It’s Sunday, winter has definitely arrived, and there’s only six weeks to Christmas! Welcome to Our Week Online. Six autistic secondary pupils in Co. Kildare finally started school this week, nine weeks since the beginning of the academic year, after the completion of their school’s new autism unit was delayed. In the United States, midterm …
Day #22 of our #AsIAmChallenge for World Autism Day is about helping prepare for an autism-friendly environment. We often think of this as a strictly sensory exercise and that’s certainly a crucial part of the process. Building the best setting for a person on the spectrum to live and work in, however, involves much more …
Awareness about autism has increased among society in recent years. This is a positive development, but there’s far more to being aware about the condition than just knowing some of its main traits. Successful autism awareness is about actively including and supporting autistic people within local communities. Isolation is a daily reality for many living …
Day #16 of our #AsIAmChallenge is about preparing for autism-friendly interviews. Businesses have begun to recognise the valuable skills that autistic employees can bring to the workplace. A meticulous attention to detail, excellent memories and task-driven minds are traits any employer would love to have! However, entering the workforce remains a huge challenge for many …
Sensory rooms or quiet spaces are designated areas where autistic people can use to stim or retreat to when feeling overstimulated. The space itself is designed to aid in a person’s key life skills, chiefly with their communication, coordination, self-organisation and sensory-management. Autistic children often make use of such facilities in their schools, but they …
Social stories are short guides of a particular situation, event or activity. They include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. Day 14 of our #AsIAmChallenge is about supporting autistic people to prepare for social situations by creating “a social story”. Autistic people often find it challenging to read social situations or …
Create a “Social story” for your business or organisation Read More »
Day#13 of our #AsIAmChallenge is about using Plain English when communicating. We often think of autism’s major difficulties with communication and language as an almost exclusively childhood problem that is eventually resolved. It’s true that many on the spectrum do learn social skills as they mature, enabling them to make friends and build positive relationships …
Day#12 of our #AsIAmChallenge is about being aware of people’s sensory needs. Autistic individual’s brains often struggle to process the information we receive about our surroundings from our senses. If there is too much stimulation, it can cause serious anxiety and even meltdowns. By being aware of one another’s needs however, we can all make …
It’s Day 12 of #AsIAmChallenge and things have taken a big step up! Today we are challenging members of the public, businesses, schools and community organisations to conduct a sensory audit of their environment. Autistic people can experience environments in a different way to those who are not autistic – some people experience sensory overload …
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