Special interests

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 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 22

Winter 2013

Reviews:

No Longer a Secret by Doreit Bialer and Lucy Miller; The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Elizabeth Verdick and Elizabeth Reeve; I Hate to Write! By Cheryl Boucher and Kathy Oehler; Plan B: Empowering The Single Parent! – to Benefit their Child with Autism by Karra Barber-Wada; The Pocket Occupational Therapist by Cara Koschinski; The Little Book of the Autism Spectrum by Dr Samantha Todd and This is Gabriel Making Sense of School by Hartley Steiner

What A Difference a Year Makes! Focusing on four children’s progress over the course of 12 months

Make ‘Em Laugh! How humour helps your child’s development.

Inside Cloud 9: Readers Share Their Kids’ Ideas of Heaven

Ask the Experts: When autistic kids feel that they have to be perfect…

Keywords Issue 22: Laughter; hobbies; perfectionism

Issue 11

Spring 2011

Includes one of our favourite features – The Autism Advantage, sharing stories of famous and not-so famous folk on the autism spectrum who are using their differences to their advantage. What do Gary Numan, the designer of Pokemon (Satoshi Tajiri) and Alan Turing have in common? I think you can guess.

Ask the Experts sees Professor Barry Prizant, Research fellow Greg Pasco and regulars Peter Lawson and Dr Luke Beardon (senior lecturer in autism) discussing echolalia. The key questions – what is it and should it be discouraged? (Short answer – No).

We’ve also got NAS Chief Exec Mark Lever talking about improving services for families of children with autism.

Issue 6

Winter 2010: Includes Pass the Pearls, a colourful collection of advice gems from parents who have been there and got the T-shirt! Ask the Experts has advice on obsessive behaviour. Co-editors Tori Houghton and Debby Elley review a new Lego club for autistic kids. Favourite review book from this issue – Motivate to Communicate! Fantastic, simple, tried and tested ideas for keeping autistic kids happy and occupied at home.

Reviews

The Thomas Centre, Lincolnshire; It Can Get Better…By Paul Dickinson and Liz Hannah, Motivate to Communicate by Simone Griffin and Dianne Sandler and the Day that Ravi Smiled by Gillian Lobel

Debby Elley’s The Last Word: Autism is Other People’s Worry, Not Mine’

Keywords Issue 6: Lego; obsessions; judgement.