport #actuallyautistic #autism #aspie #autistic #autisticadults #autismawareness #neurodiversity #autismcommunity #autismproud #neurodiverse #aspielife #aspergers #autisticpride #autismadvocate #autismacceptance

09.01.2022 "[So-called] Mild autism doesn't mean one experiences autism mildly... It means YOU experience their autism mildly. You may not know how hard they've had to wor...k to get to the level they are." - Adam Walton For a deeper dive, please see: Speaking of Autism - Quincy Hansen: The Fallacy of Functioning Labels (tinyurl.com/y2vgx49z) AutistRhi An Autistic Woman's Journey:Autscriptic: Mild Autism (tinyurl.com/y2gnt9kd)

08.01.2022 A fun and playful way to learn about Emotions. via: @tibetalpinnaesi on IG

08.01.2022 Advice from occupational therapist for all kids.

07.01.2022 A free activity for kids who love an adventure Audioplay is a mix between an audio book and creative play. Put your headphones on, step into the story and become the characters! With a huge range of stories to explore, tap to learn more https://bit.ly/3masiHg

07.01.2022 THE AUTISM SPECTRUM Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. Autistic people see, hear... and feel the world differently to other people. If you are autistic, you are autistic for life; autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be 'cured'. Often people feel being autistic is a fundamental aspect of their identity. Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. Some autistic people also have learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels of support. All people on the autism spectrum learn and develop. With the right sort of support, all can be helped to live a more fulfilling life of their own choosing. Useful resource - The National Autistic Society video: https://lnkd.in/d-7Hgme Useful resource - TED Talks video: What it's really like to have autism https://lnkd.in/dzFfd4A #camhsprofessionals #coronavirus #helpingpeople #helpingeachother #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthsupport

06.01.2022 Table examining "problem behaviors", common educational approaches employed, shortcomings of those approaches and the true nature of problem behaviors informed by autistic experience. download from https://autismlevelup.com/when-words-fail/

05.01.2022 Do you ever see that look? Many children, as they start to become overloaded, will show you a freeze response. They often look away, get a glazed look in t...heir eyes, and zone out. Sometimes the child may engage in stimming, shut their eyes, put their head down, or cover their ears. This is the temporary moment that cues us in that the child is becoming overwhelmed. Information is coming in too fast or too much for them to process. The brain will initially try to shut down or block out the stimulation to avoid overload. For many children, this freeze moment means to back off demands, lower stimulation, and allow the child to rebound. Respect this sign, because the child is trying to keep it together by escaping the stimulation that is overwhelming them. Be careful. When we view their unresponsiveness as resistance and noncompliance, we tend to increase our prompting and press the child to respond. This will further overload the child who is trying to keep it together and rebound. This temporary freeze is just that, temporary! If you continue to press the child, he goes from freeze to fight or flight (panic). The brain, in essence, freaks, or panics, and will act out to fight or flee. Then the child is label as violent, aggressive, and disruptive! So please, when you see this freeze response, (1) acknowledge that you see the child getting overwhelmed, (2) back off all demands and lower your voice, (3) reassure them that they are safe and accepted, and (4) allow them to time to rebound. Minimize your interaction to minimize overloading the child. Simply allow them to escape and rebound. Help them feel safe at a time when they are feeling vulnerable. Often the child can rebound simply be pulling away the demands and lowering the stimulation. Try and analyze the event to understand what may be overwhelming the child. It could be that the demands are too hard or coming too fast, or simply that the child is getting exhausted. They could be overwhelmed by the noise or activity going on around them, panic to something unexpected, or simply freeze due to task performance anxiety. Once the child has rebounded, be aware that his nervous system is still pretty drained, and can be easily overwhelmed again. Minimize demands, break them down into simpler steps, proceed with a slower pace, and provide added assistance to support the child. For many children, by respecting these cues, backing off, and reassuring them, they rebound quickly and can continue the activity. For others, they may need to escape to a safe area to regroup and rebound. If you respect this freeze response and support the child, he will trust following your lead! This series on cognitive issues in autism can be found in the blue book, Autism Discussion Page on the Core Challenges in Autism. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2

05.01.2022 This new free slide deck is up on the website! Gingerbread man themed activities for virtual therapy and distance learning: handwriting, fine motor, gross motor..., self-regulation, visual perception, mindfulness, and sequencing activities, all with a gingerbread man theme: https://www.theottoolbox.com/gingerbread-man-virtual-activ/ See more

05.01.2022 CHEAT SHEET 8 key executive functions and how executive dysfunction can affect your child. It's a really interesting read! https://www.nclexquiz.com//executive-function-skills-chea/

03.01.2022 Free Download! bit.ly/CopingToolsAnxiety

03.01.2022 There’s nothing ‘greater than’ a crocodile to help you munch through the maths lessons! What a brilliant idea for visual learners #MathsforYear2

02.01.2022 CHEAT SHEET If your child loves to chew, this cheat sheet is for you: https://www.andnextcomesl.com//oral-motor-activities-for-k