The Social World of Autism - challenging the myth of 'extreme autistic aloneness' Dr Jill Aylott - Sheffield Hallam Univ

1. The Social World of Autism - challenging the myth of 'extreme autistic aloneness'Dr Jill Aylott - Sheffield Hallam Universityj.aylott@shu.ac.uk

2. Challenging the myths of autism • Myths of autism: "there is from the start an extreme autistic aloneness that, whenever possible disregards, ignores, shuts out, anything that comes to the child from the outside" (Leo Kanner, 1943) • The 'Triad of Impairments' reinforces some of the myths of autism as it understands autism from a deficit model • The medical and deficit model has been dominant in the literature about autism • There is very little understanding of the social world of autism

3. The medical v Social model of autism • The Medical Model • Defines autism as impairments • Identifies the problem with the person • Recommends treatment and support • The social model • Defines autism as a developmental disability; a different cognitive processing style • Barriers in support and the environment • Recommends challenging the barriers e.g. training and reasonable adjustments

4. Research methodology • Participatory Research Methodology - Emancipatory research, giving something back • Developing a means and method of communication through the communication profile http://nursingstandard.rcnpublishing.co.uk/supplements/booklets-and-guides/autism

5. Research methods • Disposable cameras every 6 - 8 weeks • Ethnographic observations 1 day a month for one year • 11 children aged between 12 and 17 with a diagnosis of autism

6. Results • 1,350 photographs • People are important • exclusion rather than loneliness • metaphorical language had communication intent - hence the communication profile was important

7. Special interests versus obsessions • Creativity and imagination developed through photography • Autism as difference • Enabling in some and disabling in other environments

8. Autism as a different sensory and information processing style in common with each other that means that a lot of information is not accessible to them • Visual images are easier to process in terms of accessible formats

9. Barriers • Information - a need for remembering aids • Social interaction - the need for continuing stability and connection with people as the environment changes (such as a transition from primary to secondary school) • Relationships - not knowing when a relationship ends

10. Strategies • Advocate for reasonable adjustments to challenge barriers in health and social care and education • Identify special interests and how they can be built into motivating, reassuring and helping with the transition across environments

11. Strategies (continued) • Develop the communication profile to help challenge the information barriers • develop person centred training in autism to challenge support barriers

12. Examples of the social world C. that's a picture of er .. Jane .. she thought she would put some shorts on her head J (laughs) Why? C. she just wanted to do it I don't know why .. i didn't mind ... thought I'd take a picture of her ... she is important to me

13. J. and how do you get on with your nan? W. oh me and her are like solid J. oh really W. she's like a rock and so am I

14. C . hmm thats just sort of like • describing the paths where I walk

15. C. thats the one I took out of the • window ...looking at the paths of • where I walk at dinner times

16. C. and that's a bit of the • paths .. where I like my • quiet .. I like walking • on the paths

17. J. What sort of things do you look • for that would make a good picture? • C. Erm .. I often look at paths, cos • thats where I often like to walk on • paths so ... I like to take that