Anxiety

Helping Autistic people recognise Anxiety and understand how to control it.

Bullying

Sadly, bullying is a common experience for many autistic people. If you ask parents and teachers what they tell kids to do in response to name calling, they will often say “walk away” or “tell a teacher.“ If you ask those teachers and parents whether those strategies work they almost always say NO! This is why teaching ecologically valid (what actually works in the real world i.e. what non autistic kids do to protect themselves from bullying) is vital. These skills will serve a young person throughout their life. In this session we explore what works and how to teach autistic people to identify the difference between banter and bullying.

Boundaries

Boundaries and expectations should be explained clearly to Autistic people. Young people need to know that professionals have boundaries. Should they meet one in the future who does not, they will know this is a bad situation to be in.

Autistic people often struggle to understand social hierarchy and all the unwritten rules around them. This topic will give you insights into how to address boundaries and expectations for both the young person and staff members.

Communication

Communication is a key issue for Autistic young people. Communication is a two-way street. In this topic Robyn will help you identify common Problems Autistic people face communicating with non-Autistic people, as well as the common difficulties non-Autistic people face when communicating with autistic people. This session is very practical and you will come away with lots of tips and tools you can implement to support better communication for everyone.

Empathy and Theory of Mind

Theory of mind is one part of empathy. It is a person’s ability to understand other mental states, predict consequences of their or others’ actions and understand others’ motivations. It is something that most non-Autistic children learn naturally. However, Autistic kids often need a little more help, but this can be integrated into everyday learning. In this session, explore what theory of mind is and the strategies and tools that can help.

Flexibility - how to help Autistic people think flexibly

Sometimes Autistic people are described as being rigid or thinking in a black and white way. Robyn explains how she has learnt to be flexible, and teaches you tips and tools that will help you to support Autistic people to increase their flexibility in a non-threatening way.

Girls on the Autism spectrum

Many Autistic girls often struggle to get a diagnosis. Their difficulties may not become apparent until the social world around them breaches their current social skill capacity. The social world for young people changes so much, especially between primary and secondary. Sometimes girls are diagnosed with mental illness before they are diagnosed as Autistic, so learning how Autism can present in different people can be very beneficial to any school.

How to help Autistic kids make and maintain friendships

It’s a myth that all Autistic people do not want friends. Sure, there are some who do not, and that needs to be respected, but there are others who have suffered so much bullying and confusion that they have no experience of a positive friendship to know if it's something they would enjoy or not. Sometimes kids on the spectrum get fixated on one other person. Sometimes Autistic people feel their friendships/social life needs to look like a Non-Autistic person’s does, but for many Autistic people friendships are exhausting and so they may need to limit their social contact to allow time to recover, or tailor their social activities to be more friendly to them. In this session, Robyn explains the common issues around friendship that Autistic people experience and how you might address them.

Managing and understanding emotions

Many Autistic people struggle to identify which emotion they are feeling. They may express their emotions differently, (i.e. their emotions may not be obvious through their body language and facial expression). Robyn will help you to understand how you can help young people to gain emotional literacy and put in tools and strategies to help you and the young people understand and manage their emotions better.

Meltdowns and Shutdowns

In this topic Robyn covers the difference between a meltdown and a tantrum. What does it feel like? How can you help to support a young person experiencing one? What things can be done to reduce the frequency, length and likelihood of meltdowns and shutdowns?

Online technology safety

Technology is a useful tool for many Autistic people and their families, but people are often unsure of how to keep their child safe online what can be put in place to safeguard them, and how can you have conversations about online safety with young people that will make sense to them, especially those young people who experience difficulties with theory of mind.

Periods

What difficulties might Autistic people experience when starting and managing periods? What can help make periods more bearable? This talk can also be delivered to young people or parents. Many staff feel uncomfortable about talking about periods Robyn has no fear she is practical, knowledgeable, friendly and approachable.

Preparing for post 16

The 14+ review can seem daunting for both parents and staff. This session explores what options may be available for young people post 16, how you can put in place things to help them manage this transition, and how Autistic people can participate in their local communities. This session will address topics which would be beneficial for many SEND children.

Puberty

Puberty is often a topic that people are uncomfortable addressing especially with vulnerable young people. However, Robyn has no fear and delivers a matter of fact but practical session on how you can teach key topics, and how you and your staff can deal with common issues.

Robyn's life experiences

When Robyn was born 3 months too early, doctors were not sure if she would survive. Age 15, Robyn got kicked out of school. She gained no meaningful qualifications in school and her prediction was that she would be a drug addict and homeless by the time she was 21. In fact, by 21 she had a ticket to speak at University of California Los Angeles paid for by The Charlie Bayne Trust. Now in her 30’s, over the last 15 years or so Robyn has built a successful career delivering training for staff on Autism, consultancy on sex, relationship and period education delivery. Robyn’s story will inspire your staff to recognise that what may seem like a small contribution to a child’s life and when all seems hopeless, you can make a big difference.

Safety

As young people reach adulthood and start to do things on their own, many around them see their vulnerabilities. In this session we look at common areas of vulnerability for Autistic young people and how you can work with them to understand risks and mitigate them. This session can be general or focus on particular areas such as travel, friendships or online communication.

Self-employment how can Autistic people access self-employment?

Self-employment can be a great option for many Autistic people. You do not have to do it full time and it can be a great way of gaining work experience to add to a portfolio of work for showing to protentional employers, as well as putting into practice things like Maths, English and time management. Potentially you can also engage in your special/intense interest. This session looks at how you can set things up and get started.

Sensory

Sensory issues have become increasingly recognised and as of 2013 are included within the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism (DSM 5). When people think of senses they often just think of the obvious senses. But to support Autistic children holistically it’s also important to consider interoception (sense of internal body processes temperature, hunger etc.) proprioception (sense of where your body parts are in relation to one another) and vestibular (sense of balance). In this topic, Robyn explains and demonstrates what different sensory experiences can be like, introduces sensory audits and profiles, and helps you to think about simple strategies that can be put in place to support young people to have better sensory regulation.

Supporting Autistic people through change

How to help Autistic people manage change. Change is part of life for everyone but Autistic people can often really struggle with it. Change can cause a great deal of anxiety and distress, but can be managed and Robyn proves it is possible to learn to cope with change.

Supporting Independent travel

Many Autistic children struggle with independent travel, but want to be like their peers, this session looks at common problems kids face such as danger perception and unwritten social rules, and how you can support Autistic children to become independent travellers.

Tips for TA's (Teaching Assistants) and LSA's (Learning support assistants)

How can LSA’s and TA’s be the best they can be when supporting Autistic people? Robyn uses her experience as a mentor in schools to help LSA’s and TA’s feel empowered and know that small changes can help a pupil become more independent and have a better time in school.

Transitions

Transitions happen all day every day, between tasks, between rooms, between focus as well as big transitions like primary to secondary school. This topic looks at what can be difficult abut transitions for Autistic people and what can help.

Understanding Behaviour

Often people describe behaviour as the problem, however behaviour is generally the result of something the person could be trying to communicate, a sensory issue or anxiety. In this topic Robyn will help you learn tools to use to find out the root cause of a behaviour and gain a better understanding of how someone experiences the world.

Understanding how Autistic people may think

Some of the ways Autistic people think may seem very different to Non-Autistic people’s thought processes, but you can learn to understand and appreciate the differences, work with them and help young people make best use of their natural thinking processes.

Work

Only 16% of Autistic adults are in fulltime employment in the UK. Whilst academic achievements are important, it’s vital that Autistic people are able to get and hold down a job. This session explores the common issues for Autistic job seekers and employees and how you can help in school to prepare young people for the world of work.

What is Autism?

Autism can often seem like an overwhelming topic, sometimes it meets resistance from staff and parents. This resistance is often born out of not having a real understanding. Robyn will teach you in an accessible way, what it means to be Autistic, why it is important to recognise Autism and how you can make simple changes in your practice that will make a big difference to the Autistic pupils in your school.