Autism Supporting Difficulties

The aim of this book is to provide ideas and guidelines which will help parents, educators and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) themselves learn to manage their difficulties. Gaynor Jackson has worked in inclusive mainstream schools as an advisory teacher, working with young children with social communication difficulties and a range of special needs. Her most formative time has been working with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in schools and during the course of her studies, which specialised on children with ASD. Having worked with numerous parents of children with ASD Gaynor has found many common difficulties, especially for parents of children who have been recently diagnosed. She has penned Autism Supporting Difficulties: Handbook of ideas to reduce anxiety in everyday situations to provide ideas and re-enforcement as to how common some of these difficulties are, providing simple and informative tips about how children with ASD can be supported by their parents and professionals to manage their anxieties and difficulties. From her work and studies with parents and professionals, she has selected a range of strategies and interventions which she has used to help children with ASD. These techniques are designed to help children overcome the daily difficulties that they encounter and, in most of these cases, have helped them learn to manage more effectively. The book contains many vignettes to illustrate how the ideas and strategies can work in real-life situations, and aims to shed light on underlying fears so that parents can deal with them early on – before children reach the ‘meltdown stage’. “Children are individuals, no matter what they have in common. Autism is a spectrum of difficulties – and the degrees of difficulties and sensory issues are not uniform, but individual to each child. Sometimes we look too deeply, and sometimes not deeply enough,” comments Gaynor, underlining the importance of understanding each child’s personal needs and difficulties, rather than trying to apply the same techniques to everyone. There is no cure for autism, but Gaynor hopes that by learning to pre-empt some of the potential anxieties caused by the unfamiliar, parents, educators and the children themselves may be able to help manage their reactions and, in time, reduce some of their fears and anxieties.

This guidebook is designed to be used alongside the storybook The Man-Eating Sofa (for 8-12 year-olds). Written in an engaging and accessible style, chapters explore the educational, social and psychological impact of autism and social communication and interaction difficulties (SCID). Strategies are provided to help parents and practitioners recognise and support these issues in the school environment. A chapter-by-chapter exploration of The Man-Eating Sofa provides an opportunity to generate discussion and facilitate understanding of autism and SCID amongst young people and adults who might not have considered the impact of social communication difficulties upon day-to-day life. Key features include: an accessible introduction to autism and SCID discussion points for use with The Man-Eating Sofa, to accompany young people’s reading of the story strategies are provided to support the education, mental health and wellbeing of young people who find social communication, interaction, sensory processing and emotional regulation challenging in mainstream educational settings. This is an essential resource to help parents, teachers and professionals understand and support pupils who are autistic as well as those who find social communication a challenge in the mainstream classroom.

Autism spectrum disorders are developmental disorders. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders develop differently. These differences are usually present in social interaction, communication, and sensory processing, and become visible through a wide variety of behavioral responses that differ from individuals without autism spectrum disorders. Despite significant research efforts, the exact causes of autism spectrum disorders remain poorly understood; however, researchers have gained extensive insights into possible pathomechanisms, even at the molecular level of cells. Many diagnostic criteria have been developed, adapted, and improved. The eight chapters in this book highlight the current state-of-the-art in many areas of autism spectrum disorders. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders and the current knowledge of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Chapter 2 summarizes the diagnostic criteria and procedures and highlights present and upcoming therapeutic strategies. Chapter 3 reviews the adverse events and trauma in people with autism spectrum disorders. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on atypical sensory processing, and Chapter 6 discusses the genetic overlap of autism spectrum disorders with other neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and schizophrenia. Chapter 7 focuses on the contribution of abnormalities in mitochondria, and chapter 8 discusses gut-brain interactions and a potential role for microbiota in autism spectrum disorders. This book is aimed primarily at clinicians and scientists, but many areas will also be of interest to the layperson.

This practical guide is written to help assistants in supporting children who have behavior difficulties. The author provides a description of the role of the assistant in working with the class teacher to enable children to learn good behavior in schools, a clear description of the range of behavior difficulties, and information on strategies that work in managing behavior. The book is relevant and useful for any assistant working directly with children, as all assistants in the course of their work need to develop a repertoire of effective strategies for managing behavior. It is particularly helpful for assistants who work routinely with children who present behavior problems as it guides understanding and provides a helpful framework for knowing where to start, what to do and how to do it. The book is also an invaluable resource in the training of assistants.

- Professionals can be trained in the program and its methods - Translates scientific knowledge so that practitioners and parents can easily understand the current state of knowledge - Offers strategies that can be tailored to an individual's unique developmental and functional level - Advises parents on how to become involved in all phases of intervention as collaborators, co-therapists, and advocates. - Details how the program can be introduced and adapted for individuals of all ages, from preschooler to adult

Among the disabilities covered at the state and federal levels, autism and related conditions are a sharply growing diagnostic category among children and young adults. In education, administrators and practitioners working with affected learners are continually faced with confronting difficult problems such as getting adequate personnel training and choosing appropriate tools and techniques that best fit the specific needs of their students while at the same time satisfying their budget, technical resources, curriculum, and profile of the ASD population they serve. The choice of appropriate tools is especially complex due to the intrinsic connection between technical specifications, educational/therapeutic methods, and the wide variety of ASDs and related conditions. In this respect, tools chosen to support children may need to target those diagnosed not only with ASD but also with such co-morbidity conditions as attention deficit disorder. The instructional strategies and use of technology currently have room for improvement for online, hybrid, and face-to-face counseling settings. Also, an effective evaluation of educational technologies and tools would be fundamentally incomplete without a thorough understanding and assessment of the related special education practices as well as psychological and neurological issues specific for ASD and learning disabilities. Education and Technology Support for Children and Young Adults With ASD and Learning Disabilities provides an in-depth analysis on the use of available technology solutions, instructional design methods, and assessment techniques in the context of standards and regulations in classroom or counseling settings. The chapters contain theoretical analyses, vital practical information, and case studies that can function as guidelines for those involved in helping children and young adults with ASD or learning disabilities in online, hybrid, or face-to-face environments. While highlighting topics such as inclusive education, online gaming environments, assistive technologies, and cognitive development, this book is ideally intended for administrators, instructional technology specialists, special education faculty, counselors, instructional designers, course developers, social workers, and psychologists along with practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, and academicians interested in education and technology support for children and young adults with ASD and learning disabilities.

Inclusive education has grown as an international movement to not only support students with disabilities but also promote equitable access, participation, and success for all students. This book will transform the capacity of teachers and specialists working with students and families to effectively support an inclusive approach to education for students on the autism spectrum. This book addresses the urgent need to identify inclusive educational environments and strategies for students on the autism spectrum so that they have the best chance of social, behavioural, and academic success at school. Teachers who include students on the autism spectrum in primary and secondary classrooms require greater knowledge of how they can best support the learning, social, and behavioural needs of their students. Without such knowledge, the consequences can include unsatisfactory learning experiences for all students, and interrupted schooling for the student on the autism spectrum through reduced attendance and retention, lower academic performance, exclusion, disengagement, and pressure on parents to make alternative arrangements for their child’s education. Inclusive education is socially, emotionally, and academically beneficial for all students and positively impacts on respectful attitudes to difference. This book presents innovative, evidence-based practices that will build the capacity of teachers and specialists implementing an inclusive and contextually relevant approach to education that will support students on the autism spectrum and meet the diverse needs of all students in their classrooms.