Autism Home Learning

With prolonged school closures and uncertainty about almost everything, it is not surprising if you are seeing more behaviours at the tip of the iceberg than is usual for your son or daughter. This post is about looking below the waterline to think about feelings and how these relate to how an individual behaves. H ow are you feeling about the current situation, the many uncertainties and the sometimes unfathomable decisions regarding the way forward? How have your feelings affected the ways in which you behave? Perhaps you have been more irritable, or maybe you have withdrawn from usual activities? The same may well be true for many autistic children and young people. They may be experiencing feelings which are more intense than usual and/or feelings they have not experienced before. They may well be behaving in ways which are different from their usual behaviours and you may feel overwhelmed by behaviours at home which are more intense and/or which you are finding difficult to ...

Mental Health Foundation Mental Health Awareness Week This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, with the theme KINDNESS. So I will be posting suggestions for promoting kindness all week :) The Mental Health Foundation is hosting Mental Health Awareness Week, 18th - 24th May. The theme for the week is KINDNESS, with perhaps no better time to think about what kindness means, why kindness is important and how we can promote kindness.  Why kindness? Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation says: We have chosen kindness because of its singular ability to unlock our shared humanity. Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community and deepens solidarity  Why kindness? Being kind to others is good for our own physical and mental health, research showing five benefits: Helping others feels good. Kindness/altruism creates sense of belonging and reduces isolation. Being kind and h elping others, especially those who are less for...

So, the uncertainty goes on and autism home learning continues. Many parents are feeling worn down and some are struggling with the enormity of their situation. This post is about YOU and considers ways to take care of yourself.  The wellbeing of our children is a priority and I have already posted my thoughts and suggestions for how to support their wellbeing during this challenging time. However, in this post I focus on YOUR wellbeing, at a time perhaps when you are losing motivation and/or anxieties are increasing as political talk turns to sending our children back to school. I am mindful of 'information & advice overload' and whilst most of this is well-intentioned, nevertheless for some this adds to a sense of failing and feelings of guilt for not achieving what many others appear to be successful at. I do NOT want to add to what may feel like yet more advice, which adds to your sense of feeling overwhelmed. Instead I hope that my thoughts and tips may offer a ...

Essential to wellbeing is being able to socially connect with others. This is no different for autistic children and young people, except that being social from their perspective may be different to ours. This post explores 'being social' from an autistic perspective and ways to create opportunities for being social during this period of lockdown. Promoting Good Feelings when Home Learning (3) Today's post focuses upon relationships as an essential component of wellbeing.  Mutually supportive and enjoyable relationships are essential for wellbeing. Our successful relationships promote a sense of belonging and self-worth, providing opportunities to share experiences and support emotional wellbeing. There are many myths regarding autism, none more so than an assumption that autistic people have poor relationships and do not want to be social, yet many do have positive relationships and enjoy being social - they just do these things differently!   We need to guar...