Question 1 Autism and Neurodiversity. What should I read, watch, listen to?

All the information and resources I gather and signpost folk to are underpinned by the autistic voice as well as current best practice in Scotland as outlined by the GTC, Education Scotland (they manage the Autism Toolbox) and the National Autism Implementation Team

In this section:

1 Neurodiversity – what is it?

2 Autism in School

3 The autistic voice – links to videos and articles by autistic people explaining their autism

4 The link between autism and and anxiety

5 Autism and girls

6 Masking (it’s not just girls who mask)

7 Autism and ADHD

A ♥ indicates images that follow are hyperlinked

There is now a huge amount of information available for education staff to help them support the autistic/neurodivergent learners in their care but there is almost too much. Teachers and support assistants regularly tell me they have no idea where to start. They aren’t sure what’s good or what’s not so good information or advice. Over the last 5 years I have researched and collated what is good, evidence-based information, approaches and resources and pulled it all together here. It’s not the answer to everything but it will give staff an easy to access starting point.

1 Neurodiversity – what is it?

‘Neurodiversity is the diversity of human brains and minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species. The Neurodiversity Paradigm is an emergent paradigm in which neurodiversity is understood to be a form of human diversity that is subject to the same social dynamics as other forms of diversity (including dynamics of power and oppression)’. (The Neurodiversity Paradigm, Nick Walker).

♥This professional guide from GTC Scotland provides further explanation.

This illustration explains it simply. Great to use with learners.

Some stats:

Around 15-20% of the population is considered neurodivergent.
1-2 % of the population is estimated to be autistic. Figures can vary depending on what you read.
It’s estimated that 90% of autistic people have a co-occurring condition. 50% will have four or more co-occurring conditions e.g. 28% of autistic children will also have ADHD and 42% will have an anxiety disorder. NB Anxiety is not part of the autism profile.
Up to 50% of autistic people experience co-occurring alexithymia. (See Question 9 for an explanation of alexithymia).
2 in 3 people with ADHD have autistic ‘traits’. People with ADHD are 8 times more likely to meet the full criteria for an autism diagnosis but may not have a diagnosis.

From the Autism Toolbox – (some of the) diagnosable neurodivergent conditions.

A slide from one of my sessions highlighting common differences. Approaches for supporting these differences are covered in this resource which helps to highlight the point that if you get it right for autism, you get it right for everyone.

♥Have you come across EPIC Think Learn? The website is great and they produce free booklets to help you identify learners strengths and differences (as outlined above) and suggests easy to implement strategies that help support their differences. Booklets for teachers and parents.

♥From Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre at Edinburgh University ‘A free programme for mainstream primary schools to introduce pupils aged 8-11 years to the concept of neurodiversity, and how it impacts our experiences at school.’

♥Also from the research centre ‘NEST groups use a peer support model to enable neurodivergent young people to spend time together, with a focus on building community and supporting them to develop their own identities.’

♥Brilliant video from Kickstart Learning that explains neurodiversity in such a relatable way!

2 Autism in School

These are the key documents in Scottish education which will give you up-to-date, reliable, evidence-based information (which was created in consultation with autistic people) about autism and how best to support autistic learners.

Throughout the key documents the messages are:

Adjustments should be anticipatory; let’s not just see how it goes because …
we were expecting you!
A neuro-affirming approach should be adopted by all.
Good things should just happen.
You won’t always know what to do but you can come at a challenge with an open mind, willing to do things differently.

These resources will help you to know what to do. Read on …

♥The National Autism Implementation Team is Scottish Government funded in partnership with Queen Margaret University. They provide information, advice and research. The NAIT Team are professionals from Education, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Psychiatry who have considerable experience and expertise in working with autistic individuals of all ages, their families and others who support them. NAIT provide practitioner to practitioner advice.

♥The Autism Toolbox. A wealth of information and a resource for nursery, primary and secondary schools. Be prepared to get lost for hours!

♥Professional guides from the GTC which say the same things. First one is specifically for teaching staff and the second for all staff in school.

and

and the CIRCLE document

Further information and advice.

♥An article on autism and nurture. From Teaching Scotland Jan. ’21. I make no apology for posting this at the beginning of each question as a reminder. I agree!

A visual illustrating the same point.

♥Support for our autistic learners should always be anticipatory. We should expect that they will have challenges in the highly social and sensory environment that is a school. This article from ‘Teaching Scotland’ (Nov ’19, Page 18) explains in more detail.

♥Free modules from Education Scotland.

♥ Salvesen Mindroom have a section in their website called ‘knowledge exchange’. You’ll find some excellent videos from their conference.

♥Scottish Autism

♥National Autistic Society Scotland

Some short videos to help everyone (adults, young people and children) understand autism.

♥From Scottish Autism ‘What is autism?’ 4 minute video.

♥From the National Autistic Society. 4 minute video.

♥Really good animation ‘Amazing Things Happen’. 6 minute video.

♥A ‘Newsround’ clip by Rosie King. This has been around for many years now but it’s still a great watch. 15 minute video.

♥From Ambitious about Autism

3 The autistic voice – links to videos and articles by autistic people explaining what it’s like to be autistic

If you really want to understand autism and learn about the most effective strategies to use, speak to autistic people and ask them to explain their sensory differences, meltdowns, what it’s like to spend a day at school, what it’s like trying to operate in a group etc. It’s fascinating hearing their different perspective of the world. The next best thing is to listen to what autistic people have to say online. Here are links to videos of autistic people I think are brilliant at talking about their autism and helping us ‘neurotypicals’ understand what it’s like to live with autism …

I’ve thought long and hard about including this video as Hannah uses language some may find offensive. However, it’s so brilliant at helping us understand autistic thinking I’m going for it! Here’s a little bit of info on Hannah Gadsby:

Growing up, Hannah Gadsby always felt she was different. She struggled to read social cues, she had trouble applying for jobs, and spent a few living in a tent and doing farm labor. But Gadsby, who’s from Tasmania, had always been funny. On a whim, in 2006 she entered a stand-up comedy competition — and won.

“I’d never held a microphone before. … I’d never even been to a comedy show — but all of a sudden, I kind of knew what I was doing,” she says. “As soon as I told my first joke … it really made people engage with me, and I held the audience in my hand.”

Gadsby embarked on a comedy career in Australia, but she still felt out of place. It wasn’t until 2016, when she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder that things started to make sense.

“It shifted the way that I understood myself,” Gadsby says of the diagnosis. “I was always operating on the false premise that everyone saw the world like I did.”

“People on the spectrum … sort of feel like an alien being dropped in from outer space, and you can’t quite connect properly,” she says. “Being on stage and making a room full of people laugh, felt like a connection I hadn’t been able to establish in any other environment.”

♥Enjoy! She is VERY funny! 7 minute video.

♥I think this is a great page to help non-autistic people understand the autistic perspective.

♥Purple Ella is an autistic/ADHD woman who has made several videos where she describes her own autism. Link takes you to YouTube where you’ll find lots of 10/15 minute videos made by Ella.

♥This 13 minute video by John Simpson about autism and secondary school was made several years ago but still contains relevant information and advice. 14 minute video

♥Another oldie but a goodie! Dean Beadle is an autistic adult who travels the world talking about his autism to various groups. He is also VERY entertaining! 11 minute video.

♥Being diagnosed with autism is often seen as a tragedy. But for Jac den Houting, it was the best thing that’s ever happened to them. 13 minute video.

♥John Simpson is an academic and autistic adult. In this selection of videos, John discusses his experiences of school (positive and negative), the importance of structure/routine/predictability, friendship and communication/social skills, advice for teenagers, advice for parents/carers, anxiety, mental health and self esteem and special interests.

♥2 minute video clip of Gary Newman talking about his autism.

♥A 5 minute video from Chris Bonnello (a qualified teacher and tutor of children with additional support needs) talks about his report from nursery.

♥If you’ve not already watched the Christine McGuinness documentary about her autism diagnosis, I recommend you seek it out. Here’s a clip from the programme.

♥An autistic adult talking about his late diagnosis and how he copes with life now he understands himself. (2 mins. 49secs.)

♥And for a bit of a laugh … the comedian Joe Wells (who is autistic). Get yourself along to one of his shows – you won’t be disappointed! (1min. 30secs.)

4 The link between autism and and anxiety

Anxiety is likely to be the overarching emotion experienced by an autistic person. Research informs us that anxiety disorders are substantially more common in autism than in the general population (on average, 10 – 15% of the general population and at least 40% of autistic people). They may express their anxiety through behaviour that challenges us. That might look like defiance, avoidance (including school), over planning, difficulty focusing, sore tummies and headaches, difficulty managing emotions etc. which may eventually result in a ‘meltdown’. Or you may see nothing which may be ‘shutdown’.

The child may be masking their autism and/or anxiety in school. Autistic girls are significantly under diagnosed and one of the reasons for this is they are skilled ‘maskers’ (boys mask too!). Masking is exhausting and anxiety provoking for an autistic child or young person meaning they may meltdown/shutdown at home. This situation is difficult for all involved as the child/young person may be ‘holding it together’ in the very environment which is significantly contributing to their anxiety. If this happens to be the case, it’s understandable that staff perceive they are ‘doing fine’ which can be very frustrating for parents/carers.

It cannot be stressed enough that anxiety is reduced in an environment which is highly visual, structured, predictable and ensures sensory differences are addressed. Remember … autism is a communication difference so they may not communicate their anxiety either effectively or appropriately.

A slide from my ‘Autism & Anxiety’ presentation – stats. are sobering!

♥Research findings from The Autism Research Group. Easy to read and current, sound advice.

♥ A must watch before you read any more

♥An excellent article by Dr. Tony Attwood – world renowned autism expert.

♥Information and advice from the National Autistic Society on autism and anxiety in school.

♥A great short read from Sarah Henedrickx (an autistic woman, autism consultant and author) about autism and anxiety in the classroom.

Understanding that anxiety presents itself in many ways helps to explain behaviour that challenges us (what we are now referring to as distressed behaviour).

♥Sarah Hendrickx (an autistic woman, autism consultant and author) talking about how anxiety affects everything. 45 min. video but well worth watching.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

♥A short video from NAS. 4 Autistic young adults discussing social anxiety.

♥A MUST read. Autism, anxiety and the impact on parents. Like the author, I hear similar stories almost every day of my working life.

♥If you’ve ever wondered why some autistic people have meltdowns, this may answer your question.

♥I Love Neurodivergent_Lou’s Facebook page. She explains her autism so succinctly.

♥Advice for school staff from The National Autism Implementation Team for those autistic learners who are experiencing anxiety related absence (school refusal) and are unable to return to school.

I also pass this to parents to help them frame their thinking and conversations with school.

♥ Interesting article on anxiety related absence

5 Autism and girls

Previously thought fewer females are autistic.
Now recognised from research, clinical practice and anecdotal reports that many autistic women and girls are not being recognised. This can result in misdiagnosis, late diagnosis, or them not being diagnosed at all.
Some say the diagnostic criteria for autism are biased towards the behaviour of men and boys. ’Diagnostic tools … were developed according to male phenotypes’ (Gould and Ashton-Smith, 2011). Whatever the reasons, we know that autistic women and girls are still hugely misunderstood and underdiagnosed.
Their more subtle presentation can be barrier to clinicians and other professionals. I have heard the phrase ‘they’re fine’ used to describe many women and girls I have known over the years. They are often not fine!
It’s still more common for men and boys to receive a diagnosis of autism. Increasingly understood autistic women and girls may be better at masking their differences and so their autism is missed.
It seems that girls on the autism spectrum may be less noticeable than boys because they are less disruptive and have an ability to mimic behaviours (Attwood, 2012).

The general consensus is that autistic females:

Exhibit more sophisticated social imitation skills
Have more of a desire to interact directly with others
Tend to be (described as) shy or passive
Possess better imagination
Demonstrate better linguistic abilities
Their interests tend focus on animals or people so not perceived as ‘odd’
Mask!

♥Info from NAS

♥A TED talk

♥Sarah Hendrickx lecture. 1hr. 15mins. but very informative.

♥I’ve just finished reading this book. It was written by a teen for other teens but reading it yourself really helps you understand the aspects of life autistic girls find challenging.

Question 1 Autism and Neurodiversity. What should I read, watch, listen to?

All the information and resources I gather and signpost folk to are underpinned by the autistic voice as well as current best practice in Scotland as outlined by the GTC, Education Scotland (they manage the Autism Toolbox) and the National Autism Implementation Team

In this section:

1 Neurodiversity – what is it?

2 Autism in School

3 The autistic voice – links to videos and articles by autistic people explaining their autism

4 The link between autism and and anxiety

5 Autism and girls

6 Masking (it’s not just girls who mask)

7 Autism and ADHD

A ♥ indicates images that follow are hyperlinked

1 Neurodiversity – what is it?

♥This professional guide from GTC Scotland provides further explanation.

This illustration explains it simply. Great to use with learners.

Some stats:

Around 15-20% of the population is considered neurodivergent.

1-2 % of the population is estimated to be autistic. Figures can vary depending on what you read.

It’s estimated that 90% of autistic people have a co-occurring condition. 50% will have four or more co-occurring conditions e.g. 28% of autistic children will also have ADHD and 42% will have an anxiety disorder. NB Anxiety is not part of the autism profile.

Up to 50% of autistic people experience co-occurring alexithymia. (See Question 9 for an explanation of alexithymia).

2 in 3 people with ADHD have autistic ‘traits’. People with ADHD are 8 times more likely to meet the full criteria for an autism diagnosis but may not have a diagnosis.

From the Autism Toolbox – (some of the) diagnosable neurodivergent conditions.

A slide from one of my sessions highlighting common differences. Approaches for supporting these differences are covered in this resource which helps to highlight the point that if you get it right for autism, you get it right for everyone.

♥Have you come across EPIC Think Learn? The website is great and they produce free booklets to help you identify learners strengths and differences (as outlined above) and suggests easy to implement strategies that help support their differences. Booklets for teachers and parents.

♥From Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre at Edinburgh University ‘A free programme for mainstream primary schools to introduce pupils aged 8-11 years to the concept of neurodiversity, and how it impacts our experiences at school.’

♥Also from the research centre ‘NEST groups use a peer support model to enable neurodivergent young people to spend time together, with a focus on building community and supporting them to develop their own identities.’

♥Brilliant video from Kickstart Learning that explains neurodiversity in such a relatable way!

2 Autism in School

These are the key documents in Scottish education which will give you up-to-date, reliable, evidence-based information (which was created in consultation with autistic people) about autism and how best to support autistic learners.

Throughout the key documents the messages are:

Adjustments should be anticipatory; let’s not just see how it goes because …

we were expecting you!

A neuro-affirming approach should be adopted by all.

Good things should just happen.

You won’t always know what to do but you can come at a challenge with an open mind, willing to do things differently.

These resources will help you to know what to do. Read on …

♥The Autism Toolbox. A wealth of information and a resource for nursery, primary and secondary schools. Be prepared to get lost for hours!

♥Professional guides from the GTC which say the same things. First one is specifically for teaching staff and the second for all staff in school.

and

and the CIRCLE document

Further information and advice.

♥An article on autism and nurture. From Teaching Scotland Jan. ’21. I make no apology for posting this at the beginning of each question as a reminder. I agree!

A visual illustrating the same point.

♥Support for our autistic learners should always be anticipatory. We should expect that they will have challenges in the highly social and sensory environment that is a school. This article from ‘Teaching Scotland’ (Nov ’19, Page 18) explains in more detail.

♥Free modules from Education Scotland.

♥ Salvesen Mindroom have a section in their website called ‘knowledge exchange’. You’ll find some excellent videos from their conference.

♥Scottish Autism

♥National Autistic Society Scotland

Some short videos to help everyone (adults, young people and children) understand autism.

♥From Scottish Autism ‘What is autism?’ 4 minute video.

♥From the National Autistic Society. 4 minute video.

♥Really good animation ‘Amazing Things Happen’. 6 minute video.

♥A ‘Newsround’ clip by Rosie King. This has been around for many years now but it’s still a great watch. 15 minute video.

♥From Ambitious about Autism

3 The autistic voice – links to videos and articles by autistic people explaining what it’s like to be autistic

I’ve thought long and hard about including this video as Hannah uses language some may find offensive. However, it’s so brilliant at helping us understand autistic thinking I’m going for it! Here’s a little bit of info on Hannah Gadsby:

“I’d never held a microphone before. … I’d never even been to a comedy show — but all of a sudden, I kind of knew what I was doing,” she says. “As soon as I told my first joke … it really made people engage with me, and I held the audience in my hand.”

Gadsby embarked on a comedy career in Australia, but she still felt out of place. It wasn’t until 2016, when she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder that things started to make sense.

“It shifted the way that I understood myself,” Gadsby says of the diagnosis. “I was always operating on the false premise that everyone saw the world like I did.”

“People on the spectrum … sort of feel like an alien being dropped in from outer space, and you can’t quite connect properly,” she says. “Being on stage and making a room full of people laugh, felt like a connection I hadn’t been able to establish in any other environment.”

♥Enjoy! She is VERY funny! 7 minute video.

♥I think this is a great page to help non-autistic people understand the autistic perspective.

♥Purple Ella is an autistic/ADHD woman who has made several videos where she describes her own autism. Link takes you to YouTube where you’ll find lots of 10/15 minute videos made by Ella.

♥This 13 minute video by John Simpson about autism and secondary school was made several years ago but still contains relevant information and advice. 14 minute video

♥Another oldie but a goodie! Dean Beadle is an autistic adult who travels the world talking about his autism to various groups. He is also VERY entertaining! 11 minute video.

♥Being diagnosed with autism is often seen as a tragedy. But for Jac den Houting, it was the best thing that’s ever happened to them. 13 minute video.

♥2 minute video clip of Gary Newman talking about his autism.

♥A 5 minute video from Chris Bonnello (a qualified teacher and tutor of children with additional support needs) talks about his report from nursery.

♥If you’ve not already watched the Christine McGuinness documentary about her autism diagnosis, I recommend you seek it out. Here’s a clip from the programme.

♥An autistic adult talking about his late diagnosis and how he copes with life now he understands himself. (2 mins. 49secs.)

♥And for a bit of a laugh … the comedian Joe Wells (who is autistic). Get yourself along to one of his shows – you won’t be disappointed! (1min. 30secs.)

4 The link between autism and and anxiety

It cannot be stressed enough that anxiety is reduced in an environment which is highly visual, structured, predictable and ensures sensory differences are addressed. Remember … autism is a communication difference so they may not communicate their anxiety either effectively or appropriately.

A slide from my ‘Autism & Anxiety’ presentation – stats. are sobering!

♥Research findings from The Autism Research Group. Easy to read and current, sound advice.

♥ A must watch before you read any more

♥An excellent article by Dr. Tony Attwood – world renowned autism expert.

♥Information and advice from the National Autistic Society on autism and anxiety in school.

♥A great short read from Sarah Henedrickx (an autistic woman, autism consultant and author) about autism and anxiety in the classroom.

Understanding that anxiety presents itself in many ways helps to explain behaviour that challenges us (what we are now referring to as distressed behaviour).

♥Sarah Hendrickx (an autistic woman, autism consultant and author) talking about how anxiety affects everything. 45 min. video but well worth watching.