What is it?

“Autism” is a collection of resources with information on autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), advice and strategies to aid inclusion of ASD pupils and “social stories” for pupils, to help them understand common school situations.

What’s in it

Material from the National Autistic Society includes a resource pack for teachers with ASD pupils and details of how to use the circle-of-friends approach to promote inclusion and interaction with peers. Pupils with ASD are among those at greatest risk of being bullied, as they do not always read other people’s signals well enough to interpret and understand threats. The society has also uploaded a guide for school staff on preventing and dealing with bullying.

This collection also features a toolkit of tried and tested methods to ease inclusion in mainstream education (acrocker) and a video of three brothers, all with autism, discussing their views on their different educational experiences (teachers tv).

Resources from the Autism Education Trust are a toolkit offering practical strategies to support pupils with autism through transition periods, a practical guide to autism plus ideas for support materials, and a list of links to useful organisations.

Resources uploaded by George Timlin, a teacher who has been supporting children with ASD, and their families, for 18 years, include “social story” books, which explain common school situations and processes to younger children, together with strategies for dealing with them. Many of the books can be personalised to include a pupil’s name and details, and topics range from helping children with ASD to understand whole-class activities and sharing, to school rules, managing anger and understanding the emotions of others.

www.tes.co.ukasd-primary.