Come and meet the Special Needs Jungle team at The Autism Show this Friday and Saturday!
This is just a quick reminder for you. The Special Needs Jungle team is at The Autism Show this Friday and Saturday and we’d LOVE to meet as many of …
Category: Autism
Autism and Anxiety: What helps?
Anxiety appears to be increasing in children in recent years, or is it perhaps that we just appreciate its existence more these days than when I was a child? Whatever …
Mum’s brilliant home education helped me thrive as an autistic student
You may have noticed we’ve been featuring more young people recently. It’s a deliberate move to broaden the the conversation from what it’s like for parents or practitioners, to hear …
Does spending time with peers help autistic people to improve their social ‘skills’?
I’m sharing this post with my 19-year-old autistic son, Philip, who is looking for the experiences of other autistics who’ve been told they need to spend time with peers because …
Creating a PDA coping system, after CAMHS’ strategies failed my son
We’re hearing much more in the last few years about Pathological Demand Avoidance, a condition on the autism spectrum, although many parents are still finding it difficult to get PDA …
Social skills: How to understand and support autistic students
by Georgia Harper The complex social hierarchy within the school gates – a hierarchy which often punishes anyone who stands out as different – is daunting even for some neurotypical …
Shane’s story of being autistic in school: ‘I was the odd one in the class’:
Tania’s note: My ASD youngest often complains to me about hearing only the parent voice and not the young person (I’m still waiting for their own contribution 😉 ). However, …
Help get support right from the start for autistic children
Last week, I attended the first meeting for a new Reference Group “Right from the Start” established by the charity, Ambitious About Autism, the national charity for children and young people …
SEND parents of school refusers criminalised instead of supported
University researchers have discovered that most of the children of parents who’ve been fined or threatened with a fine over school “truancy”, have SEND or mental health issues. In England …
Plans and promises: Will the new NHS really be brighter for disabled children?
Earlier this week the NHS’s Long Term Plan was published. It’s a pretty big document and, as I’ve been away, I’ve not had much chance to investigate in depth about …
School can demoralise autistic students, help me celebrate our neurodivsersity!
Tania’s note: We recently featured a post from autistic teenager, Siena Castellon, about her fabulous anti-bullying work. Siena is now pulling in schools and organisations across the country to support …
ATU Autism scandal: PDA Society calls for Rescue Mission. You can help
If you’ve been following the horrific stories of young people with autism who are locked away or who have died while “resident” in Assessment and Treatment Units or ATUs, you …
“I’ve been bullied at school for most of my life” How Siena’s helping other autistic young people like her
Tania’s note: I really value being able to feature the voice of young people with SEND on SNJ, as we recently did with Lucy, from Ambitious About Autism. Today we’re …
Ambitious about an education: A young autistic woman’s experience
Recently, I took part in an Ambitious About Autism panel debate about the difficulties faced by young autistic people to get the right educational support to reach their potential. It …
Don’t mock my son’s talent just because it’s his autistic gift
We’re not usually mocked for something we’re particularly talented at. Yet today’s guest post, from SEND blogger, itmustbemum, is about just that. Why, she asks, do some people think it’s …
Shocking rise in autistic pupils being excluded from England’s schools
We’ve seen for some time the rise in children with special educational needs and disabilities, particularly autism, who end up being excluded – often illegally – from school because there …
Finding support for raising girls on the autistic spectrum
We’ve written before about girls on the autistic spectrum a few times before and, of course, I am one myself (an old girl!), so it’s a subject close to my …
70% of children with Pathological Demand Avoidance missing out on education
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), a profile of the autistic spectrum, has been increasingly recognised in the medical profession in recent years. However, the same can’t be said for how it …
My autistic son is desperate for a friend, but other kids won’t accept his differences
If, like me, you were a bit ‘different’ at school, you’ll know the loneliness of being the last one picked, the shame of people talking about you unkindly or the …
Parliament autism group calls for more autism training, speedier support, more understanding
A couple of months ago, accompanied by my younger son, I attended the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism in Westminster, as a witness. We were reassured that the evidence …
