Autism Awareness Week 2018
26th March 2018
"They might not be considerate of your feelings, but this doesn't mean that they don’t care about you. Sometimes they might need a little longer to think about why you feel a certain way.
Don’t be scared of children with autism. Invite them to your parties, include them in what you are doing.
Sometimes it is helpful to use shorter sentences when you talk to people with autism because it helps them understand.
Their brains interpret the things we all see, smell, hear, taste, touch, and experience. But when someone's brain has trouble interpreting these things, it can make it hard to talk, listen, understand, play, and learn.
Sometimes a person with autism might find it a bit difficult when it's very busy/noisy or if unexpected things from the normal routine happen. They might need a break from what's going on, or extra time to prepare for something new, and that's ok.
A person who has autism may find it harder to understand how you are feeling or they might not look at you when you are talking to them because they are focusing on understanding what you say. This doesn't mean they don't like you. They do want to be included or have friends just like you, they just do things a bit different to you. Get to know them and you will figure out a new way to communicate that works for both of you. A good way of connecting with an autistic person is finding something they are interested in like colouring or collecting things and join in.
Everyone who has autism is different so take time to get to know the person and take them for who they are, don't make assumptions. Some people who have autism can't talk but still like to play and hang out with friends. Some are very chatty! Even if someone can't talk they can still hear what you say - make them feel included by talking to them and never talk about them as if they aren't there.
Lots of people with autism like things to be the same, but some like things to change, everyone is different.
Try to take time to understand how people with autism process things. If they are upset, it might be a good idea to leave them for a bit, give them time to calm down.
Some people with autism like to talk about it and some don’t.
Children with autism would like friends just like you, but sometimes they find it hard to get to know people. You can ask them to join in with your game, they might say no but they would love to be asked.
Children with autism may like to talk a lot about their favourite subjects, they are not being rude if they keep talking about the same thing and you think they are not listening to you, they may not understand what to do and they may be waiting for clues from you.
Children with autism may have sensory problems. They might get upset by lots of noise, and might find the dinner hall tricky to be in sometimes. Ear defenders might help them. They might find the hand drier hard to be near, the sound it makes could feel as loud as an aeroplane taking off right next to them.
Try to be supportive and understanding of children with autism, if they are struggling they are not trying to cause a hard time for others, they are having a hard time themselves.
It’s good if people know and understand about autism, this helps everybody.
Doing our favourite things helps people with autism stay calm.
It is a nice thing when people ask us to join in with their games.
Children with autism have a great imagination, they can make up good games. This makes them fun to play with.
Having autism can help people use their senses better, it can mean that they can help other people learn how to use their senses more.
Just because someone has autism, it doesn’t mean they are completely different. There are a lot of things that are the same for people who have got autism and who haven’t got it.
Sometimes people might think they have autism, but it might be that the signs they notice are just part of who they are how they think. A doctor will need to diagnose if someone has autism.
People with autism sometimes find it hard to talk. They might need to sign or to use cards to explain what they want to tell you.
It can be really exciting to learn how my brother who has autism is getting on with learning how to talk and communicate. Being at Castle School has really helped him.
Sometimes drawing little pictures or making lists helps people with autism understand what is going on, especially if there is a change to a normal routine.
Be patient and keep language simple.
There are lots of advantages to having a child with autism
- you know where they are and what they are doing
- you know what to cook for dinner because you definitely know what they like
- their bedroom is tidy
- you are never late for things
- your dvds and cds are in alphabetical order
- they are honest"