Autism and the Post Primary For Parents (Key Topics 3 in 1)

Introduction to autism and understanding communication differences:

This session will look at the characteristics of autism and consider the autistic young person’s daily life and development. This session will consider how autism can impact the adolescent years and how autistic teenagers may think and learn. Strategies that may benefit when engaging with, supporting, and teaching an autistic teenager will also be explored. Additionally, this session will look at communication differences and how communication involves a complex range of both verbal and non-verbal elements. Autistic people often communicate in a different way to non-autistic people and will each have their own communication style and preferences. When these differences are not understood or accommodated, autistic people can experience challenges in social interaction.  Many autistic people wish to be socially interactive, make friends and form relationships.  Many also have a desire to be included within the classroom and wider community, but experience barriers when communication differences are not supported. This session explores communication differences for autistic people and how supportive strategies can be put in place to aid mutual understanding and facilitate positive social interactions.  

Autism, Sensory Processing and Anxiety Management:

Sensory processing refers to the ability of a young person to register, interpret and respond to sensory information. This is a complex process involving all the sensory systems (auditory, gustatory, visual, olfactory, tactile, proprioception, vestibular and interoception). When sensory processing is working well, a young person can engage in daily functional activities and social interaction. Sensory processing differences are prevalent in autistic young people and can affect every aspect of daily life. This session examines these sensory processing differences and will demonstrate how such differences impact on learning, leisure activities and choices, social interactions, and life skills in school and home settings. This session will also look at the anxiety experienced by autistic young people in many situations, with some experiencing significant anxiety difficulties.  This session will explore strategies that can be used to alleviate the experience of anxiety in autistic young people. This will include an introduction to cognitively based strategies, relaxation based strategies and how to develop person-centred strategies to deal with anxiety. 

Autism and Life Skills including Relationships and Sexuality Education:

The term Life Skills refers to a varied set of skills used to navigate practical, educational, and social challenges daily for example personal care, self-advocacy, practical living and creating and maintaining friendships. Whilst the skills are varied and often overlap, using them effectively and successfully enable the young person to deal autonomously with many challenges and opportunities of everyday life.  This impacts positively on the young person’s sense of dignity, worthiness, self-esteem, and well-being.   This session will examine the impact of adolescence on the autistic young person at the stage of their life where these skills are needed.  The session will explore the broad definition of Life Skills within the contexts of work, leisure, personal care and relationships.  Participants will be shown how to incorporate visual and behavioural strategies to support the autistic teenager develop and use Life Skills. It will also focus on the delivery of relationships and sexuality education for young people on the autism spectrum.