Alis Rowe's Blog, page 4

“What are you doing at break time?”

Ambiguity can be a problem for autistic people.

The following scenario may give you an insight into an autistic person’s thoughts whenever a question that they find ambiguous is asked:

“What are you doing at break time?”

These are the words that cause the look of sheer panic on The Girl With The Curly Hair’s face during the Physics lesson at college!

She is sitting next to her classmate Sebastian who has attempted to strike up a conversation.

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How a special interest can affect your life both positively and negatively

Many autistic people have intense and highly focused interests. These interests are often known as ‘special interests’. They can change over time or be lifelong.

Special interests can have advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of whether you are autistic yourself or whether you are connected to someone with autism, it’s important to be aware of what these advantages and disadvantages may be:

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The post How a special interest can affect your life both positively and negatively appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

7 Suggestions for how to improve your physical health

Autistic people can have particular difficulties when trying to achieve good physical health. Here are some of the barriers they may encounter and suggestions on how to overcome them:

1. A healthy diet

Autistic people can find it difficult to have a healthy diet. One reason for this may be their hyper-sensitivity to the taste, texture, smell, colour, temperature or shape of food. An autistic person can find some foods to be extremely potent and their reaction is often not because they are being “difficult.”

Another reason they may find it difficult to have a healthy diet is because they have a need for food to be consistent and predictable and this is not always achievable. For example, they may prefer that a particular food item is always exactly the same or that it is prepared in the same way). Vegetables in particular can vary in consistency, for example a fresh cucumber bought at the supermarket this week might look or taste different from the fresh cucumber they bought the week before. An autistic person might find this unsettling.

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The post 7 Suggestions for how to improve your physical health appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

6 Reasons autistic people struggle with verbal interaction

Many autistic people struggle with having a verbal interaction. Here are 6 reasons why this might be:

Reason 1: Background noise and distractions

Autistic people often find it difficult to filter sounds. This means that any background noise will become merged with what they are trying to hear and therefore make understanding speech harder for them.

When having a conversation with an autistic person, it can be helpful to converse in a quiet environment.

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The post 6 Reasons autistic people struggle with verbal interaction appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

Educational Card Sets for Primary and Secondary Schools

Do you work in a primary or secondary school?

We’ve just launched some Educational Card Sets!

Use these cards to give children as well as staff an understanding of autism.

Find out more by clicking the links below:

Educational Card Set (Primary School)

Educational Card Set (Secondary School)

The post Educational Card Sets for Primary and Secondary Schools appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

New The Girl With The Curly Hair keyring

Support The Curly Hair Project by owning this cool keyring. The pendant is detachable so you could also use it as a charm on a neck chain.

This is a Recycled Plastic Trolley Coin.

Available Here

The post New The Girl With The Curly Hair keyring appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

5 Ways to prepare yourself for any situation

One of the most stressful types of situation for me is a situation that I have not expected.

This is because when a situation is unexpected, there is no time for me to prepare myself.

One of the reasons why autistic people like a situation to be planned is because it gives them the chance to prepare themselves for that situation.

There are 5 types of preparation that can help autistic people:

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Free Autism
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you will receive a free Autism Alert Card worth £6!

The post 5 Ways to prepare yourself for any situation appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

Are autistic people physically and mentally invisible?

Some autistic people (especially introverts) feel as though they are invisible. They might feel physically invisible or that their thoughts and feelings are invisible.

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Free Autism
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you will receive a free Autism Alert Card worth £6!

The post Are autistic people physically and mentally invisible? appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

The importance of maintaining an emotional equilibrium

Most autistic people feel anxious on a daily basis. Managing one’s anxiety is often part of an autistic person’s lifestyle.

Sometimes the reason that other people are unable to recognise that an individual is autistic is because the individual is so adept at managing their anxiety. The other people do not realise how hard the autistic person is working underneath the surface to control their anxiety levels.

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This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receiving access to our exclusive animations, podcasts and special offers – please click the Subscribe today button. If you are already a member, please log in.

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Free Autism
Alert Card!

When you subscribe to The Curly Hair Project, 
you will receive a free Autism Alert Card worth £6!

The post The importance of maintaining an emotional equilibrium appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.

3 things to consider when approaching a change of life stage

Life is a series of many stages from childhood to old age and can include many transitions such as moving from primary to secondary school, leaving home, getting your first job, starting a family, going through the menopause and retiring. 

For autistic people, a change in life stage may be especially difficult. This is due to 3 primary reasons:

Because autism is a developmental disabilityBecause a life stage change will usually cause a lifestyle changeBecause any change will have an effect on an autistic person’s ‘state of normal’Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today

This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receiving access to our exclusive animations, podcasts and special offers – please click the Subscribe today button. If you are already a member, please log in.

Subscribe
Today Why support
CHP?

Free Autism
Alert Card!

When you subscribe to The Curly Hair Project, 
you will receive a free Autism Alert Card worth £6!

The post 3 things to consider when approaching a change of life stage appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.