Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is having difficulty learning to:     1. recognise and write letters and words       2.  link sounds, speech and writing.

• For an easy reading introduction, see  About Health.      See links for more detailed information.
• Here is a collection of scientific presentations:  Science direct       They address Specific learning disabilities and creativity.       new

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Demand avoidance

Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a profile that describes those whose main characteristic is to avoid everyday demands and expectations to an extreme extent.      Click icon to find out more.      See also: PDA Society        slide show

Mental health

The National Autistic Society has a page about mental health and autism.       Click page icon to view.        Also, Autistica has produced a help sheet about autism and mental health.       Click PDF icon to view.

Here is a handy guide to Healthy coping skills for uncomfortable emotions written by a psychotherapist.         (new)

Patients may be referred to a psychiatrist for associated mental health issues.       See NHS introduction.        Ambitious about Autism has produced a guide to making the most of an appointment.

Executive Functioning

Executive functions are the brain’s self-management system.        Problems with executive function can be linked to autistic traits in later life.      Click icon for Options help sheet.       It starts with James at school.

For more examples and how to address them read about Josh in this article.

Handwriting 

Options has produced a help sheet about developing early handwriting skills for children with autism.        Click icon to view.      (new)         See also:

• Letter dominoes is a game that is easy to make yourself.
• Here is a video tutorial setting out several aids – including pencil grips.      It offers insight into what does and does not work.
• This video tutorial demonstrates the sock method of teaching proper pencil grip.
• This video tutorial demonstrates writing 3 letters of the alphabet.       There are more related videos in the margin, too.
• Some mums provide a sloping board/surface to write on.

Alexithymia

A condition involving lack of empathy.        A difficulty in experiencing, expressing, and describing emotional responses.         Some with autism have this lack of empathy but many do not.      Click icon for an easy reading interview.       Professor Geoff Bird says that alexithymia and autism are independent of each other.

For detailed and definitive information see:  Alexithymia info 

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly affects the way people read and spell words.       Click icon for an easy reading introduction.        Scroll down for comments.

• For more detail, see  British Dyslexia Association  (BDA).      They also have resources for parents.       And much more …
• See Dislexia outreach for support in Lincolnshire.      They support parents, teachers, and pupils.
• See also under handwriting aids below.

Demand avoidance

Echolalia

• Here is an introduction to echolalia.       Mimicry is an efficient way to experiment with different sounds and practice emerging social language skills. 
• This article offers a medical analysis.       People with echolalia repeat noises and phrases that they hear.      They may not be able to communicate effectively because they struggle to express their own thoughts.        If they struggle to do anything other than repeat what has been said, they may have echolalia.        Some children with autism are regularly tested for this during their speech lessons.
• Here is a more detailed article about echolalia with autism – Even echolalia is a normal way to learn language.      Most children use echolalia to learn language.       The majority of children babble in a rhythmic way, which is actually mimicking the cadence of our language. 
• In adults – Echolalia should normally disappear around two and half years of age.      It is often considered abnormal if it persists beyond age 3 years.

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a specific difficulty with arithmetic, or maths.

• The Dyscalculia website looks pretty definitive.         It offers a handy introduction
• For more information see Dyscalculia Talks.       It has articles to read as well as video clips to watch.
• The Dyscalculia Conference website is aimed at professionals, but might be interesting to anyone teaching their own child at home.

Dyspraxia

A Developmental co-ordination disorder.

• For an easy reading introduction, see  NHS Choices.        Scroll down for comments.
• The Dyspraxia Foundation has a great deal to offer, including introduction,  children,   FAQ.       See also:  Home for helpline and  Local groups – including Leicstershire and Peterborough
• You may be surprised to learn that it can affect speech, see Speech and Language.

Specific Learning Difficulties

SpLD is an umbrella term used to cover a range of frequently co-occurring difficulties, more commonly:

• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia / DCD
• Dyscalculia
• D.D / A.D.H.D

Specific Learning Difficulties (or SpLDs), affect the way information is learned and processed. They are neurological (rather than psychological), usually run in families and occur independently of intelligence. They can have significant impact on education and learning and on the acquisition of literacy skills.

In general, a student may be diagnosed with a SpLD where there is a lack of achievement at age and ability level, or a large discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability.

See also an analytical view

Tourettes

Tourette’s syndrome is a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics.       See introduction

• Tourettes Action website seems to be the go-to place for all things Tourettes.      Click icon on the left to browse.       They have a Find support menu.
• The Lincolnshire support group meets in Lincoln and Grantham.
• Discussions :  Netmums        Tourettes & Aspergers
• Facebook videos might be worth a look.

Swallowing difficulties

Click icon to view help sheet for people with Autism about Dysphagia by a speech and language therapist.

Epilepsy

Autistica has produced a help sheet about autism and epilepsy.       Click icon to view.  See also Epilepsy Action:  Website           Information         Help & support

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Stand up comedy

Ria Lina does some aspie stand-up on The Now Show.      Click icon to listen – 8 minutes in.

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Sensory overload

Paris Lees hears from two women learning to cope as they deal with the complexities of human touch.      Sarah is an autistic mother with touch sensitivities.      Click icon for the podcast.      See also article about Sarah.

The life scientific

Research psychologist Francesca Happé talks to Jim al-Khalili about the abilities of people with autism.       Click icon for the podcast.

Children on-line

BBC Radio 4 had a phone-in about protecting children on-line in Jan 2019.        Click icon for the podcast.      Drag along timeline to 12:43 mins to skip car theft and find the phone-in.

Autism & communication

Michael Rosen finds out about communication with people on the autistic spectrum.      Click icon to listen on iPlayer.  

Atypical

Click icon to find the trailer for ‘Atypical’, Netflix’s new comedy series about autism.       It premiered in August 2017.     The eight-episode comedic series follows Sam Gardner, a high school senior on the autism spectrum, and his family as he navigates dating, school and being a teenager.      The link features an article followed by comments.

The first episode was dissapointing for one viewer.      In this article actor Mickey Rowe explains why he thinks Netflix’s series Atypical misrepresents its autistic audience — and why that begins with its failure to include the autistic community in its creative process.

Lucy Mangan on Responsibility

Click icon to listen to this intelligent and engaging interview.       Lucy Mangan talks to Bea Harvie, a post-graduate student, whose father got ill when she was thirteen.       Bea chose to take on a lot of caring duties towards her younger siblings while her Mother was busy caring for her Father.      She just got on with it until one day, when she was sixteen, it all caught up with her.      She says it is like shaking up a bottle of fizzy pop: ‘it’s got to come out some way’.

More or Less

The Radio 4 series that goes behind the numbers in the news.      For example,  in the Brexit referendum of 2016 the UK has voted to leave the European Union.      Click Brexit economics to listen to Tim Harford and the team explore what that might mean for the UK economy.      Click icon for more episodes.

Lack of empathy

How far can empathy, or the lack of it, can explain cruelty?       Simon Baron-Cohen proposes turning the focus away from evil or specific personality disorders, and to understand human behaviour by studying the ’empathy circuit’ in the brain.      Also speaking:   forensic psychotherapist Gwen Adshead, crime writer Val McDermid and  philosopher Julian Baggini.       Click icon to listen again to this discussion.

Men & Asperger’s

Asperger’s syndrome or not?  may still be available to hear on-line.     Why do so many women think their men have Asperger’s syndrome? 

Codes that changed the world

If you are a computer buff you might be interested in a Radio series about the history of computer programming.      One episode, about BASIC for example, was aired on Wed 8th Apr 2015.      You might be able to download the Podcasts of these programmes – still available Apr 2016.

Interviews about Autism

Radio 4 has been broadcasting a series of interviews about Autism.

• A conversation with Professor Simon Baron-Cohen was aired on Tue 17th Feb 2015.            He is a highly respected authority on autism.
• On Tue 24th Feb, an interview with a university research assistant with high-functioning autism was aired.      She explained her experience of life with very clearly.

You might be able to listen to Podcasts of these 15 minute programmes.       They should be available for at least 30 days after broadcast.      This one has stayed there for months.

The Village

August 2014.     The plan is to cover the 20th century from the First World War to beyond the Second World War, over several series.      The mood is perking up now.

Casualty

The episode on 9th August 2014 featured a very convincing and  well crafted depiction of a teenage boy with autism.       He took a liking to someone playing Eric Clapton on the street.       It could be interesting to know that autistic people are represented on mainstream TV.

Easy read

Mencap has several easy read guides for the life under current Coronavirus restrictions.      Click icon to browse.      Maybe the vaccine page might be of particular interest.

See also UK Government:  Road map out of lockdown       Census 2021

Support for carers

The government and the NHS has produced a Covid-19 carer support letter to identify yourself as a carer in shops etc.      Click icon for more information and to download the letter.

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For online workshops see: Related calendar         More resources:

Health

The NHS continues to update its Coronavirus page.       It is straight forward to browse.      Click icon to view.

Government guidance

SKDC has launched its Covid community information hub.       Click icon to get the latest for the Grantham area.

• Phone: 01476 406177 / 406358 : 8am – 7pm
• Email:  SKCommunityHub@southkesteven.gov.uk

See also  for the UK government’s complete Guidance and support

Resources and updates

Here is a collection of resources and updates for the current situation from the National Autistic Society and others       Click icon to browse.

Scams

Covid has changed many things over the past year and scammers are seeking to take advantage.      Click icon to read about it.

Social story

Here is a social story about seeing people with face masks.        Click icon to take a look.      If it is not just what you want, does it give you any ideas?      See also: how to write your own         free images

Face coverings

Professor Ellen Townsend makes a plea for compassion for those who cannot wear face coverings.       She outlines the many reasons why some people may not be using a face covering.       Professor Townsend leads research at the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham.
Click icon for article.       See also:  Mask anxiety

Lincolnshire heritage & culture

Lincolnshire County Council have a number of short stories from long ago, produced by Lincoln Castle, on Youtube.       Click icon to see the list.

See also:  Take part in research

Education & childcare

This is where the UK government sets out the up-to-date information and guidance to parents, carers and professionals for education, universities and childcare during the Coronavirus outbreak.      Click icon to browse.      In particular for:  Parents & carers       It gives Mon, 8_March as the return date for schools.

Here is a handy summary of how that is expected to work.      Look for the section on England.

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Online learning

The National academy is a free online classroom made by teachers, for teachers.      Click icon to browse or get started.      The official name is Oak National Academy.      See also:  About Oak       Wikipedia

BBC Bitesize s currently aiming its free online interactive resources at the lockdown situation.       So what is Bitesize and how do you use it?        See: About us         To browse or get started select:  Bitesize

Education technology

There is a range of help available to access remote education to those who qualify.       Parents cannot apply directly but need to contact schools to get help.      Click icon to find out more.       For example data allowances for mobile phones.

Parents 

The National Autistic Society has set out guidance for parents of children on the autistic spectrum about the return to school.      Click icon to view.      Perhaps this directive to schools about support of SEND pupils, dated Sep 2020, may still be of interest.      

Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum seem to do quite a bit of what you might call heavy lifting.      Click icon to see their Coronavirus articles on the right hand side.

Ambitious about autism

Ambitious about Autism has a section on Coronavirus and autism.      The education page includes a couple of pages on returning to school, dating back to June 2020.

Also, the Coronavirus resources page has some easy reading downloads.      Click icon and look for:  Coronavirus and autism | Ambitious about Autism.

Key terms

Here is a table of school years and ages:

Cambridge research