Mark O’Keefe, celebrity hairdresser and owner of the Sugar Club, made headlines last week in his heartfelt letter to his five-year old son Riley. Riley received an autism diagnosis two and a half years ago, and has so far been unsuccessful in gaining a school place. Last Friday I sat down with Riley’s parents, Mark …
Last week AsIAm launched two surveys on the experiences of autistic students in accessing education. Eoin Hickey, a young person on the autism spectrum, explains how autism affects him in his daily life, how teachers can understand students with diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and offers advice for social situations. My name is Eoin Hickey …
Welcome to the last Our Week Online of 2018. This will be our last round up of the year because we’ve reached that time when we look back on the year that was, look forward in hope for the future, and panic over gift shopping, enormous dinners, and seasonal sensory overload. Break open an early …
Elaine Harris is a yoga teacher who founded The Yoga Shed in Co. Wicklow in 2014, which serves to offer accessible and affordable yoga to everybody. Elaine is highly trained to share yoga therapy with children with special needs and is also a certified pregnancy yoga teacher. She is passionate about spreading awareness about the …
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 …
Autism is widely known yet it is not widely understood. Awareness of the condition has grown in recent years and there have been many milestones in actively including and promoting autistic people’s participation within wider society. Myths and misconception still exist however and it is important that we tackle these whenever we see and hear …
Personal stories and experiences, sharing and openly discussing them, are what make any awareness campaign meaningful. Autism and the journey for its acceptance and active inclusion is no different, and AsIAm would like to hear yours. Whether you’re a family member, a teacher, a colleague, or on the spectrum yourself, we’re always keen for people …
An autistic person’s brain may struggle to receive and respond to information collected through their senses. This impacts on how they respond to the world around them, in their speech, their feelings and motor skills. Some people are hypersensitive, where the slightest pitch higher in an everyday noise might cause serious discomfort. Some are hyposensitive …
ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION AT A TIME Autistic people love routine and predictability. Knowing what to expect during day-to-day situations is a source of huge relief and self-confidence. Many autistic people will create guides and maps, whether on paper or in their minds, of how to guide themselves in fulfilling tasks and jobs. Others will …
World Autism Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate the autism community, highlight the challenges autistic people face in society and educate the wider public to have a better understanding of the condition. Each year it also comes in for some degree of criticism – is it tokenism? Isn’t autism awareness for every day of …
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