A social enterprise helping people on the autistic spectrum and the people around them.
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4 Conversation techniques to add to your social script
Posted: 10 months ago
Many autistic people create for themselves a 'social script' to help them know how to interact in social situations. A social script is a guide for planning what to do and say inside a social setting.
The Girl With The Curly Hair uses a social script whenever she meets up with her friends. Specifically, she uses 4 conversation techniques:
5 parenting tips for autistic parents
Posted: April 20, 2017
Being a parent is one of the most rewarding but also most difficult tasks and responsibilities this planet has to offer. Every parent faces difficulties and can be stressed at times, just as much as overwhelmed with love. Being an autistic parent can make all of those things extra intense and cause great stress on a daily basis. Here are 5 tips for parents, who are on the spectrum themselves, to help deal with the daily struggles. 1. Routine and structure We all know how routine and structure is important for people with ASD. Routine and structure is also vitally important for children (even neurotypical ones). Giving routine and structure offers children a safe haven in which they can explore themselves and grow. So routine and structure is good for both ASD parents and children. However, a routine or structure that is too rigid may cause frustration for both. Let me illustrate this with an example.How to encourage someone with ASD to do something
Posted: April 14, 2017
A lot of people on the autistic spectrum like routine, repetition and sameness. To give an example of what I mean by this, if things were always entirely up to me, I would never do anything outside my normal routine. I am happy doing a very small number of things, exactly the same things, every day, forever. So, what happens when someone with ASD is interested in doing something but won't, or when their loved one wants them to do something they know they will like, yet they still say no? How can we help ourselves or how can our loved ones best encourage us? For me, there are four main barriers. Here they are and here are my thoughts on how they can be reduced:Repetitive questioning
Posted: April 4, 2017
It is common for people on the autistic spectrum to repeat questions, words or phrases, or to seem to want to talk about the same thing. In this article, I will discuss why this might be, give examples, and suggest strategies to help. Personally, I do find myself asking the same thing over and over again. For myself, the primary problem is that I do not process social interactions very well (words, language, speech, gestures, expressions...). I can hear the words, but not understand what is meant. I receive the information but there is a delay before I actually understand what someone means.Tips for conversing in groups
Posted: April 1, 2017
A conversation involving multiple people or participating in groups can be extremely difficult for people on the autistic spectrum. There are lots of reasons why, including a magnification in the triad of impairments, i.e. the more people there are, the more people the person with ASD is going to struggle to listen to, talk to and 'read.' Whereas in one to one conversations, you can participate by asking lots of questions and answering the other person's questions, this 'interview' style of conversing doesn't tend to work in groups. In groups, it is more like you are just expected to already know about what is being talked about and contribute. Also, groups tend to have 'group rules' which may be obvious to neurotypicals, but not to us. Here are some of my tips for people on the spectrum, for conversing in groups.Difficulty seeing the bigger picture
Posted: March 15, 2017
People with ASD may have difficulties seeing the bigger picture and putting things into a context. Here are a few different scenarios to show you what I mean:
Helping teenagers to improve self confidence
Posted: March 7, 2017
Many people with autism also have mental health problems, which include: low mood, anxiety, loneliness and a lack of self-confidence. The teenage years are arguably some of the toughest years for everyone, so here are a few suggestions to help teenagers with ASD feel more confident. These are some of the things I wish my parents, friends and teachers had done and said to help me. I've written it for parents but it could be for anyone who cares about someone with ASD:10 tips to combat sleep problems in autism
Posted: February 15, 2017
In my experience, sleep problems are particularly common for people with autism. Here are my top 10 tips that may help improve you or your loved one's sleep. 1. Ensure a comfortable sensory environment Here are some possible solutions for someone who is undersensitive (sensory seeking):
The impact of feelings and thoughts on behaviour
Posted: February 3, 2017
The thoughts we have and the emotions we feel influence the way we behave (CBT model). I would like to look at this in more detail, focusing on people who are on the autistic spectrum. Thoughts I think the four most common types of thought in ASD are:
Difficulties and triggers vs likes and needs
Posted: January 27, 2017
One of the most helpful things about knowing I am autistic, is gaining understanding of things that help me and things that hinder me. Once I understood what are my difficulties and triggers, and my likes and needs (specifically, the things that make me gain social energy), I became aware of my limitations and was able to adjust my lifestyle. There are a lot of things I can do, but I don't (or I won't) do them. This is the way I live. It enables me to live a happy life and I achieve a lot of things. For me, putting limits on my lifestyle has been very enabling. In this article, I wanted to show why limitations can actually be a good thing.