Autism and hobbies and interests

Here is a rough guide how parents and teachers and other guardians can help children with autism use their special interests.

Subjects: Art, science, music, craft, maths

Skills: Drawing, creating, writing, making, numbers

Knowledge: Birds, pictures, tunes, plants, patterns

Encourage the child to work on related activities to do with their interest. Eg if it is music, they can draw instruments, write their own tunes, write a guide, photograph things. Go to places of interest and learn about music. Join groups of same interest. Play the music instruments.

All these can help the child to socialise and not be alone all the time. They can also learn more and get educated. It could later on become a career.

So, what about me? Well, I liked writing stories at school. English, as it was known then, was my favourite lesson despite being bullied. And look what I do know – I am an author writing for adults and children.

This is a brief guide to a full book I have planned to write about hobbies and interests for children with autism, as part of the Rainbow School guide series and 'Learn about autism'.

Shopping as an Aspie

When I usually go shopping, I don't think about myself as an Aspie and how everything affects me. I just get on with where I want to go and what I want to get, then go home. But last time I went shopping, I took  note of all the things around me that could affect me as an Aspie. Here is what I thought.

On the bus going there, if I'm with my mum I will chat to her so I try to tune in to what she is saying and tune out others talking; but this can be hard when other people have v loud voices and shout to each other, and little ones crying. If I am on my own I usually look out the window and tune out other people talking around me.

Inside the shopping centre I noted all the lights and the music. The lights were quite bright and could really affect someone, esp a child, with a sensory challenge to lights. The music was quite loud in places, with different music coming from different shops at various levels. Can be a hard challenge to a child with major challenges with noise. I don't mind communicating with shop staff because I have to, but I try not to speak as much as I want to. One thing I don't like is having to go back and check something with staff in a shop eg being charged wrongly. I hate this as I feel that everyone is looking at me, and I hate confrontations.

So, here are my tips for shopping as an Aspie:

1. Write a list of what you want to buy
2. Put that list in order of the shops you need to go to
3. Try to tune out other people's chat on the bus
4. At the shopping centre, try to tune out the constant chatter and music
5. Concentrate on just what you want and where you are going.
6. If you get flustered, and have an Aspie card, and feel you might have a meltdown, then show it to people. Don't be afraid to do that.

So that is how I felt shopping as an Aspie and my tips for a good shop. If you have any more tips, please let me know.

Me, Asperger's and Fireworks

Tis the season... to hear fireworks leading up to Bonfire night. Yes, we get them early here in SE London, and I know others have too. I know that lots of Aspies have sensory challenges with noise, and fireworks can be part of that as they are v loud, some of them. For me, most fireworks don't bother me as they aren't that loud. But there are a few that make me jump (and my mum too) because they are either v loud, sound as though they are just outside, or there is a silence for a few minutes before a loud one goes bang. It is those bangers that make me jump now and then. There was one last year that was so loud and so near, that it set off our sensor alarm on the house.

So if you are an Aspie and don't like fireworks because it is too much noise for you, I have a few tips:

1. Wear headphones.
2. Wear headphones listening to music
3. If you have headphones attached to your TV, then listen to the TV with those.
4. If you don't, then if you can bear it, turn up the TV.

I hope you get some help from this post.

Me & Asperger's - the RNA talk venue

I am now posting about what the venue was like as an Aspie. The journey wasn't too bad - there wasn't too many people on the train and tube when I went (different story coming home). I found the venue easily as I'd been there once before. Usually when I have been somewhere once and know I am going again, I remember the route. The talk was at the Sir John Balcombe pub in Marylebone. There is the pub upstairs with the function room downstairs. There was music going on in the pub but it wasn't too loud and you couldn't hear it from down below. There wasn't any music downstairs. It had twinkling lights on, so if you don't like lights then it wasn't for you. It was fine for me. No noise, low lights. The seats were spread about, so people talking didn't get too much for me.

All in all, except the travelling by bus, train and tube, the venue was OK for me as an Aspie. I will go there again.