Autism: To Help Me You Need To Understand Me
By Cathy Madden, Ylana Bloom and Dolly Bhargava
This practical manual was prepared by a mother of a child with Autism, with input from members of her daughter's professional support network including Speech Therapists, Psychologists, and Special Educators.
It was originally designed to simply provide those who moved into her daughter's network with an insight into her Autism and a working knowledge of who she is as a person. The project evolved to move well beyond these original boundaries. It empowers the reader by imparting knowledge, sharing everyday experiences, insights and more importantly, provides a range of successful strategies to reclaim control over the challenges posed by sharing a life with an individual with Autism.
Many books on this subject are written by professionals for professional readers. This book appeals to a wider audience and particularly targets parents. It introduces and explains key aspects of the disability in a language that makes it accessible and understood by parents, so that they can easily implement similar strategies in their own home. This enables parents to reclaim control over, what potentially can be, an 'out of control' situation, when dealing with this challenging disability. Having said this, it also provides professionals with enough content and innovative ideas to wet the appetite of any working in this field.
The final section of the package provides a template for carers to compile their own unique document, which can then be shared with family, friends and professionals. It motivates parents and carers to observe, reflect and record details of their child. As an end result, they will be much better placed to understand, predict, control and help their child be less fearful, less stressed and to also enable the individual to successfully live and cope with their disability. As the book's title suggests if you really want … "To Help Me You Need to Understand Me".
Excerpts
Introduction
Raising a child with a disability like Autism, is a lifelong learning experience for all the family. Routines need to be established, strategies need to be put in place and a support network assembled over a long period of time. What happens to a children with disability if their parents die or are incapacitated in some way? Who will take care of them? Even if they are fortunate enough to have a replacement carer prepared to take on such a daunting responsibility, how could they possibly know about the routines, strategies and support networks that have taken a lifetime to develop?
It is for this reason that I felt the need to assemble this information package about my daughter, which forms Section One and Two of this document. This is not just a document to assist her after the passing of her parents; it has many present practical applications. It can give those who move into her network a history of where she has come from, an insight into her disability and a working knowledge of who she is as a person, to better empower the reader to understand her and to know how to successfully work with her.
As I was assembling this information package about my daughter, I soon realised that the project was developing beyond its original purpose. My daughter's speech therapist, Ylana Bloom, encouraged me to share more of our experiences and strategies to a wider audience. It is my hope that our ideas might motivate and possibly inspire parents to implement similar strategies in their homes, as well as provide some stimulating and practical material for professionals working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families.
Section Three, is designed to provide parents and carers with a template to develop their own document. By completing the template, you will be providing the tools by which your unique understanding about your own child can be shared with others, so that they in turn, can be better placed to help your child through their journey.
Download the Table of Contents (doc 23 kb)
Calm cards
After the implementation of the Stress Thermometer, we continued to explore and develop Jessica's understanding of feelings and implemented a set of colour coded cards. Each colour relates to the feelings she had identified, and in turn provides her with strategies to remain calm or to calm down when she starts to feel stressed.
Jessica had also identified what makes her feel upset, mad and very angry. These triggers have been listed on the back of each card.
Jessica carries these pocket sized cards with her to school each day – her "Calm Cards". If she gets stressed she knows that she is carrying them with her, a ready reminder of how to cope with particular feelings and remain calm.
Jessica is now able to identify her feelings through the use of colours - in fact the whole family now refer to colours as to the way they feel, or how she is making them feel for example, "You are making me feel black Jessica".
ORDER FORM | Top | Resources
