Exploring the “subtle spectrum” of autistic discovery
What is The Subtle Spectrum of autism? People looking for the genetic roots of autism have identified around a hundred genes linked to being autistic. The combination of these genes …
Category: Autism
What does the Government’s new Autism Strategy actually mean for autistic children and young people?
With Tim Nicholls, Head of Policy at the National Autistic Society If you’re seeking an NHS diagnosis for autism for your child or yourself, you are still almost certain to …
Whole School SEND Spotlight: The Autism Resource Suite
Autism is one of the most commonly identified needs in England, with more than 82,000 school-age children with an Education, Health and Care Plan for ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’, representing 30% …
Helping autistic learners recover from pandemic educational losses
with Louise Bull from the Autism Education Trust Today is the start of Autism Awareness Week 2021, with the focus for many on recovery from the pandemic (although whether we …
Why is He Still Here? Book giveaway
Today we’re offering a free copy of a new book written by the youngest author that we have featured so far on Special Needs Jungle. Max Toper is an eighteen-year-old …
Missing the mark: Anxiety and avoidance, illustrated.
with Eliza Fricker, SEND parent and illustrator Twitter, eh? Sometimes it makes you grind your teeth, or it can offer a spark of wisdom. Or in the case of today’s …
Why I’m using my new global United Nations role to promote neurodiversity and the importance of equality
Tania’s note: At SNJ, we want to pass on our huge congratulations to Siena for being selected for this incredible, exciting, global United Nations opportunity. Siena is an amazing young …
Left stranded: the impact of coronavirus on autistic people and families in the UK
with Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society Coronavirus has had a negative impact on every section of society, but none more than the disabled and …
Why the Coronavirus lockdown adjustment for people with disabilities and mental health conditions was the right thing to do
and Alice Irving, barrister, research assistant to Steve Broach. The current public health crisis has affected us all. But for disabled people and those with mental health conditions, or those …
RDI and me: How this amazing autism programme has helped me thrive
Having had a couple of SNJ articles out now, I recognised I was running into a theme of throwing up frequent bad news and depressing stories without counterbalancing it with …
New Autism Toolkit launched to get support for children #RightFromTheStart
A few months ago, we ran a story about the development of a new toolkit called for #RightFromTheStart to assist schools to recognise and help children with autism. I was …
I chose mental health over a prestigious Sixth-Form, that refused to recognise my autism
A lesson I recently learned is that sometimes admitting defeat is the best decision you can make. This time last year, I was elated about starting at a state sixth-form …
The Government must act on legal ruling against discrimination of disabled children
With Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at National Autistic Society Last year we covered a landmark legal ruling that was supposed to mean thousands of children with disabilities would …
Navigating adult mental health services as an autistic young person
I go by the name of Philip Milburn but you are welcome to call me Phil, I’ve spent some of my time interacting with the adult mental health service and …
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 …
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 …