Autism Home Learning

Some useful resources for preparing to go back to school: Great visual from  the Scottish Government and NLC Communication Friendly Schools   Masks in secondary schools    For more great visuals, follow  @SchoolsNlc  Lovely story by Kezia Matthews about bubbles for children going back to nursery: Bubbles at nursery      Going back to school resource from Children's Commissioner for England - A guide for children to tell them some of the changes they might see when they go back to school this September as well as providing tips on how to cope if they’re feeling worried or nervous and helpful resources to stay safe. Free to download  Social stories from 'AND NEXT COMES L' Video social stories from the Rainbow Classroom: Back to school social story from  ELSA support Two lovely 'wordless stories', free to download from Beyond Words  Beyond words stories Summary of face covering rules from Ambitious about Autism Checklist ...

Mental Health Awareness Week shines a light on kindness and the benefits for those who carry out acts of kindness. Sadly it is essential we also teach autistic children about what is NOT KIND. It is a sad fact of life that unkindness exists across society. Targets of unkindness are frequently those who are perceived as different in some way. It is widely recognised that autistic youngsters (and adults) are vulnerable to unkindness and often make easy targets. It is vital therefore that we teach about what is not kind and what to do when they experience unkindness . However, this is more complex than it might seem as recognising unkindness requires us to 'read' the intentions of other people. Autistic children and young people may find it difficult to read and interpret the intentions of others. This makes it all the more important to develop strategies to enable them to recognise unkindness, to make distinctions between degrees of unkindness and to know what to do when they...

Kindness & being kind have benefits for physical and mental health. Finding ways to help autistic children and young people to understand these concepts is important for developing positive relationships and for their wellbeing. Social Stories & Articles are an engaging way to teach about kindness. Social Stories or Articles (for those individuals who feel that stories are immature or are lies because they are not true!) are a useful way of sharing information about kindness & being kind with your child. Social Stories are written carefully and following guidelines provided by Carol Gray, the founder of the approach. This post is not about teaching you how to write a Social Story, but to illustrate how Social Stories can be developed to teach autistic children about kindness. For more information about Social Stories and guidelines for writing, see:  Carol Gray - What is a Social Story? or  National Autistic Society - Social Stories The following example ...

Here is a final part of a series of Social Stories to help prepare for going back to school. This part includes information about staff wearing PPE and social distancing. Again, this is to illustrate how the approach might be used. You will need to talk to your child's school for correct information. Talk to your child's teacher if you want help to use a Social Story with symbols. For more information on Social Stories, see:  Carol Gray's Social Stories National Autistic Society - Social Stories   Siobhan Timmins - Social Stories

Here is part 2 of a Social Story which includes information about which activities will be available and which will not. Note that this is to illustrate how you can use this approach, but a Social Story will need personalising depending upon your child's needs. Talk to your son's or daughter's teacher if you need help with how much information to include and also to check which symbols to include.   Part 3 to follow. For more information on Social Stories, see:  Carol Gray's Social Stories National Autistic Society - Social Stories   Siobhan Timmins - Social Stories

We are most likely all feeling anxious  during this unsettling time. Feeling anxious in a situation like the one we currently find ourselves in is normal. Many of us will have ways we have learned that help us to manage our anxiety and ways to self-soothe or to stay calm. For autistic children and young people, anxious feelings occur frequently, anxiety is often heightened and associated feelings can be very intense.  This post includes strategies, re sources and apps which may help you to find ways for your son or daughter to manage their anxiety. There are many reasons for increased anxiety in our children and young people. Whilst each person is unique, there are some common reasons which are likely to cause anxiety at this time. This short article gives some reasons for high anxiety in autistic people:  5 reasons for anxiety  We are all experiencing anxiety at this time, but anxiety levels may be elevated for your son or daughter. Imagine we all carry a b...