Starter's Special

Why did we bring out the Starter's Special? Co-editor Debby Elley says: “When my sons were diagnosed with autism , I was left at the mercy of the internet. The information that I did get was somewhat dull and depressing. Then I met Tori, who has an amazing affinity with autistic children. She felt the same about the lack of positive, impartial, upbeat advice for parents and together we came up with AuKids."

Colleague and co-editor Tori Houghton adds: "We both thought 'Wouldn't it be great if AuKids could be made available to every parent or carer who has only just found out about autism?' It's such an isolating experience to be

told your child has a condition that you don't know much about. AuKids would give them an instant boost, knowing that there was great information out there and that they weren't alone."

"We jokingly call this issue our Greatest Hits," says Debby. "It’s some of the features that have gone down especially well with parents who are new to autism. We compiled the best of them together in this issue. We hope that it'll give parents a helping hand just when they need it”

Enjoy the Starter's Special, then move onto the rest of the library…

Love the team at AuKids x

Issue 50

Winter 2021

The AuKids Top 20 - Best Books from the Last Decade!

Ask the Experts - ‘My child is desperate for friends. What’s the best way she can make them?’ All our experts are autistic adults who give advice from a personal perspective.

The Language Layer Cake - The tastiest feature from our archive explains the stages of development when it comes to speech, in cake form. We like cake.

My Crystal Ball - As AuKids stops trading, what does the future hold for autism?

Plus, is our ‘new normal’ better for autism? And Bobby Elley, 17, talks about his experiences of echolalia.

Issue 49

Autumn 2020

Ask the Experts - Chris Bonnello, Debby Elley, Gareth Morewood and Maura Campbell answer a question about a child who is anxious about fitting in at mainstream school.

How to Solve A Behaviour Riddle: At the heart of much behaviour lie three common themes. We give some detail on the questions to ask yourself when trying to get to the bottom of a riddle.

Ten Ways to Support your Child’s Mental Wellbeing - Covid presents challenges for our kids and keeping a healthy mind is at the heart of this feature by Child and Educational Psychologist, Dr Paul Kelly.

Inside Angle - Wildlife photographer Alfie Bowen shares his struggles and triumphs.

Plus ‘Do You Run a Five Star Hotel?’ Yes, we know you do.

Issue 48

Summer 2020

Make Sense of Summer: Top tips on how to make the most out of ordinary outdoor activities to build on sensory input and communication.

Ask the Experts - My Child is into computers and focuses on things he can play by himself. Is this bad for him?

The Benefit or The Doubt: A round-up of recent benefit entitlements that could help you out.

Five Step Guide to Making A Passport: How to put together a ‘snapshot’ summary of your child’s needs.

Inside Angle with autism advocate Tim Tuff

Fast Forward Seven Years: AuKids has traced the progress of three children for the last seven years. What seemed slow and steady overnight suddenly seems like giant progress in retrospect.

Issue 47

Spring 2020

Homework: How to Win the Battle without Making Enemies: For the ‘from our archive’ section, we dug out this popular feature on tackling schoolwork at home.

Inside Angle - Alex Manners - Alex reflects on his parents’ worries about him when he was younger and shares the encouraging story of how he found his niche in life, with advice for readers.

Tell Me On A Sundae - We explain our thinking behind our new Ice Cream Sundae Guide to Autism book for children.

Pass the Pearls 2- Way way back, we asked parents of older autistic children to give us their ‘pearls of wisdom’ for parents of younger kids. Looking back, what were they most glad of? What would they change? What advice turned out to be most- and least - valuable? We loved this feature, so we asked a new set of parents for their views - and here’s its sequel.

Issue 46

Winter 2019/20

Ask the Experts. ‘My 13 year-old grandson is an able boy during well at mainstream. But he wanders around and seems unable to face the person he is speaking to…’

A Job Well Done: Double page cartoon strip with lively advice on giving instrutions to autistic children from Behaviour Analyst Dr Josh Levine.

Saying ‘No’ Without the Volcano - Discipline can be tough when your autistic child reacts so strongly. How to create boundaries without getting such a strong response. (from the archive feature).

A Different Path to Education - Seven families share their experiences of home educating their children.

‘Smile Like You Mean It’ - How Should We Teach Social Skills? - Co-editor Debby Elley, mum of autistic teenage sons, reflects on teaching social skills to children who may not see the point!

The Inside Angle: The Hidden Power of the Special Interest - Speaker Helen Clarke of Helen Clarke Autism explains how her special interests helped her as a child, and had a positive impact on her mental health

Issue 45

Autumn 2019

Be ready for the festive season! Years of experience with families (as well as our own) have contributed to some simple yet effective advice for reducing anxiety over Christmas and on the big day itself.

The Search for the Holy Grail. Another favourite from our archives goes straight to the heart of what you experience straight after diagnosis. You’re looking for answers, and lots of them. But everything seems so slow. Why? And what to do about it? Is there a Holy Grail? Read our guidance.

The Inside Angle - Jo Richardson who runs The Sanctuary Facebook page for autistic mothers, talks about ‘the anxiety demon’.

Time for Your Check-up! Making medical appointments more autism friendly.

Ask the Experts - ‘Sometimes when I try to persuade my son to do something he doesn’t want to (but has to), he kicks me’.

Cover story: Miguel and Amanda Hayworth run a company offering sugar-free alternatives, and their autistic children help out!

The Autism Parent’s Safety Gadget Guide. Elaine and Colin Pratt run Hartlands Holiday Centre for autism families in the Isle of Wight. Their apartments have been fitted with bespoke gadgets with safety mind mind. Check out the top 12 safety gadgets they wouldn’t be without.

Issue 44

Summer 2019

Ask the Experts: On hair twirling

Maps of the Social World: Using Social Stories to Help Your Child Navigate their Way

Inside Angle: 'We Are Capable and Deserving of an Education' - Christopher Finnes is non-verbal and shares his thoughts about how those with autism in his position are often under-estimated.

Stopping Those Little Interruptions: Does your child interrupt you all the time? We look at why this happens with autistic children and what you can do to help.

Puberty: Don't wait for it to hit! Expert author and mum Kate Reynolds gives valuable advice on laying the foundations for puberty early on.

A Meeting of Minds: Getting the best out of appointments: We all have them, but are your child's appointments really working for you

Issue 43

Ask the Experts: On noise sensitivity: Phoebe Caldwell, Becky Lyddon, Matt Mielnick and Emily Kellett advise.

Our Magical Trip to Disneyland Paris: The Toman family, who have two autistic children under ten, review Disneyland Paris and give top tips for parents planning a trip.

The Inside Angle: Stasia Gibbs-Lewis discusses what overload in public feels like, and what she does to recover.

Doorstep Drama! Top tips for little ones reluctant to leave the house.

Actions Speak Louder than Words Co-editors Debby Elley and Tori Houghton discuss what happens when autistic kids lack the vocal ability to say 'No' - and how we can help.

The Juggling Act: Expert Amiayla Durairaj reports on parents who succeed at balancing life with a special needs child and keeping a career.

Issue 42

Winter 2018/9

Ask the Experts: ‘My child keeps swearing!’

Welcome to the Alertness Hotel! Some kids are up on the top floor, some are at the basement...Welcome to the Alertness Hotel, where Occupational Therapist Breanne Black will show you the activities you can do to regulate a child's sensory system and bring them to their optimum level of alerness at our Ground floor.

The Inside Angle: 20 Pieces of Advice for Autistic Children: Chris Bonnello, who runs Autistic Not Weird, is a fantastic author and speaker. Here's his advice, handed down from personal experience.

Ten Tips on Tackling Change

The Smart Approach To Interventions In 2015, a jolly good book called Choosing Autism Inteventions was published. In its back pages can be found some of the best advice we've seen on choosing interventions. Hidden away it was, so we nicked it (with the authors' permission) and handed the best bits to you.

It's Okay to Be Me by Rachel Jackson: Rachel's a new children's author but her day job involves helping people to build emotional intelligence and resilience. She therefore has some brilliant advice on helping autistic kids develop self-esteem and happily she shares her personal experiences with her son Ben, which makes it all the more involving to read.

Issue 41

Autumn 2018

Ask the Experts: One reader's child keeps getting rejected when trying to make new friends.

The Inside Angle: Senses Working Overtime with Richie Smith (four page special).

In Harmony with Autism: How Musical Instruments Help Kids on the Spectrum

What to do While You're Waiting: The Aukids editors consider the reality of waiting for appointments, and how you can use this unwelcome time productively.

7 Ways to Be Your Child's Learning Partner: Dr Heather MacKenzie shares her top tips for working with your child to get the best from them.

Issue 40

Summer 2018

The Autism Books That Made (My) Publishing History: Director Jessica Kingsley looks back at 30 years at the helm of Jessica Kingsley Publishers, cherry-picking some of her favourite autism titles.

Ask the Experts: My son breaks everything.

Waiting for the Signal! Building language with a pause - how it works in theory, and what to do in practice.

The Inside Angle: An Insight into Anxiety by John Gorham.

Home is Where the Hartlands Is: Hartlands autism-specialist holiday centre is reviewed by the co-editor and her twin autistic sons.

The Last Word by Debby Elley: Climbing Mountains One Step at a Time: Debby reflects on ten years of AuKids, parenting, and growing independence.

Issue 39

Spring 2018

Ask the Experts: One reader's son is terrified of cats and dogs and she asks us for help.

Top Tip for Tablets: Jenny Laycock of Family Fund gives key advice on getting the most out of a tablet device.

The Inside Angle: Shutdowns - The Invisible Enemy. Tim Tuff talks about shutdowns, less talked about than meltdowns but just as distressing.

Time fo the Big Move: AuKids and the Wraparound Partnership give top tips for preparing for secondary school.

Living By the Rule of Thumb: Here's one technique to help children learn social skills without getting overload and anxiety.

Celebrating Super Siblings! Five siblings of different ages share their experiences of living with an autistic brother or sister.

Issue 38

Winter 2017/8

Ask the Experts: My daughter bit her Teaching Assistant. What can I do?

What's So Great About Tony Attwood? Who’s he - and why do we like him a lot?

The Inside Angle: Those three little words: Maura Campbell, feature writer for Spectrum Women, discusses the agony of open ended questions.

The Autism Friendly Classroom: Lynn McGann of Reachout ASC, which supports pupils in mainstream schools, gives her ten top tips.

After the Storm: Clinical psychologist Dr Carla Innes talks about the effects of a meltdown on parents, and what to do about it.

Issue 37

Autumn 2017

Ask the Experts: Why Doesn't My Daughter Make Eye Contact with People?

Have Yourself An Autism Friendly Christmas

The Inside Angle: The Confusing World of Metaphors, by Michael Barton: Author of It's Raining Cats and Dogs and A Different Kettle of Fish, Michael Barton explains how others can make the world an easier place for literal thinkers.

Lads and Dads: WHEN your son is autistic, life isn’t quite what you thought it would be. But the dads we know have found plenty of ways to bond in a blokey way, even if it’s not playing keepy uppies in the park!

Autism's Mystery Ingredient: When we learn the definition of autism, three key elements are mentioned, but only two of them are generally well explained. Problems with communication and social interaction are relatively easy to understand, but what exactly does ‘imagination’ refer to? Is it the same as Flexibility of Thought?

Issue 36

Summer 2017

Ask the Experts: What should I tell my child to comfort them when they hear about terrorist attacks?

Now That's Magic! Sparkling Strategies to Re-direct Behaviour: Sometimes it's not about taking away what your child loves doing if it's destructive or dangerous, but simply understanding WHY they like doing it and re-directing them to something better. Author Adele Devine shares some great examples of how she's done this with autistic pupils in the school where she works.

How to Build a Sense of Self: Our kids get lots of messages, often correcting them socially. It's easy to see why their self-esteem could take a dip. Trainer Tali Berman who is the founder of the Autism Empowerment Telesummit, a virtual conference for parents, looks at the Top 10 ways you can build an autistic child's sense of self, giving them the confidence that they need to develop into self-assured adults.

Tori's Interaction on the Go: Speech and Language therapy needn't be hard work, and co-editor Tori Houghton proves it with this lovely feature on how to make the most of a trip to the park.

The Inside Angle: Stimming and Me with Alex Lowery

Ask Aukids: Why Do I? Kids can be really confused about their own autism - why do they need speech therapy or help at school? Why do they worry so much? The co-editors explain in child-friendly terms why they have some difficulties and what to do about them.

Keywords Issue 36: The Play Doctors; dealing with bad news; terrorist attacks; re-directing behaviour; behaviour support; self-confidence; speech and langage therapy on the go; stimming; Alex Lowery; questions and answers for children.

Issue 35

Spring 2017

Ask the Experts: My Child Explodes at My Slightest Attempt to Correct Him. Why?

10 Tactics for Win-Win Schooling: Debby Elley, mum of twins with autism, gives advice on getting the best out of your child's school team when there's an issue to contend with.

Autism Through the Looking Glass: Reflecting on the Pros and Cons of Medication: Consultant Child Psychiatrist Dr Pru Allington-Smith guides readers through the range of options available and the advice regarding autistic children and medication.

Putting Parents Back in the Driving Seat: The PACT study won praise earlier this year for its superb results. But what is PACT? Fortunately Debby Elley and Tori Houghton, your co-editors, have first hand experience of the study.

Issue 34

Winter 2017

Ask the Experts: My kid has no sense of danger.

Distant Relatives: Family feature to pass on
Our children can seem to family members as if they're from some other planet. But understanding what's behind their behaviour can be the key to getting more from your young relative...our questions and answers will help you through the puzzle of how to reach them.

How to save energy when you're on emergency rations
10 Top Tips from the AuKids editors, for your long-term mental health and well-being.

Blogdashina: What's the big idea? Olga Bogdashina, researcher and author, remembers how one perplexing pupil helped her to think about the differences in autistic learning.

A Life Lesson They'll Never Forget Outreach manager Greg Loynes of the Together Trust talks you through his peer awareness training and the positive effects it creates when it comes to inclusion in mainstream schools. 

Conversation without Words: Dr Barry Prizant's latest book, Uniquely Human, has gone down a storm. Here the US-based speech and language pathologist urges people to look more closely at what non-verbal children are actually trying to communicate in other ways.

Issue 33

Autumn 2016

Cast Your Own Spell for An Autism-Friendly Hallowe'en
Top tips on a Hallowe'en with no nasty surprises, from autism expert Elizabeth Sautter

When the World Shares Your Special Interest: Autistic teenager Adam Barkworth's life has been transformed by Pokemon Go.

Don't Go Crackers At Christmas! Our supplement kicks off with top tips for Christmas Day.

Pull Out Shopping Guide for Friends and Family Ten ideas and tips for buying gifts for youngsters who have autism.

Blogdashina: Incoming Sensory Missiles: Renowned autism expert Olga Bogdashina talks about hypersensitivity

From a Black & White World to Thinking in Colour - How to improve flexibilty of thought: Lauren Kerstein, author of A Week of Switching, Shifting and Stretching: How to make my thinking more flexible, shares some great practical advice for improving flexibility of thought. 

The Sixth Sense: Proprioception is no longer a mystery!

Ask the Experts: Removing clothes in public

Issue 30

Winter 2015/6

Ask the Experts - 'I struggle taking my son to the supermarket. He has a meltdown every time. What can I do?'

Blogdashina - A Paper Blog by Autism Expert Olga Bogdashina
Aisle be Back - How Alyosha and I Tackled Operation Supermarket!

The Great Pretenders: How Autistic Girls Fooled the World
Three-page feature on spotting the signs of autism in girls and some tips and advice on caring for them. Plus, a review of Jennifer Cook O'Toole's groundbreaking book 'Sisterhood of the Spectrum'. 

If You're Happy and You Know it Draw A Face!
Our guide to writing a Mood Diary with your child, with some help from 007!