A guide with words and pictures

Autism Resources Coordination HubARCH

• ThisleafletisformeasIamunder12yearsoldandhavebeentoldeitherrecentlyoralittlewhileagothatIhaveautism.

• Thisisanimportantleafletwhichisintendedtohelpmefeellessaloneorconfusedduringthistimeinmylife.

• Autismisadifferentwayoflookingatandunderstandingmyworld.ItwillbepartofwhoIamforever.

• Icanchoosetoreadthisleafletonmyown,orasksomeoneItrusttoreaditwithme;likemyparents,ateacherorcarers.Imightwanttoaskthemquestionsafterreadingit,whichisOK.

How this leaflet is organised:• Thisleafletwillhelpmelookatmytalents–thethingsI’mgoodat.

• Itwillhelpmelookatmynot-so-strongpoints;thethingsImightfindmoredifficult.

• Itwillhelpmelookatsomethingsthatmakemethesameasotherchildren.

• Itwillalsolookatthethingsthatmightmakemedifferentfromotherchildrenwhodonothaveautism,oradifferentkindofautismfromme.

• There’sasectionattheendwhereIcanwritedownwhatI’velearned,andsomeotherplacesIcangetmoreinformationaboutmyautism.

Abilities - My talents and not-so strong points• Everybodyhasbothtalentsandnot-so-strongpoints.

• Allpeoplearegoodatsomethings,butnotsogoodatotherthings...

• Mytalentsandnot-so-strongpointstogetherformmyabilities...

Taken together my talents and not so strong points create my autism!

• AsachildwithautismIcannotstophavingautism.• Iwillhaveautismforever...

So...it’s just one of the differences we all have!

As a child with autism I can have lots of talents! Tick each box if this is one of your talents. Ihaveadifferentwayofthinkingandthiscanbeabenefit...

Some of these benefits are:

Icanbegoodatseeingthedetailinthings.

Icanhaveagoodmemory.

Icanbegoodwithnumbers,music,art,placesandfacts...especiallyifIhaveaspecialinterestinthem.

Icanhaveareallygreatvisualmemory,andrememberthingsinpicturesinmyhead.

Some things can be more difficult when I have autism: Tick each box if this is one of your challenges.

Imightfindithardtostayfocusedandstayontaskwithmyworkatschool...

Sometimes,people,placesandsituationscanbecometoomuchformeandImightsometimesbehaveinwaysIhavenocontrolover.Somepeoplecallthisbehavioura‘meltdown’...

Imightfindithardtomakeandkeepfriends.

Imayprefertoplayonmyown...

Imighthavetroublefallingasleeporstayingasleepatnight.

Imightbesensitivetobeingtouched,ortoloudnoises,smellsandeventhetasteorfeelingofsomefoodsinmymouth...

Or...Imightlikeclosercontactfrommyparentsorothercarers.

Dailychores;likegettingdressedforschool,brushingmyteethandhairorgoingtothetoiletmightmakemefeelstressed...

Imightmakemyselffeelbetterbymovinginthesamewayalot,orrepeatingthesamewordsorsentences...

ImightfindithardtostopdoingsomethingIaminterestedin,especiallywhenmovingontodosomethingelse–likegettingreadyforbed...

SometimesImighttakealittlelongertounderstandwhatI’mbeingtoldbyothers.

My Outside and my Inside...As a child with autism I have an outside...

• Everybodyhasanoutside..

• Theoutsideiswhatyoucansee...

• It’scalledyourappearance...• Somepartsofmyoutsidearesimilartootherchildren...

• Butalotofmyappearanceisdifferentfromotherchildren.

• Somechildrenhaveblueeyes,othershavebrown.Somehavebrownhairandothershaveredhair.Myoutsideisuniquetome,likeotherchildren’soutsideisuniquetothem.

• ThefactisI’m unique!

My inside...

• Childrennotonlyhaveanoutsidebutalsoaninside...

• Partsofmyinsidecanalsobethesameas,ordifferentfromtheinsideofotherchildren.

• Myinsidemakesupmyinsidefeatures.

My Inside is...• Mybones,teethandorganslikemyheartandlungs.

• Myinterestsandabilities;thethingsIliketodo...

• Mynature,whichishowIgetonwithotherpeople...

• Myknowledge,whicharethethingsIknowalotabout.

• MyskillsarethethingsIcandowell.

The fact that I have autism means I am not alone...!Autism is different for each child. There is not just one kind of autism... Therearelotsofchildrenwithautism...Forevery100childreninmyschool...thereisatleast1childlikemewithautism,butusuallymorethanthat...

ThismeanstherearelotsofschoolagedchildrenwithautismintheareaIliveinwhichiscalledSouthLanarkshire...

I can learn to cope with my autismTherearelotsofchildrenandadultswithautismwhohavelearnedlotsofgreatwaystomanagetheirtalentsandnot-so-goodpointsandfeelgoodaboutthemselves!

Who can help me manage my autism?EveryonewhooffersmesupportshouldknowaboutautismandbeabletohelpmedolotsofthethingsIwantto.ThisincludeshelpingmewithmyabilitiesandmynotsostrongpointssoIwillfeelgoodaboutmyselftoo!

Somepeoplewhocanhelpmeare;myparents,myotherfamilymemberslikemybrothersorsisters,ormyclassteacher.

Here are some of the things I marked which described my autism talents and challenges that I’d like to remember or find out more about.

Here are some other helpful things which can help me understand more about my autism... (I might need to ask my parents to help find some of these.)

• Agreatappformyphone!...Kloog 2isanalienwhoneedsmyhelptounderstandsomeoftherulesonearth.Thiscanhelpmelearnsomeofthesocialskillsalongwithhimonhismission-

www.kloogsocialskills.com/kloog2.html

• ThesebooksbyAlis RowefromThe Girl With Curly Hair projectarereallygoodtohelpboysandgirlswithautismunderstandtheircondition.Mightbewortharead!www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2/258-6192638-3355450?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=alis+rowe

• TherearesomegreatappsfortheiPhoneoriPadandthisisalinktoseewhat’savailabletohelpmelearnmoreabouthowtomanagemyautism:

iPad apps for students with autism – 2016 www.callscotland.org.uk

• Wefoundsomeusefulwebsitesifyouenter‘the 30 best children’s books about autism’–Theyareforawiderangeofagesfrom3upwards.

ProducedforSocialWorkResourcesbyCommunicationsandStrategy.045040/Jul17

Ifyouneedthisinformationinanotherlanguageorformat,pleasecontactustodiscusshowwecanbestmeetyourneeds.Phone:03031231015Email: equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk

• Thisisanotherbookletwhichcanhelpmeunderstandmoreaboutmyautism:www.sign.ac.uk/assets/pat145_young_people-large-print.pdf

• YouTube canbeagreatplacetolookatthingsonewelikeis‘everydaytspeech’ whichhasseveralsocialstoriestohelpyoulookatthingslikemakingfriends,buttherearelotsofothersyoumightwanttoexplorewithyourparentsorcarers:www.everydayspeech.com/

• ContactARCH onphonenumber0344 225 1111,andwe’llhaveachattoyouoryourparentcareraboutwhatwehavegoingonhereforautisticchildren.