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Keep Calm and Carry On – a crash course in combatting exam-xiety

20th March 2025/in Blog post /by M

By Josh Collins (part of the Reachout ASC team)

Keep Calm and carry on – A crash course in combatting exam-xiety

When I was growing up, the slogan ‘keep calm and carry on’ was seen on every marketable item available, parodied and spoofed more times than ways I’ve shoehorned my special interests into conversation. I even remember having a Star Trek poster as a teen that replaced the iconic messaging with ‘live long and prosper’ instead, both helpful messages whatever you may be going through.

The famous slogan took off at an uncertain and scary time for many as a message of comfort, reassuring the people of wartime Britain, possibly your grandparents or great grandparents, that we all face challenges best when we are level-headed and have faith that we are doing the best we can— keeping calm and carrying on.

Anyone who has ever gone through a stressful period, which is everyone, will know that it is easier said than done, and autistic people know this better than most. Stress overloads our brains more easily, and a tendency to hyper fixate makes the stress worse.

We can all agree, the pressure to excel in our SATs and GCSEs is second to none. We want to make our parents and teachers happy, we equally fear a potential punishment or judgement from them as well. We may also have strong plans about what we want to do leaving primary school or high school, and would understandably feel awful if we do not secure the school, college, or apprenticeship, we had in mind.

It is a difficult time for almost everyone, and I am relieved I do not have to do it all again. I left high school 9 years ago, which means I have had a lot of time to reflect on these experiences and give you, the reader, the toolkit you need to deal with the exams and SATs period.

Mascots, are a fun way to ground yourself in the exam hall

I remember for our SATs, we were all allowed to bring in a small item that would be our good luck charm. They all sat on a little table at the front, cheering us on as we scribbled away. I brought in a small Buddha statue that lived on our kitchen windowsill at the time, but it could be anything, and it definitely can be related to your special interest.

Whether you believe in good luck or not, and whether schools allow you to do this now, having an item that brings you comfort has the power to get you through your exams. Autistic people naturally have an artillery of grounding strategies, they just don’t look like that to the average person.

Whether it is stimming or engaging big time with your passions, think of them like an item you can touch and sense and bring it with you into the exam. Anything that keeps you grounded, anything that reminds you of the good times before, at present, and ahead, is a thought worth savouring. Those warm feelings are your beacons of light in the exam hall storm.

Know when you’ve done everything you can

Fight the impulse to cram or study the day before. There will come a point where you will know you have done everything you can for your tests, exams, coursework, and you will know when this is when you’ve gone through all the subject matter of your exams. Before a big deadline, if you can, do something you enjoy, have a good dinner, and get some rest. This won’t be anything your parents, guardians, or teachers have not told you before, but sometimes all you need is a little reminder.

Most importantly, cramming is a form of self-punishment, it fundamentally is your brain saying, ‘you don’t do enough’, which is not true at all. No one learns well when they are perpetually stressed, and down the line this could have worse consequences. Not only could it lead to burnout, but it can also lead to you associating study with stress when you are at college, university or in an apprenticeship. Most jobs require you to learn something one way or another, and what a sad world it would be if the joy and fulfilment of learning was spoiled because of SATs and GCSEs?

Invigilators are there to help you

Most of my classmates feared invigilators, and there are many jokes online about how situations where students hoped they’d be more helpful than they hoped. At the end of the day, they are humans just like you and me. They don’t go into the cleaner’s cupboard after you’ve handed your papers in, and they’ve collected all the loaned-out rulers and compasses. Invigilators have gone through the process just like you and I have, even to this day I have the occasional throwback to my exams, and they are highly empathetic to that. If you are feeling uneasy and need some fresh air, they can do that. If you’ve run out of water and your mouth is getting dry, they have you covered. There is always the chance that you may be catching someone on a bad day, but ultimately, they are there to help you. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need: their job is to help you if they can— ask and ye shall receive.

Grades only tell so much

No matter what grades you get, nothing about you will have changed. You will be the same person when you leave the exam hall as you entered it. Grades are not a value of self-worth, and your examiners have no idea of the amazing individual that you are, all they see is a candidate’s answers and maybe about an hour’s worth of work. One hour of your life does not and never will define you.

If you do not get the grades you need to get onto the next step, there is always another way to reach your goals. Have a good chat about your goals with your parents, friends, and teachers, and see what you can find out about other plans. Having another plan in mind will help put your mind at ease about failing. In reality, exams such as SATs and GCSEs are a tool to get onto your next step to make your dreams come true, not a barometer on your worth as a human being.

No matter what stage of your life you may be in, keeping calm and carrying on is the way to go. Though it is never easy, knowing that you are doing your best to study and also to enjoy yourself do not go against each other, but actually work hand in hand to make your life more fulfilling and to help you tackle your exams head on.

Click here for a revision timetable

An Autistic Angle on Preparing Children for Secondary School

30th January 2025/in Blog post /by M

By Josh Collins (part of the Reachout ASC team)

A picture of Josh in the foreground with four of his friends, standing by a wall with trees in the background

Here I am with some of my friends.

It amazes me to think that it has been 8 years since I left high school and 13 years since my first day. I can’t help but think about how different of a time high school was for me, not just now, but when I was about to start back as a 10-year-old. Despite many efforts to prepare me for high school, there were still a lot of struggles that I experienced, especially earlier on in my high school life.

Here, I will be sharing how I would have done things differently as well as what I would have done the same.

Normalise that big jump

Big life events always come sooner than you think. When I started year 6, choosing my high school seemed irrelevant, it felt like years away. Of course, as time drew nearer, I was still surprised that high school started at the time it did. That’s not to say no preparation was done, but it didn’t quite hit the mark.

Although the transition from year 7 to 8 was equally as significant, as was the massive leap from that to preparing for my GCSEs, high school is the first time for many that a shift in academic lifestyle takes place. The commute is very different, a lot of pupils will likely be travelling a much farther distance than they were for primary school. Friends and social groups are torn apart when high schools are fighting for pupils and pupils are fighting for spaces. Routine is different, the high schools are much bigger, there are more margins for error, and teachers and parents will often play up the changes in a way that makes the change scarier than it actually is. What works for me as an autistic person is normalising the change as much as possible, as well as focusing on what will be staying the same as this happens. At the end of the day, everyone will be there to alleviate the worst parts of this transition, and autistic people are capable of making those changes, with the right support. Every child feels like the next step beyond them when it isn’t, and every child needs to be made aware of that change is possible. Lend an ear to concerns, plan together, and do something fun.

From A to B, sort out your transportation needs

As an autistic person, even now, I recognise one dry run is not enough to feel confident enough to make my way to and from school on the bus. When I applied for my most recent job, I made at least 2 or 3 journeys just to make sure I was there on time for the interview. For me, I found that no matter what mode of transport you are taking, that the one practice attempt at getting there was never sufficient. Every morning journey is going to be slightly different, and being sensitive to change, it has always been beneficial for me to get the feel of a route and plan ahead if anything was to change drastically. It was all about learning the mean average route. Of course, you can pick it up on the way, but there is the stress of getting it all horrifically wrong. My dad had to take me on the first day after missing the bus and arriving an hour late. Of course, this meant that I missed an hour of introductions and breaking the ice as well. There is no shame if it takes you longer than usual to get used to certain routes and so on. If you can, get a lift or find a friend who you can shadow if you are going to the same school (or an older sibling or cousin). I was the oldest, so I missed out on that. Practice makes something more predictable.

Ask for the adjustments you need and find systems that help

I was always forgetting things at school, and although there was the option of having a locker, I knew that I would forget the key when I needed it most. One of the most helpful things my first school did for me was a box that I could access containing stationery, spare ties, exercise books, and miscellaneous items that I needed at school. If your child would find an arrangement like this useful, then talk to the SENCO of your school. I avoided many detentions this way, and hopefully your child would too.

It’s worth having a sit down and looking at what helps others and seeing ways in which this could help you as well.

Be extra (ordinary/curricular)

Whether it was primary school, high school, college, and even university, balancing extracurriculars were always a difficulty. I would either take part in no clubs or societies or simply too many. In high school, this was something I received awards for, and I am glad I had the chance to do many, but with being prone to burnout, I would find myself in bed for days in half term just to recuperate. Alternatively, FOMO and regret set in. I found that 2/3 extracurriculars were a good balance for me, one I really set my heart on, and 2 others that I did not put as much energy into. Any more than that, depending on how these commitments clashed or didn’t clash with each other. Some autistic students can feel that clubs and extracurricular activities are not for them, or too scary to even try. But I would really recommend trying some. You just might find your friendship group there as you will be mixing with people who like the same things are you.

Find out what clubs are available from the schools that are being considered as well as clubs for children in the local area. See how they can fit the activity to your specific needs, anyone can do anything with the right accommodations after all.

Don’t be afraid to try things out that don’t sound great at first, or if it’s something your friend is doing and you’re not super into it. I have converted to many hobbies just because a friend was doing it, and I wanted to hang out with them. Even if you show up once, you have got out of your comfort zone, you will feel that much more confident in yourself.

Conclusion

Lots of things are happening at this point in your life. It can be overwhelming, the fear of slipping up is real. The way I reassure myself is by thinking about how many people make this transition every year and have done, and how they all made it out the other end. With the right preparation, it won’t be a matter of survival, but rather flourishing.

Links

Reachout ASC have developed our Social Detective packs, based on teaching autistic and other children about how we cooperate and understand each other, how we listen to one another and how we learn to read social information to make the best guesses about what is going on. For more information or to order a pack go to https://reachoutasc.com/resources/social-skills-pack/

My autistic experience of friendships

9th December 2024/in Blog post /by Lynn McCann

By Josh Collins (part of the Reachout ASC team)

Here I am with some of my friends.

For me, an autistic person, at 24, I would say that I am in the golden age of friendships. Social occasions are more frequent than they are seldom. Parties, gatherings, catch-ups, and fulfilling conversations and events are not at all uncommon in my adult social life. If anything, I probably have a bit too much on. Considering that we are living through a ‘loneliness pandemic’ and having heard many people my age complain about unfulfilled social goals, the fact that I am at peak friendship is ostensibly exceptional and noteworthy.

Growing Up Autistic: A Different Reality

However, growing up autistic, this was not the case. A lot of effort and soul searching was needed to get to this point. I want to share with you my story of how I got here and investigate why I had so much trouble in the first place. I call it an investigation because I want to understand why no one wanted to be my friend when I was much, much younger. I don’t think I will ever fully know; my brain was not developed to the point where I could have gathered the evidence and come up with a conclusion.

The Absence of Friends

What I do remember is wanting friends and how that absence felt. What made it harder was a burning sense of avoidance. This often boiled into what felt at the time was anger. My working theory is that I was so overwhelmed and anxious about having friends, that it either became anger or was mistaken for the feeling of anger.

My Memory of Avoidance

I remember being invited to a birthday party by a boy in my class. I had no reason to dislike him whatsoever. In fact, I had every reason to like him. I also could have gone to Puddle Town Pirates had I allowed myself to. That day, when I got home from school, I angrily stamped on the invitation and cried.

Why did I do this? Do kids just do weird things? Or was there something more? The whole cliché of ‘knowing I was different’ rung true for me, but as a child, I was too busy feeling for metacognition. Despite wading through the muddy waters of childhood impressions, what I have remembered and how I have remembered it will hopefully make you consider autistic relationships in a way you have not before.

The First Friend

When it came to friends, I didn’t meaningfully have any until I was about eight. Here and there, my parents’ friends would have kids that I would interact with, and I was very close with my cousins as a baby. I made my first friend when I was making houses for the ants from twigs and leaves. Even though we both knew that ants had ant hills, not needing us to provide shelter, we spent the whole of lunch time watching the ants.

I remember the few words we exchanged that day:

“Do you have any friends?”

“No.”

“Me, neither… do you want to be friends?”

“Sure.”

I definitely see the humour and charming social obliviousness in asking someone if they have any friends now, but at the time, it really was how we connected. It was the thing we had in common, which I was taught was what friendships are built upon.

Learning to Embrace Differences

Perhaps if I had the ability to meet a younger version of myself, I would encourage them not to just focus on what is similar, as we are often told, but to be helped to find a way to embrace difference in everyone.

A Diverse Social Circle

These days, all of my friends are different, and none of them are the same. In fact, my main friend group is very diverse, and outside of that, the friends I have peripheral to my main sphere of influence are even more diverse. Knowing this skill earlier definitely would have helped me flourish.

Summing up this chapter of my life in one word would result in me painting the corridor walls of my old primary school with the letters **t r a g i c o m i c** in bright red. Autistic people are very much capable of appreciating the absurdity of their own behaviours, and this is empowering.

Sustaining Friendships

Year 4 was around the time I was able to sustain a friend for longer than a few weeks. I would often find myself fighting and arguing over things I don’t remember now—topics that would have seemed so big at the time but are unequivocally small in retrospect. Some of these friends were bad influences as well.

The Influence of “Chris”

One such example was a child I will call Chris, who taught me how to shoplift using sticks and stones from the very same part of the playground where I befriended my ant-friend. That ant-friend, incidentally, is someone I am friends with still to this day.

Autistic children are more than capable of navigating the world of friendships and relationships, given the right support. Not being plugged into the same socket as the rest of the appliances in the kitchen where friendships are made means that we are vulnerable to people who could take advantage of us. Additionally, it means that we think that people who are our friends aren’t our friends at all—and vice versa.

Trial and Error in Friendship

It felt like I had to learn all of these rules through a cruel, gruelling process of trial and error. My friendship with Chris was off and on again up until Year 5, which concluded with a swift kick in the nuts from my leg. The last time I saw him was when I was invited to his house for tea. We watched YouTube videos and French dubs of The Penguins of Madagascar TV show, which we thought sounded hilarious at the time—all the while eating spaghetti hoops on toast.

I remember leaving his house early, limping home with a sore tummy, clutching onto my gut as I struggled back to my street, writhing in pain.

Teachers and Friendship Rules

Teachers attempted to teach me the friendship rules, but they did so in a way that focused on the shameful and harrowing consequences of social faux pas. I speculate that this was how they were taught, knowing too many people who live in fear of losing perception points in a made-up game designed to make everyone feel bad.

Why Shame Doesn’t Work

Shame is not a conducive or sustainable way to teach anyone, and autistic Josh at age 8 simply rebelled against it. No one taught me how to discern fake friends from real ones, often leaving me confused as I could not read the signs for myself.

A Cruel System

We have enough information collectively as humanity; it is foolish to let anyone learn something so painfully through trial and error. Do we get children to learn every rule of mathematics from the basic principles ancient scholars had to find for themselves? When someone learns to drive, do we let them take the wheel and figure out what the gearstick and pedals do through experimentation?

If we did, fewer children would know Pythagoras’ theorem, and we would fear for our lives as we crossed the road.

Teaching the Tools for Socialising

Yet, when it comes to socialising, almost everyone assumes they can be thrown into the deep end and know how to react to every single niche case. We are also capable of socialising. What we need help with is calibrating that sensor that tells us how to discern what people really mean—and for people to double-empathise and meet us halfway.

The Strengths of Autistic People

For me, the worst injustice for autistic people is there being an untapped talent in every autistic person that would make them great friends:

– A strong sense of justice is great for loyalty and for sticking up for friends.

– Candidness can help facilitate important communication and hard discussions before it’s too late.

– Special interests make us interesting.

Beyond that, the way in which every person mixes the ingredients of their autistic traits, and their self is different, and it would be immensely beneficial if teachers and parents were to tap into our natural strengths as opposed to going against them.

Golden Time and Friendships

At golden time, I would often draw these people I thought were my friends, using paper from the recycled paper box. I would let my imagination run wild with us having superpowers and going on improbable adventures. I would storyboard it all out and conjure up my own comic strips.

I’m sure you can imagine, then, how it stung when I found out that friends were hanging out without me or had reasons to dislike me for reasons they kept secret from me. They would often break off into their own factions for what they called “private chats.”

Intensity and Friendships

From the surface, my behaviour may have come across as obsessive. Tragically, this was one of the things that got in the way of me having friends as a child. Feeling very intensely about a friendship was an obstacle, as this intensity would often scare people off, or I would be too much for people.

My Best Traits Were Seen as Unbearable

As a child, I was upset that my friends found my best traits unbearable. My unbound creativity and generosity were seen as overkill to many children—who you would imagine would like such things—but not if it came from an autistic child they didn’t see as one of their own.

A Teacher’s Unkind Advice

I defiantly kept those traits, as my sense of justice led me to believe that I should be accepted as I was (which is what should be taught). However, at school, I was taught by my Year 6 teacher that I would be laughed **at**, as opposed to laughed **with**, if I acted the way I was when I went to high school.

The Burden of Preventing Bullying

This has always irked me. It put the onus on me to prevent my own bullying when realistically this was the job of the teachers. Perhaps I could be generous and suggest that my teacher foresaw that my new high school would not act upon it, and that people are not kind; even then, I fully resent this sort of cynicism of school systems.

The Complexity of Social Interactions

Looking back, I now understand what it is like to be overwhelmed by someone else. Having seen it from both sides, I can understand why someone would want to avoid a very overwhelming person, but I also understand that it is manageable if you have the right communications toolkit.

Concluding Thoughts

As I near the end of this piece of writing, wishing I had more time and space to include more anecdotes and examples, I would ideally conclude with a list of best practices. Unfortunately, I am only an expert in myself (if I can even call myself one).

For those who have read to the end, what I can advise is that socialising as a child shares the same complexities and nuances as your adult relationships today. The way I make friends now would all have worked 15 years ago; the difference now is that I have those skills, and through my own processes and learning, have found a way to tap into the magic of friendships.

My experience of having a teaching assistant throughout my school years: An autistic adult’s perspective.

28th September 2024/in Blog post, News, News articles /by Lynn McCann

By Josh Collins: Our Newsletter writer at Reachout ASC

September 2024

A white, blond haired woman sitting at a school table next to a white, brown haired boy wearing glasses. There are sensory toys on the table.

Teaching Assistants can work 1:1 with some autistic children in schools.

From my first day of reception to the final question on my third physics paper in June of 2016, I have had a teaching assistant sat beside me, or with me, in some capacity. For many across the country, a teaching assistant is going to be one of the people they spend the most time with. I was not a unique case; this was also true for me.

Over my time, I have developed strong emotional bonds with teaching assistants. Other times, I have had the opposite; having either silently or very verbally wishing to have someone else in their place. Regardless of how I feel about them, they have all bagsied a plot of land in my memory and summative ideal of a teaching assistant.

Can Social Stories really help autistic young people?

15th December 2021/in Blog post, News, News articles /by Lynn McCann

By Lynn McCann author of Stories that Explain

*Social Stories are a Trademark of Carol Gray https://carolgraysocialstories.com

As an autism specialist teacher, I have been writing social stories for over 15 years. But I’m the first to admit that social stories can be ineffective, damaging and even dangerous.

The trouble is that many people have heard about Social Stories and mistakenly think they are a tool to sort out misbehaviour, or to get a child to comply with something. These sort of Social Stories are ineffective because they are badly written with no reference to the actual structure and rules created by Carol Gray in the early 1990s for very good reasons. At best you might have wasted your time and the child and the staff end up feeling that Social Stories are not worth using a tool. Sadly, badly written social stories can also seriously damage a child’s self-esteem or put them in danger. The relationship with the adults around them can be damaged through them insisting that the child complies with something that is actually very difficult for them to do. The adults’ wrong assumptions can affect the child’s mental health and make them very vulnerable to exploitation. This is a serious matter.

I would always be fair to parents and teaching staff as they are often told by educational psychologists, advisors, autism trainers that they should use Social Stories without being given any training in how to write or even choose a good one from the millions of templates there are out on the internet. Wanting to help, people might search the internet and copy something that they’ve seen online and hope that it will help the child. Often, what they end up with is a script that breaks all the rules of how to write a good Social Story.

These are some of the things that make a script not a Social Story

Only talking about negative things;
Using language such as must, always, you need to, you will, you must, you have to
Assuming how someone will feel;
A list of rules or punishments;
What you must do to please somewhere else;
Explaining how your actions hurt other people and blaming the person for getting it wrong;
Insisting that the person understands your point of view;
Insisting an autistic person behave in a typical way or trying to make them stop being themselves.

A Social Story works really well if first we understand the experience or the issue from the autistic person’s perspective. Then we write the story in a way that acknowledges this. We use carefully chosen words to explain what we would like to help the person understand in a way that makes sense to them. Carol Gray’s rules on sentence types allow us to do this. Following her guidance means that we can write good Social Stories consistently and be more certain that there are helpful resource, and not a waste of time.

I have written Social Stories to help autistic children and young people understand many different social situations that they found tricky or confusing. I’ve written stories that help autistic children manage many different anxieties and prepare for new experiences. The topics I have written them about, range from “what happens to poo when it goes down the toilet”, to “why we can use other people’s ideas in our writing and how that helps us know what to write”. I have written about death, loss and fears as well as celebrations, affirmations and how awesomely autistic someone is. You can write Social Stories for very young children, for those who do not use verbal language or cannot read, right through to those who can discuss and consume very complex explanations when they are written in a way that makes sense to them. I personally write most of my Social Stories with teenagers who are trying to understand the complex world around them. We have covered politics, gender, revision, relationships, sometimes with a huge dose of humour as we seek to reassure and celebrate the young person’s life and help them navigate through school and beyond. Their views and aspirations are celebrated and often by this age, we write the account together so it is for them and with them.

In my book, Stories that Explain

https://www.ldalearning.com/product/communication-and-interaction/autistic-spectrum-condition/teaching-resources/stories-that-explain/admt14158

I shared over 60 social story templates for primary age children, that could be edited to support common situations that we have found our autistic young people have had to deal with over the years. Each one takes account of the sensory and communication differences as well as explaining the situation to help them understand it better. We write coaching sentences which helps a child make choices about what they can do in each of those situations.

I’m really passionate about teaching other people how to write good Social Stories… and we regularly put courses on to teach people to do just that. Keep an eye on our UPCOMING TRAINING PAGE for dates, or invite me to do training for your school, group or organisation. The course is open to everyone, at a reasonable cost and in the three hours I’ll take you through the rules, show you examples and then you’ll have a go at writing a story with my tutelage. I intend to give you all the skills you need to be able to go away and write your own social stories for the children, young people and even adults that you support.

This course is suitable for parents, school staff, and volunteers and carers. We can do it online or in person, so that people from anywhere can join us, and you will also receive a pack of story examples, the handout from the training and some helpful tip sheets so that you can continue to write the best Social Stories.

(Social Stories can be written for children, young people and adults so whichever service or age of person you work with, this course is for you).

Why does my autistic child suddenly meltdown “out of nowhere”?

12th June 2021/in Blog post /by Lynn McCann

*”A meltdown (or shutdown) is when a child becomes very distressed and emotionally overwhelmed. They can be caused by many different factors, such as situations that are unpredictable, sudden changes or things not happening as the child was expecting. They can also be delayed as the child takes time to process a difficult situation and sometimes are caused by a build up of stressors so not one particular thing has triggered the distress. The child in meltdown does not intend to hurt or harm or indeed cannot often control what is happening to them. They are often frightened, overloaded and the way we react to them can often make it worse, not that we ever intend that!” Lynn McCann

Understanding some of the triggers and also how to support a child from meltdown to recovery can take some working out – but here, Sarah Loveridge, one of our specialist teachers, gives some advice on where to look first.

Whether you’re a teacher, TA or parent of an autistic child, we’ve all been there. Everything seems to be going fine and then seemingly “out of nowhere” we’ve got a huge meltdown on our hands. Where did it come from? Was it something we said?

Believing that meltdowns come from nowhere is a dangerous notion. It leads to a sense of helplessness and frustration in us as adults as we scramble to try and figure out what’s caused this outburst of emotion. It also changes our perceptions towards autistic (and non-autistic!) children, painting them as unpredictable, out of control or just plain stroppy. Behaviour is often a communication that something isn’t right or that some need isn’t being met (whether that’s a toddler “needing” a toy at the supermarket, or a teenager “needing” to feel accepted, loved and supported – both demonstrations of a certain behaviour tell us something).

It might help to picture your autistic child as a bottle of fizzy drink. Every time they get triggered, they’re shaken up a little bit. This keeps happening throughout the day until suddenly the lid comes off and their emotions (sometimes quite literally) go everywhere. This is what we call a meltdown (or shutdown, when they internalise their distress) and it can often appear to come “out of nowhere”. This is because the triggers have been building up gradually until it all becomes too much.

The good news is that whilst with autistic children it’s never one-size-fits-all, there are usually some patterns we can look out for to help us support our autistic children before they hit the meltdown stage.

If we can spot these triggers and patterns throughout the day, then we’re one step closer to supporting our children better through the chaos that is daily life. This list is by no means exhaustive, but here are some key areas to look out for:

Often it is the actions of others that can cause the build up of stress and pressure. If the child isn’t being supported correctly at school, or if they are being picked on, left out or bullied by others. Check these issues out too. If a child can’t tell you, you will have to investigate and trust your instincts as parents or as professionals.

Communication

1. Whether your autistic child is non-verbal, talks a lot and has mature vocabulary, or is somewhere in between, they all have their own ways of communicating. If we push them to communicate constantly in a way that is difficult for them (eg lots of verbal communication with little or no visual support) then this can be very draining and may lead to meltdowns later in the day.

TOP TIP: Use visuals as much as possible rather than just relying on verbal communication, and make it a two way street. Get them to show you how they’re feeling or what they want, rather than trying to explain it. Use visual timetables to plan out the day and prepare them for any changes. Show them pictures of new or unfamiliar places (like the dentist) rather than just telling them. Using visuals can reduce anxiety and therefore hopefully also reduce meltdowns. We also need to give processing time – so pause often and don’t be too quick to repeat or rephrase something.

2. Some autistic children are very keen to chat, and will talk to you for hours about their special interest or ask a hundred questions about why you’re doing something. Although this may sound completely effortless it can actually be very draining, especially if they’re talking to somebody new.

TOP TIP: If you spot a pattern of your child being very talkative in the morning and then having consistent meltdowns in the afternoon, this might mean they need some help spreading their communication energy out throughout the day. Make sure they have access to sensory activities to support their energy levels and if you say you will have a chat later – make that a specific time and keep to it. They might need help recognising that they need some alone time in the afternoon to recharge. It’s all about balance – if they’re able to do a 2 hour presentation to a room full of people, great! Don’t stop them from doing that, but be aware that they will probably need to ensure nothing else is planned in for the rest of the day.

Social Interaction

3. This is heavily linked to communication and can be vastly different from day to day, depending on who your child is interacting with and how that interaction goes. Again, if they are in a new or unfamiliar situation (eg talking to a grandparent they haven’t seen for 3 years) then this will put more pressure and strain on them than if they’re talking to you or someone else they see regularly (and like!)

TOP TIP: Put some structure in place around social interactions. Maybe they could play their favourite card game with the new person and explain the rules carefully at the start. Maybe they can take some pictures of their special interest so they have something familiar to talk about. Keep the interactions short if possible, and you might want to discuss this time limit with your child beforehand. Again, they may need some time to regulate/recharge after a new interaction, so plan this into your day too.

And let’s remember the other side too – it shouldn’t all be up to the autistic child to change their behaviour. Tell the relation or visitor what their role is in this, for example you could encourage them not to keep asking questions or demand hugs. Ask them to give your child space if they want it and time to process. If you manage the time and intensity of new social interactions carefully, this can minimise the risk of a meltdown later on.

4. Social interactions in large groups can be very difficult for autistic children, as they try to focus in on lots of different people talking at once (especially if they have sensory needs – we’ll come back to that). Again, these times are often unstructured (eg playtime at school or playing football with friends) and it can be draining for your child to try and work out all the social rules required for them to “fit in” with those around them. Should they shout “goal!” every time someone scores? Does everyone hi-five or just certain people? How much eye contact does this game require? Why is everyone wearing a coat even though it’s sunny?

TOP TIP: Encourage the other children to explain rules of games very clearly (eg in our running race, where do we start and end? When do we go? etc) – it shouldn’t all be reliant on the autistic child changing to fit in so teach neurotypical (non-autistic) children how to adapt too. Give your autistic child an “out”, whether this is a space where they can go and sit if it starts to become overwhelming or a “job” they can do to get away for a bit. Again, be aware that after spending time in a group, your child may need some time alone or with one “safe” person to recharge. And also let’s remember, some autistic children might use playtime as a chance to regulate themselves after sitting in a noisy classroom during lessons so sitting alone might be just what they need.

Remember to give all children some specific praise when they interact well with those around them – things like “well done, you made space for each other” or “thanks for allowing everyone to choose a rule in your game” or “well done for giving each other a turn”. By stating specifically what they did well, we can give them some helpful clues about how to understand the social things around them whilst also explaining to others the social communication of your autistic child.

Sensory

5. Sensory needs that aren’t being met can be a constant source of frustration, confusion and sometimes even pain for an autistic child. For example, they may be hypo-sensitive which means their senses are under-stimulated and they fidget because their muscles are not giving the brain strong enough signals. To counteract this feeling, they rock on their chair or get up and walk around to wake their body up. On the other hand, they might be hyper-sensitive which means their senses are over-stimulated and light/sound/textures can become overwhelming. To deal with this, they may sing to themselves to block out other sounds, put their hands over their ears, run away or may hide under tables to get away from the light.

TOP TIP: It can be easy to create a “sensory safe space” at home or in your classroom by using a teepee, pop up tent or even just a blanket draped over a table. Ideally it will be quiet and fairly dimly lit, to minimise the potential for sensory over-stimulation. Create it together so it’s somewhere special and personalised for them. You could put a favourite book in there, or some music they like or a big beanbag to give their muscles some sensory feedback (especially if they’re hyposensitive) — personalise it together. This can then be used as a retreat throughout the day (before they become overwhelmed) to help them regulate, therefore reducing the risk of future meltdowns. It can also be a safe space to access during a meltdown to help them calm.

Remember – if they need movement then make it happen! Let them sit on a peanut or body ball, use a trampet, go for a walk or stretch with a yoga band. Let’s not teach children to suppress these needs but rather give them strategies and space to help them get sensory feedback in appropriate and safe ways.

6. If your autistic child’s senses are being over-stimulated they may live each day in a constant state of high alert. We might think they are anxious and worried all the time. Ever wonder why your child’s eyes dart around the room whenever someone moves? Or how they know exactly where each fire exit is? Or why they “patrol” the perimeter of your picnic blanket? Things that may seem small to us, like preferring a certain pencil or not liking the consistency of some foods can have a huge impact on how well autistic children are able to function from day to day.

TOP TIP: Don’t assume that a child is just being “fussy” or “picky” if they refuse certain objects or food. If possible, open a conversation with them about why they don’t like it. What in particular is making them squirm or refuse? Make a little note of it and see if you can start to spot any patterns. This will help you to understand your child more and figure out ways how to work around potential triggers that may lead to a meltdown later in the day. Pick your battles – do they have to eat porridge for breakfast or could they have some dry cereal? Is it vital that they wear a coat or can they manage without?

Recommended further reading – The Out-of-Sync child by Carol Stock-Kranovitz.

There is so much more we could say on this and we know that every child is different so be kind to yourself. It will take time and patience to figure out those specific trigger points but hopefully by starting to spot patterns throughout the day, the links between potential triggers and future meltdowns will become a little bit clearer. Your child will communicate to you and you can be their advocate. If they need adjustments, it’s the right thing to do.

Keep going, you’re doing a great job!

Written by Sarah Loveridge – Reachout ASC Teacher, May 2021

Supporting autistic children through bereavement.

20th March 2021/in Blog post /by Lynn McCann

Written by Kirsten Illingworth Specialist TA with Reachout ASC.

“Autistic children may react to a bereavement in different ways to neurotypical children. Some of the underlying perceptual and processing difficulties observed in autistic children may affect their understanding of death and their reaction to a bereavement. Autistic children, like any others, need their grief both recognised and understood and will need opportunities to express how they feel” (Katie Koehler DClinPsych 2016).

It is difficult to explain death and bereavement to a child and more so to an autistic child. During the recent Covid-19 epidemic many families have lost a loved one. For families with an autistic child, this is made harder as they struggle to express how they feel or understand their emotions. As well as suffering the loss of the person that has died, autistic children can be further distressed by all the changes that might happen in their day-to-day lives as a result of the bereavement.
In this blog, I will try to give you tips to help you support your autistic child to understand what is happening.

Prepare

Involve your child and try to prepare them. If someone is dying due to illness explain what is happening, keep them informed of any changes. If it is a sudden death this is not possible, but they will pick up and be aware of any changes within the household such as the atmosphere or routines. Talking and explaining about what has/is happening and also reassuring the child that it will not happen to them may relieve some anxiety and stress for that child. You can do this matter-of-factly and simply. Try not to expect that they will feel the same emotions as you. Keeping your own emotions calm as you talk to them can be difficult but having something to read or look at (such as symbols and pictures) can give you both something tangible to focus on.

Behaviour

Autistic children may not respond to the death of someone close to them in the same way as other children, but this does not mean they are not grieving. Processing the emotion and facts of the death can take much more time than you might expect. Don’t go on their immediate response to judge how well they are processing it. Changes in behaviour, increased anxiety, confusion, refusal to do things they normally do as well as talking about death are some of the warning signs that you must watch out for as this could mean your child needs more help and support as they are not coping as well as you thought.

Feelings

Autistic children can find recognising/expressing feelings difficult. To help your child to express/recognise their feelings you can look at different emotions in stories, pictures or, in the people around them so they can try and understand how they feel. We have some emotional literacy ideas on our blog about autism and anxiety.

Talking

When explaining ‘Death’ to an autistic child they may need help with understanding the idea of death as well as opportunities to express their grief. You can use simple, concrete language and try to avoid using euphemisms such as ‘lost’, ‘passed away’ or ‘gone to sleep’. You may need to explain what dead means in concrete terms – ‘When someone is dead their body is no longer working and their heart has stopped. A dead body cannot move or feel anything, so there is no pain.’

Memory Box

A good way to help your child could be to talk about the person who has died. You could maybe create a memory box of things that belonged to the person who has died or that reminds the child of the person that has died. By making it together with a trusted adult may allow them to open up about their feelings and worries.

Social stories

Social stories are a great way to explain things to autistic children. They can be tailored to your child’s needs and help explain feelings and emotions as well as events, such as funerals and what has happened. Lynn has created three social stories related to this topic in her book “Stories that Explain” but whatever you do in writing a social story keep it factual, positive and remember you are explaining the concept to them, not how they must feel or react. Give them choices about what they can do and explain the ways other people might feel or react without putting pressure on them to respond in a particular way.

Finally, we must let your autistic child know that it is ‘OK’ to have these feelings of loss and grief, be upset or angry, or even cry or not cry. Everybody is an individual and will deal with death differently. Attached are some resources that can help you and your child.

References
Katie Koehler DClinPsych (2016) Supporting children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder through bereavement, Bereavement Care, 35:3, 94-101, DOI: 10.1080/02682621.2016.1254437

Autism Bereavement Resources

(we do not endorse any particular resources, these are here for you to search and find the resources that work for your child).

https://www.autism.org.uk/about/family-life/bereavement.aspx http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2017/10/helping-autistic-children-understand.html?
https://www.winstonswish.org/bereavement-service-professionals/
https://www.childbereavementuk.org/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stories-that-explain-stories-children/dp/1855036185 – Social Stories Book by Lynn McCann

https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2018/09/free-social-stories-about-death-and-funerals.html – Free social stories

http://www.socialworkerstoolbox.com/child-teen-grief-information-parents-caregivers Lots of resources on this site such as the one below:
https://victoriahospice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/VH-ChildrenTeenGrief.pdf
https://www.elsa-support.co.uk – small cost resources
http://blog.stageslearning.com/blog/autism-helping-understanding-death – blog

childbereavementuk.org/supporting-a-bereaved-child-with-autism-spectrum-disorder – you tube video: https://youtu.be/P7EmW29Avx4

Autism and bereavement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzgtdtejQCs
Downloadable book to read with children. https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/2020-04/Saying%20Goodbye%20children%2004_20.pdf

Lego based therapy courses.

8th September 2020/in News articles /by Lynn McCann

Our Lego Based Therapy Courses are now available online

We have developing an online version of our Lego Based Therapy training which works best be for 2 adults from the same setting. In the afternoon you would be working with 3 children in your school for 45 minutes. For full details (and you can still take part if you are unable to work with children) please email us. Look out for course dates on our UPCOMING TRAINING PAGE.

5 Ways to support Autistic Students through Exams

7th September 2020/3 Comments/in Blog post /by Lynn McCann

Download here 5 ways to support exams

It’s that time of year again. Emma and I have been spending some of last sessions with our autistic Y11 students, supporting them and their teachers through these next few weeks as the GCSE exams loom.

We thought it may be a good time share some of the wisdom we have learned along the way. Here’s 5 top tips to help you if you are a teacher or parent supporting a young person through this time. Whatever it is they may or may not achieve, it’s just one part of education…and after years of doing this, many of them do just fine…

1. Tell the truth

It is often the subtle and not so subtle pressures from what teachers and parents say that causes so much stress.

We do tell young people that these exams are the most important thing in their life.

Parents pick up on this false importance and put pressure on their child. There’s pressure from assemblies, media and young people passing these messages between them. Teachers have been put under so much pressure. Exam results are what gives the school its status and many are in fear of their jobs if students don’t achieve expected grades. That pressure is naturally put onto young people and they are the ones who are supposed to ‘perform’ under that pressure.

Here are some truths:

You will not die if you don’t do the exams.
You will not be a failure in life if the results are not what you or your teachers were aiming for.
You may do even better than you thought you might.
Colleges reassess their pupils throughout the first few months so if you are put on an unsuitable course you can often change courses.
GCSEs are a step onto the next thing. Most colleges want students to come so will find a course that you can do and are interested in for you.
There are different ways to get a job in the area you are interested in. There are more kinds of jobs than you can ever imagine. Including being self-employed.
English and maths are the most useful GCSEs to have. You can retake them when there is less pressure from so many other subjects. My autistic employee took her GCSE maths when she was 28 and is taking her GCSE English now she is 30. I met a young man and his mum today who I used to teach. He went to a special school and is now at college. He is about to sit his GCSE maths and English because he now is ready…he wasn’t at 16.
Some people take longer to get where they are going. Life is NOT a race.
Exam results are NOT a measure of your worth as a person.

Take off pressure, tell the truth. Yes, tests and exams have a place in our education system but they ARE NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. They are helpful to get onto the next step, but there are many routes into the world of work and life so we have to stop putting the pressure on.

2. Find out what they are thinking and really listen

I am a big fan of mapping things out. I find that autistic young people (and many others) have so much going on in their brain and so many bits of ‘advice’ given to them verbally, that recalling any of it, especially when it is needed can be impossible. Others recall all of it but are too overwhelmed to use what they need and become very anxious to do EVERYTHING everyone said. Too much reliance on verbal language means the energy they need to process that is often much greater than it is for non-autistic students.

I sit with students and ask them to tell me what they are thinking, feeling, worried, confident, confused about. I write all this down on a large piece of paper. Often things come out that no-one realised they were bothered about such as “one teacher in year 10 said I wouldn’t get to university if I didn’t get an A in French” (this really happened).

The mapping out of what they say does certain things:

Prove that you are listening to them.
Gives you insights and information you may not have realised.
Enables you both to work together to highlight what is the biggest worry and what possible solutions there could be.

For some students just getting it out and being listened to is enough. For others, simple solutions present themselves from what you see on your map. For others, they may need extra support, changes and help to get them where they need to be. Often, we use the same piece of paper (leave space for this) to add some perspective. So, if you know they think they are going to fail, then you can remind them that they have attended all their lessons, done okay in previous exams, or whatever facts you can give to help them get that particular worry into perspective.

3. Aim to explain and manage the anxiety

A few nerves can help us be more alert and focussed, but the amount of anxiety many young people feel is way over this point. Young people are in a state of high alert, their systems so full of anxiety that they are fighting the urge to ‘fight, flight or freeze’ and some do have many meltdowns or shutdowns at this time. So, we really should be concerned with reducing anxiety so the young person can be calm enough to think clearly and do their best.

Many autistic students we support are very anxious at this time of year, not only because they are going to have to try and remember information for an exam, but they don’t know which information they need to remember, can’t predict or prepare for what the actual questions will be and so many other things are going to change around the exams (and probably already have).

Perfectionism

Here’s a handy video from Pooky Knightsmith. The rigid thinking and beliefs that nothing but a perfect score will do, and therefore they cannot do the exams because they might not get that perfect score, is very disabling when a student goes through this. It takes kindness and coaching to support them through it – and please don’t nag them or keep repeating ‘it doesn’t matter’ because their feelings are huge and they do matter to them. Taking the situation one aspect at a time, looking at the facts (for example the exam boards websites) and breaking the revision and tasks into smaller chunks might help. Some children are very distressed by perfectionism and they need less pressure because they can use the pressure you give them (you will call it encouragement) to blame you for their distress. Backing off, giving them options (even not to do the exams at all) often allows them thinking time and opportunity to try to do the exams. Perfectionists are usually very bright and will do well if they can get to do the exams and will need support to have time off revision and to get out into the fresh air or switch off from studying.

Sensory Needs

There will be sensory differences, a completely different timetable, familiar routines will change. Prepare the young person for this, and make sure familiar things are highlighted. This is a good time to write lists, use a calendar, or even return to using a visual timetable. Show what is familiar and add times of relaxation, sensory comforts and rest. Talk to your young person, tell them the most important things are that they can get through this, it is temporary and that eating, drinking and resting are the priorities (even over revision if that is a huge stressor as it is in many of our pupils). Make those sensory adjustments (a quiet room, sitting at the back or whatever will help them and make sure the invigilators know about those adjustments).

Take away the pressure

I often tell parents to take ALL pressure away and even act like they don’t mind how the young person does in the exams. For many autistic young people, the pressure is from within themselves, and their teachers, so a home which reduces the pressure is so helpful for them. Be careful to acknowledge your own worries and anxiety. Much of what you worry about is catastrophising too, banish the negative what ifs from your own mind. Start to look for opportunities rather than only seeing the barriers.

Affirm them

For some students we will make affirmation key rings to remind ourselves of these truths. You can make your own depending on what would help, or these from GoZen are good too. https://gozen.com/40-affirmations-to-bust-test-anxiety-rooted-in-science/

Exam concessions

Many autistic students are eligible for exam concessions and this will need to be discussed as early as possible. The school will probably want to do some assessments and there are a lot of adaptations that can be made such as sitting in a quiet room, having more time, having sensory or movement breaks and even listening to music (as long as the playlist is pre-approved). Here’s a handy booklet to explain it to your autistic young person Exam Access Arrangements

Document about exam concessions for schools

4. Keep routine, reduce demands

Prepare for the changes of environment, routine and what to talk about after the exam. One of my students was very anxious about having two exams in one day, but the biggest stress was whether he’d have enough time to have his lunch in between. The hall for exams was at the other end of the school from the dining area, so we found another quiet area, nearer to the hall which would have given him time and space to eat without being worried by more than he needed to worry about.

The biggest thing to help is reminded you young person what has finished. If necessary, write the exams on post it notes and take them OFF the calendar when they are finished. Or just put a big green tick through the date. It is done, finished.

Keep your routines

Keep as much of the regular routine that the young person wants. Familiarity will help them feel safe. Also plan some routines for the days they are not in school, don’t make them all revision days, but allow Playstation time and a routine for bedtime if possible (good luck with that!) Plan in meal routines.

What cones next?

Think of projects they might be interested in for the summer break. This will depend on your young person and their capacity to engage after the exams. Give them time to rest too. One family sat with their autistic young person and put a list of things they’d like to do and put them on post-it notes as a choice board. The young person could choose one a week, then put it back on the board in case they wanted to do it again. They ended up doing the same thing every week for the whole summer, but it was really successful in keeping them engaged and structured ready for college in the September.

If they do not want to go over it in any detail, or at all, then let it go. If they do, listen and then remind them it is finished. Help them to move on to thinking about the next thing. Make sure they have assured ‘down time’ or activity time after the exam, what they have chosen to do. Some might like to bounce on the trampoline, others need to hide under the duvet. Let them recover in their own way and if there is no need for them to stay at school, let them go home straight after the exam.

5. For those mainstream autistic students who are unlikely to do well in exams

Keep it in perspective for them. Give regular and undemanding times of support. If they have not revised all year it is unlikely they are going to start now. If they can be persuaded to do a bit, find the thing that will engage them the most, such as an App or computer based activity.

For some it is about the clear distinction between school and home, full stop, or just that school takes up all their spoons (see spoon theory here) and they just CAN’T. Putting more pressure on at this time of the year is likely to have the opposite effect you have desired. Bribery rarely works (although some negotiation for a treat afterwards works for some, I’m not a fan of it, it is often just more pressure to perform, I’d rather give the treat just for being them!) They may do much better than you think and be able to move on to the next steps. We have done a lot of work by now with our Y11 autistic students who are not good at exams. We have made plans, found out what they might do that they are interested in and applied for college, already the transition for college has begun and most of them, despite what the GSCEs will result in, have a Plan A, B, C or whatever they need. It’s not too late to discuss the possibilities for the future, charities do support young people with disabilities into employment in some areas. Find out what there is and have it to hand for when your young person is ready to listen.

It’s not the end of the world

Go over the truths at the beginning of this post and remind your student that this is NOT the end of the world. There are too many autistic young people giving up on education and feeling hopeless about life at this stage because all our systems tell them they are failures. I can’t bear it.

Let them rest and recover over the summer. Let them do what they like and emotionally recover from the trauma that school may have caused them. I cannot tell you how to get a 16 year old autistic young person out of their bedroom and into gainful employment, you have to let them recover and work from what they DO like, what they are good at. Even if all they do is play games online. Go into their world and start from there. Have some non-negotiables, like being safe, eating meals or whatever you can manage. You may be able to get help, you may have to find help and advice yourself, but no autistic young person is a failure and there can be a place for them in this society.

Get help

I wish I could do more about this because it is such a hard time for parents, but my best advice is to get online and start to talk to the autistic community. Find autistic adults who have worked in advocacy and advice or training and ask what they suggest. They have probably been through something similar and they are the best people to help and advice you for your young person.

And from now to August when the results come out – remember to allow you and your child to BREATHE!

5 ways to support exams (download the poster)

Here’s a link to the ideas to help the transition to college / FE

Here’s the link to supporting Autistic students in FE

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The right way to use Visual Timetables

23rd January 2020/2 Comments/in Autism in Primary School, Blog post, ReachoutASC General /by Lynn McCann

I bet anyone whose ever had a specialist in to advise them how to support an autistic pupil has been told to use a visual timetable. I bet it’s written down as a strategy in almost every statement or EHCP for autistic pupils.

You might have a visual timetable on your classroom wall. You might remember to put up the schedule for the day, every day, and even to take off each picture as you finish each activity. You might be remembering to do this for a child’s individual visual timetable. Well done if you have. However, if you haven’t had them explained to you properly, it can easily seem as a lot of work for little reason…

Research shows that many autistic people struggle to understand the nuances of verbal language, processing language at the speed of a typical teacher speaking and understanding the inference of language. Visual support enables the pace of instructions and information to be processed at their own pace and are available to go back to. One of these is a visual timetable or schedule that sets out the routine and expectations of the day.

I’d like to help you understand the full purpose of a visual timetable. It’s not just to let the child know what’s going on and in what order but it’s an important teaching tool. Here are some of the main teaching opportunities:

Developing memory and recall skills. Seeing the structure of the day can help with memory skills for children who think better in pictures than in verbal language. The symbols can be retrieved from the ‘finished’ pocket to review the day and put things in time order.
Teaching organisation and independence skills. The child should be managing their own timetable. That means self-checking what they should be doing and where they should be, managing the taking off of the symbols and putting them in the finished pocket themselves.
Developing working memory skills – seeing what is on the timetable can make recalling what has been done in other lessons easier. This can be supported by a lesson schedule or subject diary.
Executive functions such as planning, predicting, monitoring and timing can sometimes be difficult for autistic pupils. A visual timetable scaffolds those skills and most importantly the child can ‘self-check’ where they are up to. If your memory is poor and your anxiety high, then a visual timetable is THERE and easy to check. It doesn’t rely on the child having verbal skills or opportunity to ask an adult.
Less reliance on an adult prompt. There can be a learned helplessness when a child gets too used to an adult verbally promoting them all the time. This is why know how and where to check something for themselves is a good skill to have. Especially thinking about them growing up and how there is likely to be less attention from an adult at Secondary school.
A visual timetable can also let the child know when their sensory breaks are or unexpected events or changes are happening.
You can prepare a ‘change’ symbol to support a child learning to cope with changes or unexpected events.

Some useful symbols for changes

I sometimes see visual timetables as wallpaper, and by that I mean, they are pretty pictures on the wall – but then sometimes the pictures are not even that day’s schedule and the child hasn’t been taught to manage the timetable themselves. I might be told “Oh, we tried a visual timetable but it didn’t work,” Or “They don’t need a visual timetable, they’ve grown out of it,” but the pupil still has poor independence and organisation skills.

Visual timetables grow with the child. They should be age and developmentally appropriate. I have one – It’s a full term calendar on one sheet that I write in all my school visits, INSET sessions and meetings. It’s visual and I’d be very anxious (not to mention, totally lost) without it. Diaries and lists provide a similar visual aid to my life and how it is organised (or not!). If we want autistic pupils to be able to develop good organisation skills, a visual timetable can be a great start. Choose the right format for the child and you will get it right. We might start with objects of reference, use photos or symbols or colour coded words, and the format can develop as the child does. Sometimes teachers thing a child doesn’t need it anymore and take it away. Then the child’s behaviour and independence can begin to deteriorate. It is often the case that what they needed was an updated timetable rather than taking it away. It can surprise us how much the child was relying on their visual timetable. It is ok to have one all their lives – as they get older we teach them to self-manage their timetable more and develop their own formats if necessary. Like we do as adults with our diaries and lists.

AND IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER IT IS HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL! Let’s dispel this myth, once and for all. Use whatever fits into your space and what the pupil can easily use. I have known staff who have worried about this so much because one professional said do it one way and another said do it the other way, that they didn’t actually start using the visual timetable for weeks because they were so worried about getting it wrong.

Thank you for this image from www.northstarpaths.com

To share an example. Over the years I’ve worked with some pupils who were at risk of being excluded for behaviour. A visual timetable used to show them the lessons, ‘calm or choice times’, sensory breaks and, most importantly, when home time is, has regularly (along with other strategies) made a huge impact in helping the child navigate the day, reduce stress and anxiety and therefore reduce challenging behaviours. Honestly, it can sometimes be the pivotal strategy that makes all the difference for the child.

If you want to know more, there are lots more advice and examples in my book ‘How to support pupils with ASC In Primary Schools’ published by LDA.

I have Widgit ‘Communicate in Print’ software which I love for not only making visual timetables but also for supporting a pupil’s writing, reading and curriculum access.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.