Education: Learning to Cope

1. Education: Learning to Cope Helen Ellis Aspergers Syndrome

2. What you are supposed to do at School: Make friends Have fun Learn new things Grow up

3. Wish List vs Reality

4. It’s easy to get lost without some help

5. Not just normal teenage issues Its very easy for an Autistic person to retreat when under pressure – to isolate themselves or immerse in studying/hobbies as a distraction from the confusion they feel

6. The mind works in mysterious ways ‘Using brain imaging, the researchers found that a specific network within the brain associated with social communication and self-regulation has a unique organization in autistic children’ Stanford University 2011

7. This can mean all sorts of things

8. This can mean all sorts of things

9. This can mean all sorts of things

10. Its getting easier to not just see the negatives

11. But a lot more work still needs to be done to make education a better experience for children on the spectrum

12. Catch the early warning signs Flushed skin Sudden stillness Extreme fidgeting, twitches, hand movements Slow responses with increasing confusion Short answers with less thinking time before responding Jaw tension, furrowed brow Reducing space; shrinking in to self Hyper alertness and distraction Freeze RISK FLIGHT RISK

13. Know the Meltdown process

14. Don’t Panic!

15. Remember: every Autistic person is just a different as every other child