Living with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Guidance for Parents, Carers and Siblings

96 Pages·2006·3.67 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Attfield, Hugh Morgan

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Living with Autistic
Spectrum Disor ders
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Living with Autistic
Spectrum Disor ders
Guidance for Par ents, Car ers
and Siblings
Elizabeth Attfield and
Hugh Mor gan
Paul Chapman
Publishing
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© Elizabeth Attfield and Hugh Morgan 2007
First published 2007
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of
research or private study, or criticism or review, as
permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or
transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with
the prior permission in writing of the publishers,
or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance
with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing
Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those
terms should be sent to the publishers.
Paul Chapman Publishing
A SAGE Publications Company
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London EC1Y 1SP
SAGE Publications Inc
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SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd
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A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
ISBN 10: 1-4129-2328-X ISBN 13: 978 1-4129-2328-6
ISBN 10: 1-4129-2329-8 ISBN 13: 978 1-4129-2329-3 (pbk)
Typeset by C&M Digitals (P) Ltd., Chennai, India
Printed in Great Britain by Athenaeum Press Ltd, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear
Printed on paper from sustainable resources
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Contents
About the authors vii
Acknowledgements ix
How to use this book xi
1 Understanding the parental emotional rollercoaster 1
2 Brothers and sisters and wider family issues 6
3 Autism: some key facts 11
4 Getting your child’s educational needs met 18
5 Choosing a school 22
6 Positive strategies for daily living 31
7 Growing up and facing the future 40
8 Working together effectively – families and professionals 50
9 Keeping it all in perspective 55
10 Finding information, help and support 61
References 77
Glossary 79
Index 81
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About the authors
Elizabeth Attfield
Elizabeth Attfield is a Training Officer for autism.west midlands www.autism
westmidlands.org.uk, with a specific remit for developing family training and
co-ordinating accredited autism training for teaching staff. She has worked
for this regional charity for the past seven years but also has a wealth of pro-
fessional and personal experience to draw upon. After initially working as a
secondary school teacher she then retrained as a primary school teacher
and worked in both mainstream and specialist settings across the age and
ability range before becoming a Parent Partnership Officer. Elizabeth has a
son with autism who recently, at the age of 19 years, made the transition to
specialist adult provision. Together with her husband Ian, Elizabeth delivers
workshops and seminars on the joys and challenges of parenting a child
with autism.
Hugh Morgan
Hugh Morgan has been Chief Executive of Autism Cymru, Wales’ national
charity for autism, since 2001. He had previously worked as the lead officer
for the West Midlands Autistic Society (now autism.west midlands) for 14
years. Hugh started working in the learning disabilities and autism field back
in 1975 and has worked in a variety of hands-on settings with children and
especially adults with autism. Hugh played a key role in the development of
the autism training courses established by the University of Birmingham
since 1990; and in 2003/4 was chair of the External Working Group for the
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viii LIVING WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS
autism strategy being developed by the National Assembly for Wales. Hugh
is co-founder and editor of the Good Autism Practice Journal and an asso-
ciate editor of Autism published by Sage/NAS. Hugh has professional and
academic qualifications in psychology, social work, medical science and
originally in nursing.
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Acknowledgements
Our appreciation goes to Ian Attfield for reading and commenting upon the
draft of this book, to Terry Weston for his helpful comments, and to those
many excellent people we have both worked with over many years in
autism.west midlands and Autism Cymru and elsewhere, who have shaped
our conceptual thinking and practice. Finally, we pay a big debt to individu-
als with autism and their families, without whom this book would not have
been possible.
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