Jargon busters

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 13

Autumn 2011

AuKids is thoroughly in its stride by now and its editors, three years into publication, have been steeped in the autism world long enough to write some guidelines of their own. Reviews of Apps appear on the menu as their popularity among the special needs community rises. Our graffiti-style Jargon Buster, explaining all the weird and wonderful terminology used by experts, has since been made into a poster.

Ask the Experts tackles chewing with some great recommended products. In The School Run, we talk about finding a suitable setting for your child and how to communicate their needs to their primary school. We round off with a lovely colourful Christmas feature with some great present ideas as well as general hints to get you through the festive season.