Watch this fascinating talk with Dr Felicity Sedgewick to understand how and why almost all autistic people use masking / social camouflage. Dr Sedgewick explains that this is exhausting and discusses how we can support children and young people to “drop the mask” by providing safe and comfortable environments.
Watch this demonstration of the helpful app “SOFA” (Stories Online for Autism) with Louis Camilleri. Learn how you can co-create stories with autistic children to reduce anxiety about upcoming events. For example, you will be able to create a story about a new school, introducing your child to their classroom and teacher and detailing what will happen the following day. Write a story about any activity to prepare your child and increase their confidence.
Join Tooled Up parent Judith Thomas as she shares her experience of parenting a child with a pervasive drive for autonomy (also known as Pathological Demand Avoidance or PDA), helps you to spot PDA and explains how much positive difference low-demand communication will make.
Listen to a heartwarming and inspirational story of how Tabitha Atieno’s experience of ADHD led her to build a school for neurodivergent children in Kenya. Tabitha also shares her journey as a mother advocating for her autistic son in the UK where they now live, and encourages us to nurture our communities.
Join Reena Anand for an exploration of autism among minority ethnic groups. Reena shines a light on the relevance of cultural considerations, norms and expectations when supporting autistic children and young people across different racial and ethnic groups. We consider how to understand parental responses and how best to support families.
Join Dr Kate Cooper for a deep dive into the intersection of autism and gender dysphoria. Watch this webinar for an understanding of how challenges with communication, dealing with change, and identity can affect an autistic young person experiencing gender dysphoria. There are lots of practical tips for support: how to approach this with kindness and curiosity, and how to empower parents in helping their children.
Join Dr Mary Hanley for an inspirational look at how the classroom environment can be adapted to reduce anxiety and sensory arousal in autistic children. Watch for details of the excellent (and free!) “Triple A” training that Durham University have created for schools.
Take a tour around a London special school with Riverston School as they share the ways they support their autistic students. Join K’dee Bernard, Director of Sen, and Nicole Damala, Head of Therapy, for insight into a specialist setting and some tools that can be used in any school.
Watch this comprehensive summary of good educational practice for schools supporting autistic pupils with Professor Karen Guldberg. Many autistic children are excluded to some extent from learning at school – from official exclusions to unofficial ones such as reduced timetables. Professor Guldberg provides the eight principles of good autism practice in a way that can easily be applied to any educational setting.
In this webinar, Ariana Wells from the Teacher Development Trust speaks to us about the benefits of adaptive teaching, a more helpful and practical model than differentiation. Adaptive teaching involves being responsive to information about learning, adjusting teaching to better match the student, and using a student’s prior knowledge as a foundation for teaching new information. Ariana provides some practical advice for teachers and school staff and how to create the best, most encouraging and accessible learning environment for all students.
