What is Autism?
Autism is a different way of learning and being
Autistic people are all different and have their own unique strengths.
Here is a list of strengths we have observed in autistic clients we have supported:
- Fine attention to detail
- Excellent memory skills
- Able to recall whole chunks of movies, favourite videos or play scenes
- Able to communicate in a variety of ways other than speech
- Are able to know lots of information about specific subjects of interest
- Able to learn things quickly such as the alphabet, how to read and write and how to ride a bike
- Creative thinking
- Pattern recognition
- Able to recognise emotions in others and demonstrate high levels of empathy
Common areas we support our Autistic clients with
As well as having their own unique strengths, some Autistic people have their own unique communication support needs. Here are some of the things we support our autistic clients with:
- Communication skills
- Expressive language
- Gestalt language development
- Understanding how neurotypical people think and feel
- Managing sensory needs
- Managing and understanding emotions and emotional regulation
- Understanding neurotypical social situations
- Support with understanding language
- Self-advocacy
- Finding an Alternative and Augmentative Communication system that works for them.
Autism is not an illness
Autism is not an illness, autistic brains work in different ways from neurotypical people which are no less valid or adequate.
Contrary to what is usually perceived about autism, autism is a circular spectrum. This means everybody with autism is different, just like everybody without autism is different.
Check out our other pages on Autism for further information and tips and tricks on how to support your autistic child at home.
Further Information
1. Communication Development Center: Marge Blanc and colleagues offer a variety of resources on Gestalt Language Processing and the Natural Language Acquisition Framework, including multilingual resources. Visit Communication Development Center
2. Natural Language Acquisition Facebook Group: A community of over 14'000 people with an interest in Gestalt Language Processing. Get your questions answered here: Natural Language Acquisition Facebook Study Group
3. West Sussex Libraries: Offers a variety of
resources, including books and educational materials, to support language
development. Visit Libraries
- West Sussex County Council
4. Autism Support Crawley: A local community who support families of Autistic people. Visit Autism Support Crawley.
5. National Autistic Society: Offers information, resources and support for Autistic people and their families. Visit National Autistic Society.
