Explaining autism

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 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 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 23

Spring 2014

Ask the Panel: On Telling Your Child About Their Autism

Colour Coding: The Guaranteed Connection. Adele Devine has written a brilliant book on how colour-coding can help make life easier to navigate for autistic children. We ask her what inspired her.

Let’s Talk: Parents and Professionals Bridge the Gap

The Ten Commandments of Bringing up a Child with Autism: Debby Elley, co-editor and mum of twins on the spectrum, shares what she’s learnt over the last ten years

Sunny Side Up: Tips for Summer Fun

Issue 20

Summer 2013

Reviews: Sensory Parenting by Britt Collins and Jackie Linder Olsen; Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew (updated and expanded) by Ellen Notbohm; the PRT Pocket Guide by Robert Koegel and Temple Grandin’s Different…Not Less. Plus a round up of autism friendly apps with Flog Longhorn

The AuKids Oscars: Readers’ Votes for Best Product, Book, Speaker, App and Sensory Product

Ask the Experts: Other people keep breaking the rules!

The Autism Sundae Dessert: The Definition of Autism: an early incarnation of our ice cream sundae analogy, this was aimed at helping adults (in particular families and friends) understand the complexities of autism.

Here’s One I Did Earlier: Homemade Sensory Products and Games

Debby Elley’s The Last Word: ‘Busy Doing Nothing’