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Posts and articles on Autism
Our Blog includes posts and articles on Autism covering a wide range of subjects and providing useful insights and guidance.
Enabling Flexibility
by Guy Shahar Published: 29th March, 2018 Should we intervene to help autistic children to become more able to do things flexibly? If so, what are the most effective ways? When it comes to some of the apparently inflexible requirements of autistic children – around food, clothes, routines and so on – parents are often faced with a dilemma. Do we intervene
Trauma in Autism
by Guy Shahar Published: 1st February, 2018 How trauma may be at the heart of many autism “symptoms”, and how that would make early intervention all the more important. We have written and spoken a lot about the anxiety that forms the backdrop of the lives of most autistic people. Tony Atwood, in the short clip below (you can see the
Focussing on Feelings
by Guy Shahar Published: 9th November 2017 Is it really true that autistic children are not connected to their own or others’ feelings? We challenge that concept and offer an empowering alternative. Many autistic children tend to gravitate towards thinking and communicating in terms of facts, rules, patterns, objective reasons, etc. We all have a tendency to play to our most
Addressing Anxiety In Autistic Children
by Guy Shahar Published: 10th September 2017 I have spoken and written a lot about how I see sensitivity and an associated idealism as still largely unrecognised factors lying at the heart of autism. The condition of anxiety that they lead to, however, is already becoming increasingly recognised as an underlying factor in the condition. It makes sense that when
Understanding Sensitivity in Autism
by Guy Shahar Published: 11th July 2017 I go on a lot about how I feel and observe that for many children sensitivity is at the root of autism. My TED talk introduced the concept and it has been expanded in several articles, especially a recent one about Sensitivity and Idealism in Autism. But how does this fit with
Discipline with Love
by Guy Shahar Published: 7th June 2017 The phrase “Discipline with Love” can appear to be a contradiction in terms. Either that, or it can be used as a lazy cliché. It is usual to see Discipline and Love as competing concepts, both of which parents are supposed to bring to their children, but which don’t seem to co-exist easily:
Pushing the Boundaries of Autism
by Guy Shahar Published: 4th May 2017 We often hear how children with autism have certain needs, like the need for routine or certainty or quietness around them or literal language so that they are not confused by figurative expressions, etc. It is widely assumed that such needs are hard-wired into the autistic brain – that they are integral elements
Discussing Autism with a Child
by Guy Shahar 7th April, 2017 Introducing a child to their autism is a major step. Guy Shahar shares his experience and reflections on how this might optimally be done. Done in the right way at the right time, the initial conversation with a child about their autism can set a healthy foundation and even enhance a child’s sense of
Sensitivity and Idealism in Autism
by Guy Shahar 8th February, 2017 Most children are born sensitive and idealistic. It is at the heart of who we are as human beings. That is why we are accustomed to hearing such profound and moving purity from the mouths of the young. As they grow, and are faced with increasing adversity from the world around them (including, inadvertently,
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