Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person: A Parent’s Handbook to Supporting Newly Diagnosed Teens and Pre-Teens

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Remember our emotions are often contagious: if we are feeling highly anxious, those around us may well mirror these feelings or behaviours. Always consider whose needs you are meeting - if you are doing this because you feel you ought to, but really don’t feel prepared - it might be best to let someone else take the lead (perhaps someone from school), while you access support and develop your own understanding of autism. The Autism, Identity and Me Guidebook explores this in detail and could be a good starting point. If you are the young person’s parent or carer, it is likely that you will have your own thoughts and feelings about this whole process. You may have battled for years to try and get an autism assessment or are carrying the weight of comments from ‘well-meaning’ family members or professionals. There may be layers of guilt or worry over whether you are doing the best for your child. I have worked with many, many families over the years and I can tell you this is all ‘normal’, whatever that means! Have a plan for follow up questions : It’s OK to ‘park’ the question or give the young person a kind of ‘holding message’ - better this than to give a rushed answer that they later find confusing or unsettling. This fascinating book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of autism for parents wishing to learn about autism and how to support their autistic young person. While not shying away from the challenges that an autistic young person may encounter, Cathy adopts a strengths-based approach that focuses on embracing neurodiversity and nurturing the young person to develop their true identity. The book is very readable, and the resources provided at the end allow parents to explore areas further if they wish. An autism diagnosis is much more than just a ‘label’. If you’re autistic, you’ve been autistic your whole life and you will gradually become aware that you experience the world in a different way to many of your peers.

Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person : Cathy Wassell (author

Georgina Durrant, author of ‘100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play’ and Founder of The SEN Resources Blog. John Facchnini of Employment Futures explains how he helps organisations get the best out of autistic employees.The Council for Disabled Children’s new Director on their work to implement the Government’s SEND Change Programme - October 18, 2023 Set across 77 acres, less than 7 miles outside of Durham City, New Warlands Farm is home to our vocational training centre

Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person (Book Review) Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person (Book Review)

It turns out that this late diagnosis is more and more common, particularly in those that present in an internal way, who tend to mostly be girls. It turns out our child is NOT fine in school. In fact, they are so anxious, school is traumatising them more and more to the point they may actually become unable to attend. It also turns out that we’re parenting just fine thank you very much, and that since at least one of us is likely to be neurodivergent we’re probably parenting in a much more appropriate way for our neurodivergent child than all those neurotypically-framed parenting courses they tried to send us on. When I began to feel that, everything changed for me. I began to see that I had a future. I was given the opportunity to learn about myself, understand my brain, and start to make adaptations to my life which made it easier to navigate. I needed a healthy way to direct my anger at my experiences into something useful. So, I joined my local CAMHS young people’s council, to be able to have influence in shaping services. I then stood for election as a public governor for my NHS mental health and learning disability trust. I am now in my fourth year as governor. I started university to study mental health nursing, and I qualify later this year. I became a trustee for the Autistic Girls Network, of course. I started to write blogs, give talks, and work alongside organisations to create change. Signs to spot in your own child can include different behaviours in and outside school, and exhaustion. Find out more in this video. The award-winning sports podcast created by autistic learners that’s giving them hope and skills for the future - October 25, 2023 Acceptance Matters is a virtual conference hosted by the North East Autism Society. Featuring a panel of autistic speakers, the conference will cover topics including double empathy, school-based anxiety and nurturing autistic young people.This book will help any parent and their autistic daughter understand autism and prepare for an assessment. The book is full of practical information about autism which allows you to explore together your daughter's own profile on the spectrum. The book is easy to read and would enable you to gather all the evidence you could require towards the diagnosis assessment. What I love about this book, is that it also gives you ways you can support your autistic daughter, now, before the official diagnosis. It is common for people to worry about doing the 'wrong' thing and as you understand your daughter, you will find the 'Living well with autism' section really helpful and positive. Because our autistic girls should feel positive about who they are and the future that is ahead of them. Cathy Wassell is a neurodivergent mum to neurodivergent young people in a happilyneurodivergent family. She is CEO of Autistic Girls Network charity, which supports and campaigns for autistic girls and their families and author of Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person. She is passionate about educating others about neurodiversity to lessen the current stigma of being autistic, so that young people can grow up with a positive autistic identity This book is a fantastic addition to the literature out there on how to understand and support autistic young people. Getting your diagnosis after the early years still involves all kinds of difficulties, and Cathy Wassell talks through these in a friendly and informed manner, with personal insights and case studies which illustrate the challenges and the joys of being autistic. There is a wealth of knowledge and advice inside which will be invaluable for anyone working to help autistic young people thrive. It is important that the supporting adult is able to keep calm, give enough processing time and speak about autism very positively. I wish I had read this incredible book many years ago. My daughter – aged 13 – had a late diagnosis and this (hand)book is exactly what I need to be able to understand and support her better. I’d gleened bits and pieces of information about autism over the past few years, but it’s all here (and so much more) in one book, written in a clear and understandable way. So many ‘aha’ moments. Cathy Wassell’s book seems to have everything covered from co-occurring conditions to sensory stuff, with lots of practical advice on how to nurture and advocate for our autistic young people.

Autistic young people | North East Autism Society Autistic young people | North East Autism Society

There is also strength and solace in a shared identity. Much of what has been shown to increase wellbeing and reduce anxiety is finding your place in a community of like-minded people, such as with other autistic or neurodivergent folk.We recognise that the work we do wouldn’t be possible without our incredible team of dedicated employees. With opportunities within our care, education, employment and family support services, there’s a career for you at the North East Autism Society. This guidebook does what it says! All of us need nurturing, we also need help to find our way. For our young people this book maps the way forward from wherever you are on the autism journey. It aids the avoiding of potholes, wrong turns and dead ends to open up a road to less stress and increased confidence. Research shows that having a positive understanding of your autistic identity is an indicator of higher self-esteem and wellbeing as an adult. (Corden, Brewer & Cage, 2021 and Cooper, Smith, & Russell, 2017). Yet, when do we teach this?

Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person by Cathy - Waterstones Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person by Cathy - Waterstones

Rebecca Duffus is an Advisory Teacher working with students and educators in mainstream and specialist schools, plus local council and education services. Here, Rebecca discusses the importance of supporting young people to understand their autistic identity.When a young person gets a diagnosis, the parents may be offered parent programmes, and the school may be offered training, but what does the actual autistic person get? In many cases, young people are not given the opportunity to explore their autistic identity. In an ideal world, a young person would be aware of autism at the start of their autism assessment process and then be able to build their understanding on this topic gradually and over time, with the support of understanding adults. Unfortunately, an autism diagnosis carries with it a stigma, and becoming aware of this stigma can be damaging to a young person’s wellbeing as they get older – and the later they are recognised as autistic, the more problematic this becomes. Unfortunately, I am not alone in my experiences. So many autistic people go unrecognised and unsupported and end up with severe mental health problems. So many are not given support which they are able to engage with, because their needs aren’t met. So many are retraumatised by encounters with professionals and their experiences within the mental health system. Even for those diagnosed earlier, there is the risk of being made to feel like an outcast because of the diagnosis, or of being forced into traumatising therapies like applied behavioural analysis. This is why we desperately need change, and soon. Because autistic children deserve to grow up feeling included, supported, and secure in their autistic identity.