Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. There are approximately 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. This developmental disability affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.
Autism is often diagnosed alongside other conditions. It’s important to support people with more than one condition in a way that meets all their needs, while understanding that the needs arising from autism are distinct.
Autistic people may appear to behave unusually. There will generally be a reason for this: it can be an attempt to communicate, or a way of coping with a particular situation. Socialising and communicating can be challenging for many autistic people. Many really do want to make friends and form relationships but find it hard.
There may be difficulty reading social cues and knowing when to speak or listen, and facial expressions can be impossible to read resulting in social isolation. Many people on the autism spectrum have difficulty processing everyday sensory information. Any of the senses may be over- or under-sensitive, or both, at different times. These sensory differences can affect behaviour, and can have a profound effect on a person’s life.
Please see the links below – this information will provide you with contact details or advice from a local hub where parents, carers and people with autism can get help, access services, support each other and meet other people and families in similar situations. We try our best to update these as regularly as possible but if you need further information for families or children please contact Fred Nicholson School or Orchard directly.
Attention Autism
Attention Autism is an intervention used with children on the Autism spectrum to support the development of attention, turn taking and social skills. It aims to engage and maintain children’s attention by giving them an irresistible invitation to learn. The stages of the session are designed to inspire spontaneous attention and motivate the children to share fun experiences while developing different skills.
The sessions consist of 4 stages; bucket time, attention builder, attention shifter and table games. Children are introduced firstly to bucket time alone and gradually build up to a full session of 4 stages. Each activity provides fun and engaging activities and adults supporting children are encouraged to model behaviour and show enthusiasm.
