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 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!

Issue 31

Spring 2016

Ask the Experts: My son thinks his willy is the centre of the universe

Cause for Alarm? What to do when anxiety gets out of hand
Step by step guide to tackling fear by Jed Baker, director of the Social Skills Training Project in the USA

Homework: How to win the battle without making enemies
To understand the problem that autistic children have with homework we only need to look at the word itself. It requires a child to take a task that they are used to doing it at school and perform it in an unrelated setting. Combined with that is a deadline. Oh good. What can you do? Here's our advice...

Virtual World Becomes Autism Friendly Thanks to Dad's Minecraft Makeover: Dad Stuart Duncan, himself on the spectrum, noticed that parents of autistic Minecraft players were craving a safe haven for their kids. So he created one - Autcraft was the result.

Oops I did it again...
We all shout at our kids sometimes. But when you're wrong do you ever admit it? How mistakes can become a great learning ground for you and your child.

Blogdashina by Olga Bogdashina
The international speaker and author recalls a very personal journey coming to terms with her son's fragmented perception.

Issue 32

Summer 2016

Ask the Experts: 'I worry about my son spending too much time doing the same thing again and again’. 

Do You Run A Five Star Hotel?
You've just been given a host of helpful strategies to encourage your child's independence by someone whose enthusiasm demonstrates that they've probably had more sleep than you. Then 8am on Monday morning happens...We all want our kids to gain independence skills. The question is, how do you do it without driving yourself batty?

The Way to the Land of Nod: Chris Hoyle is the Autism Sleep Clinic Co-ordinator at the Together Trust charity. Here we share three families' success stories where parents used simple strategies to help combat their children's sleep difficulties in very different scenarios.

Blogdashina - A Paper Blog by Olga Bogdashina
Expert Olga Bogdashina explains how cross-sensory perception affects her son Alyosha, whilst sharing what she discovered about the condition known as synaesthesia along the way.

How Smart Schools Stop Bullying
We all know that autistic kids are vulnerable to bullying. But what can we all do about it? AuKids looks at some of the best practice and advises parents what else can be done to help prevent it.

Issue 29

Autumn 2015

Ask the Experts - 'Why does my son watch the same DVD episode again and again...and again?' 

Santa's Gone Autism Friendly
Our Top 20 ideas for great presents for autistic kids, all tested by our team.

The Language Layer Cake: When speech doesn't happen, what does it take to get there?

Mission Improbable?
Many of our readers are parents who also run an autism related business or service. We wanted to know how they manage to juggle their home lives with a very personal, but professional undertaking. See how far six of our readers went with just a good idea and a lot of passion!

Keywords Issue 29: Repetition; watching same episode again; repeat; repetition; USA; Christmas shopping; speech; Olga Bogdashina; parents running companies.

Issue 28

Summer 2015

Ask the Experts: On resistance to demands

Spectrumite Mum's Survival Kit: Ten of the best things to pack in an imaginary hot air balloon, by co-editor Debby Elley, mum to autistic twins

Ten Exercises for Stretching the Comfort Zone
Think people with autism are inflexible? Sometimes the people around them can make this worse by avoiding change. We talk about gentle ways to help extend emotional flexibility.

Blogdashina: A Painful Truth
Olga Bogdashina talks about how she began to understand her son's discomfort around having his hair and nails cut.

Our Holiday Heroes
An autism-friendly holiday is hard to come by, but some forward-thinking companies are doing their best to create a more blissful breather.

It's All Relative
The tense, nervous headache that starts before you get in the car. Those gut-wrenching feelings as you draw to a halt and put the handbrake on. It's not your driving test, it's a trip to the relatives. We show both relatives and parents how to prepare for a visit.

Keywords Issue 28: Demand avoidance; demands; resistance; refusal; survival kit; flexibility; inflexibility; sensory games; Olga Bogdashina; holidays; visiting relatives.

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.