The Autism Resource Manual: Practical Strategies for Teachers and other Education Professionals

This highly practical resource book is full of realistic and achievable strategies to help teachers to support neurodiverse students in a range of situations that, whilst often seemingly insignificant, can quickly become substantial and disruptive challenges in the mainstream classroom.

Written with the busy teacher in mind, chapters are easy to dip in and out of, with jargon-free language and simple explanations which are easy to understand and put into practice. Clear chapters explore a variety of situations and topics to help children engage in their learning and make the classroom a safe and inviting place to be for autistic students.

Key features include:

• Practical and achievable strategies to support autistic students in the mainstream classroom
• Real-life scenarios to help you find concrete solutions to issues as they arise
• Memorable mantras and quick quotes to help embed strategies in everyday practice for both students and teachers
• Photocopiable and downloadable resource sheets

Written by an advisory teacher for autism with a wealth of experience, this book will be an invaluable tool for both primary and secondary teachers in mainstream settings, as well as other education professionals.

Table of Contents

Front Matter

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Under the Stone
• How to Use This Book

Section 1: First Ask the Pupil

• Visually supported conversations
• Other methods
• Agreeing strategies

Section 2: Anxiety

• Anxiety driven non-attendance
• Arrival anxiety
• Feeling ill
• Making mistakes
• Need for repetition
• Speaking out in class
• Understanding and other issues

Section 3: Behaviour

• Challenges
• Disengaging in lessons
• Disengaging with consequences
• Encouraging success

Section 4: Communication

• General skills
• Understanding
• Expressive skills

Section 5: Diagnosis

• Before diagnosis
• Following diagnosis

Section 6: Independence Skills

• Asking for help
• Dependence on support assistants
• Making choices
• Organisational skills
• Personal care

Section 7: Relationships

• Attachment to support assistants
• Friendships
• Group work
• Staff or pupils out of favour

Section 8: Routines

• Arrival routines
• Coping with change
• Correcting others
• School day routines

Section 9: School Life

• Exams, assessments and revision
• Homework
• Residential and day trips
• Transitions
• Extra tips: returning to school after a long absence
• Social story example for residential trip

Section 10: Sensory Needs

• Co-ordination
• Distractions and challenges: hearing
• Distractions and challenges: sight
• Distractions and challenges: smell
• Distractions and challenges: taste
• Distractions and challenges: touch
• Sensation seeking behaviour
• Other sensory responses
• Overload of sensory input

Section 11: Skills for learning

• Concentration
• Tackling the task
• Way in to Maths
• Way in to reading

Section 12: Social Skills

• Fact or fiction
• Tolerating the opinions of others
• Personal space
• Playtimes, break and lunch
• Queuing
• Taking turns

Index

"Debbie Riall is passionate about her work and that passion runs through every word of this excellent book. She offers hard-won common sense from the frontline of the classroom in a clearly structured, easily accessible way. For the busy practitioner juggling the demands of classroom life this book provides hundreds of practical strategies for teaching autistic pupils. Crucially, the book is easily navigated signposting the reader to simple solutions to complex problems. Whether you are new to the world of autism and edging yourself slowly along or experienced and confident in your practice, this book will be your ‘sat-nav’ helping you get there or get there sooner."
- Dr Martin Hanbury, Executive Headteacher, Chatsworth Multi-Academy Trust

"This is such a valuable resource for all education staff who support autistic pupils. It's full of information, with loads of ideas for practical ways to support pupils in the classroom."
- Jodi Roberts, Speech & Language Therapist