The KORI delivery team gratefully received bespoke autism training from Principal Social Worker, Wioletta Lewandowska. The aim being to learn new approaches that would suit the young people with high coping autism attending the weekly hubs. The session began with some autism myth-busting exploring the different areas where autistic people may excel or be challenged such as: language, motor skills, executive functioning, perception, and sensory experiences.
We also went through some of the mental health challenges autistic people can experience (or display the symptoms of) most frequently. These included anxiety – which is almost universally experienced by autistic people. Depression, linked to the awareness of difference and challenges with maintaining relationships. Catatonic-like symptoms – often a sign of overwhelm and the use of drugs and alcohol to self soothe and reduce inhibitions when interacting with the world.
The conversation then shifted to key strategies we could use to support young people in our service such as:
- Using short, clear, instructions and waiting for six seconds for a response to allow for processing time.
- Checking understanding and being aware of too much choice being paralysing.
- Building in a sensory quiet space in the hubs where we deliver from. This could include coloured lights, different textured soft items, noise cancelling ear coverings.
Some key take aways from the training were: the encouragement on direct communication; taking extra care to communicate changes to regular scheduling of sessions, allowing extra space and time for autistic young people to regulate themselves as they arrive at hub sessions.
