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 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 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 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 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 27

Spring 2015

Ask the Experts – ‘How do I know what’s upsetting my child?’
Valuable advice from autism lecturer and author Dr Luke Beardon, speech and language pathologist Heather MacKenzie and author and speaker Olga Bogdashina

The Great Behaviour Goal
Valuable, exciting, colourful hints and tips on creating the environment for good behaviour

Unlocking the Voice Within
Interview with Intensive Interaction expert Phoebe Caldwell in which she explains how she has made a career from connecting with severely autistic people who seem to be in their own worlds

What Is Theory of Mind?
It's a term that people use quite casually - but what does it actually mean? We use a familiar dress and a bit of humour to explain the concept.

Play it their Way!
We know what it can feel like to sit and watch a child play repetitively. Where to start? Here, that's where... 

Issue 26

Winter 2015

Voyage of Discovery: The final part of our conversation series discusses how to build social skills in conversation.

Seeing the World in A Different Light:

Looking into the affects of visual distortion in autistic youngsters - and how to help

Ask the Experts – ‘My child won’t sit and focus in assembly or carpet time’

Speech and Language Pathologist Heather MacKenzie, Occupational Therapist Breanne Black, Specialist Teacher Dianne Sandler and founder of SEN Assist Adele Devine offer their advice

Double Trouble or Twice as Nice? Personal stories from parents of twins on the spectrum.

Four touching personal accounts of the trials and joys of raising twins with either one or both on the spectrum.

Issue 24

Summer 2014

Ask the Experts: Why Does My Son Spin Things?

Dry and Mighty: Toilet training an autistic child

Please Can We Borrow That TARDIS? Four adults on the spectrum were given an imaginary TARDIS. What would they tell the adults around them?

Anchors Away! Conversation Series Part 1 - speech and language therapy made easy

The Kindness of Strangers: and what to do when your child has a meltdown in public

Getting Their Wires Crossed: Occupational Therapist Breanne Black explains why some autistic children are so over-sensitive to touch

Keywords Issue 24: Spinning; toilet training; autistic adults; conversation; public meltdowns; oversensitivity to touch; Breanne Black.

Issue 15

Spring 2012

This issue we spoke to sleep counsellor Chris Hoyle of the Together Trust, who took us through a detailed and down to earth explanation of why sleep can be a problem with autistic kids. More importantly, she had some easy ideas on what to do about it. An absolute must read for anyone whose child wakes up in the night! Our colourful Maps of the Social World feature explains all about Social Stories, what they are, how to write one and when to use them.

Ask the Experts:  Smearing - My little girl makes a mess with her poo and gets it on the walls. I am too embarrassed about it to seek help. Is this a common problem with autism?

Issue 12

Summer 2011

In this issue, Meltdowns are the subject of one of our most popular Ask the Expert features. Our double-page spread on parties for autistic kids, It’s My Party and I’ll Flap if I Want To, has some great inspiration to reduce stress at birthday get-togethers.

Our DIY Special, How to Build A Path to Communication, was so successful that it was available as a poster. Here we take you through the simple principles behind getting your child motivated to share communication, and all it takes is a bit of time and some patience. Our interview is with the director of Oily Cart theatre company, which produces drama that’s adapted for kids with complex needs and autism.