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Hi, I am living in Middlesbrough. My 8-year-old son has autism and has additional needs. We have now decided to move to Leeds, so I am looking for the choices of primary school for him. The best choice for him is probably a mainstream school with autism unit/provision, but I don’t know how to find these schools in Leeds since I don’t know anybody there. The Council has given me the names of two of them but I am searching for more choices if there is any. Does anybody have anymore info in this regards? How is the level support for ASD children in Leeds?

Hey, So, I've always struggled with education environments. Like, school, for example. My brother and I both had 'school refusal' down on our records because the both of us only just got diagnosed ASD (i mean, c'mon. I get that I may've been missed because it's rare that girls get diagnosed in an instant, but my brother is 24!). Anyway, I'm in my second year at college now, which is a struggle but i do love it regardless. I'm staying for a third year because I want to achieve the same A-level grades as everyone else - (i did only 2 igcses and was homeschooled for 2 years before college so im a bit behind) After that, I'd really love to go to University, but im really worried about the issues i might face with it all - work load, responsibility, independence, and mostly - being away from home. of course, I can go to a (fairly) local (kind of) college, but its still a case of being sure I dont have an episode - that i dont waste my money because I have a meltdown and end up having crappy attendance! So, I guess, what im wondering is, Any Aspies been to Uni? What are/were your experiences? or, alternatively, are there any Universities speciffically for people on the spectrum? I know there's a school near where I live that is specially for girls with autism (the school from itv's 'Girls with Autism' Documentary - I went to a 'hospital school' with a girl who goes/went to it) - but i'd already finished school and become out of the age range by the time I knew about it - and by the time i knew i was autistic, even.

My problem is that I am struggling to find willing parents to spend 5 minutes at the most to help me out with my school work, my project is explained in the link and I would really appreciate it if some parents could fill this out! Thanks, Abi https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQ6NWN8 "I am a student currently studying product design at A level and my project for this year is to make a educational toy designed to target a specific problem that children with autism may come across. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this project. If you are interested in my project and have any questions or recommendations you can email me at: (details in the link)" This project has been approved by a moderator.

Warning this is a LONG POST In the past I have posted posts and started treads where I have spoken all about my views on people with various forms of Autism who 'show' their condition more than myself or some of my friends. This may have made me seem a little judgmental and unfair, but the truth is that I am far from those kind of things indeed. For example, I have a VERY close friend (we aren't together in case you were wondering, long story) who is not only a member of the transgender community but is also OS (Objectum Sexual, or at least I think that what it stands for) as he (for he was once a 'she' and a VERY macho one at that) is into robots, such as the Transformers and RoboCop and so will often use his toys (which he will often play with like a big kid) for sex for he has told me that OS people believe that objects have soul (an interesting concept in any case) and so thus he feels that when have he uses his toy of say Megatron, he is having sex with him. Otherwise my friend is perfectly verbal, can go out on his own, is streetwise, is VERY clean and tidy (more so than me), can fix computers and do repair work on robots (he once worked behind the scenes on 'Robot Wars' as a volunteer for his uncle worked on the house robots for the show) knows a number of kinds of marshal arts, among other things... I am not judgmental towards him one bit as I feel that he has 'proven' himself to be a good friend. Granted I (and my friend) find it difficult to cope with those who have much lower functioning ability than I have or those who engage in far more 'challenging behaviors' than myself (I used to hit people, but I have stopped now, I only bellow when I have a meltdown now) as I tend to 'judge' people by their actions or behaviors and thus I expect people to act 'good' all of the time, even when they don't feel like it. However my friend also knows his limits and so has long ago given up the idea of going to work or leaving the care company he is in, for he has a short fuse, is very strong, has no qualms about beating someone to a pulp, see's himself as something of a superhero and would most likely find himself in prison if he went to work and go involved in office politics. Anyway I digress so now onto the point of my discussion. My friend, although having a number of robot partners also has a boyfriend called Luke. Luke is in his 30s, has a number of degrees and works full time. However he still lives with his mum and dad, who have kept him at home as he has a lot of 'immature' or 'Autistic' behaviors, suchs as drinking out of coke bottles like a baby would, sticking his fingers in his ears when talking and also closing his eyes. On top of that he doesn't change his underwear and hangs around with a man called Tim, who he likes to go bus and train trips together. This would be fine save for the fact that when the bus is late Tim kicks off and calls the bus drivers (as in all of them not just the one driving the bus at the time) 'pedos' and runs away yelling 'bus drivers are pedos!' and sticking his fingers at them. Luke is in the habit of following Tim when he does this, in some of the roughest parts of Liverpool.... For a while me and my friend thought that it would be a good idea that Luke be allowed to leave home and live on his own. But when we last met him we also discovered that as well as being unwilling to change his ways he also is totally unable to defend himself as he does not know what to do if someone tried to attack him. Granted I'm not the greatest fighter in the world (I come from a middle class background) but even I know how to push a thug to the floor and then run away! Like on the other hand just let my friend take his phone when we tested him. Now we feel that he should not be allowed to go out on his own or go to work, as he is THAT vulnerable. This reminds me of a girl I once knew who was VERY naive, would over spend on her credit card and get herself into all kinds of situations where she'd have problems with her co-workers. If I had my way I'd have had her kept on the premises of the group home she was living in and only allowed out with staff, banned from contact with certain members of her family (she did not get on with them) and forbidden to go to work. This is not me being sexist or saying that people with ASDs should be forbidden from following their dreams, but rather in cases where the person is vulnerable enough more measures (than those which exist already) should be put in place to keep them safe.

A question I often ask is 'Why am I so lucky?' Now I'm not trying to sound like arrogant person who looks down on those who've had a hard life (although I prefer not to hear such stories from people as it overload me with being upset) but all things considered compared to the stories that I have heard on this and other sites plus in real life and in books (about Autism) on the whole I've had an easy life. Consider this... When I was nine years old I was diagnosed with HFA, and then later AS after the condition became better known among professionals and teachers. This was I may add due to my (back then) violent outbursts towards other kids in school when I felt that they had cheesed me off or had broken the school rules, like some kind of superhero would with criminals. When I was ten I went to an Autistic school which at the time I hated due to the abundance of LFA kids there, however I do have fund memories of the trips my class (I was in when became the AS class) would make to museums, stately homes, the library, the cafes, nature trails and best of all Summer Camp. All things considered I was a lot better off there in my early teenage years than in a so called 'normal' school as I (and others) weren't picked on and would learn in a relatively stress free environment. Later I went to a school for kids who had been in hospital for a long time, were in Special Ed or quite a few other reason that I can't think of right now. There we did mainstream school work and exams. However the school was quite small so we only attended half of the day, and so many of us would (with the consent of our parents) study subjects of interest rather than the whole curriculum, all spread out over the week, while some of the rest was done as part of our homework. Later when I was sixteen I left home (of my own choice) and went to a group home down south for a number of years, before moving on. I would have left earlier if I could but the sad truth was that was all lacked the kind of opportunities such as supported living and outreach support (rather than care) at that time, so I told myself that it was 'better than nothing'. When I left I went to a rest-bite unit for a while until they could find somewhere more permanent, which they did. As it stands I was an only child, come from a loving home where my dad earned quite a large wage before retiring and you could say I had the perfect childhood. I have known other people who's home situations were very much the same (ie loving family and lots of money) but they had been sent to mainstream schools (in some cases even after being diagnosed) where they got bullied or when they became adults had no support, barring family. I also read that it is a lot harder to get diagnosed with ASD or AS when you are an adult (or sometimes with children) nowadays, partly I think this is due to some people cheating the benefit system and so they had to make it harder for them to get 'free money' (which is what benefits are when you boil it down) or other kinds of special treatment. So why am I so lucky, while others in the exact same situation as me aren't .

Quick introduction - I'm Monica, mum to Ada, 6yo. Neither of us is diagnosed with Asperger but we both could be, probably. I'm on this forum in search of answers to what is best for my daughter. To cut a long story short, the school is pushing for a referral to a psychologist and a diagnosis of Asperger for my 6yo daughter. They base their recommendation on a combination of characteristics - my daughter is rather advanced academically, she is an oddball, she is emotionally sensitive and a bit on the anxious side, she is a bit of a pain to a teacher as she is perfectionist, competitive , demanding and tireless, requiring lots of activity and attention, without which she can be either irritating or overemotional. I know my daughter very well and after reading quite a bit of reading I concluded two things - Based on others Asperger diagnosed traits, it is possible that a diagnosis of mild Aspg could be made for Ada. - There's nothing wrong with Asperger people except that the normal folk don't get them and find them odd (with all the attached social implications). The school is presenting a possible diagnosis as a wonderful opportunity for my child to get all the help and attention she deserves. I'm not buying it, judging by the 'help' already given it is just an opportunity for them to do away with all the hard work she requires by having a couple of 'support' sessions every week. However, I'm trying to keep an open mind - a proper psychologist might be a different thing altogether. I would really appreciate some views on if and how a diagnosis has been of benefit to you or your child. Ada is only 6 so she doesn't yet feel like a freak. She might get there later but at the moment I fear that an official diagnosis will change people's attitude towards her and she will be made to feel like one. Thanks in advance to those who do respond

Our local newspaper, The Weston Mercury (http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk) has picked up on our ongoing fight to get DS the education he needs. There isn't a digital copy yet but I have scanned a copy in and uploaded it to Twitpic at http://twitpic.com/a474h5 where it is possible to zoom in to a readable size. We are trying to get as much coverage as possible so would appreciate it if any of you with a Twitter Account could tweet the twitpic link (http://twitpic.com/a474h5) for us (pls add @aginoth) with suitable hashtags. Full details of our ongoing attempts to get DS into the school he needs to be in are here on the Education Forum http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/27785-going-to-look-at-special-school-after-half-term/ Thank you all

I have grown to appreciate the benefits of asperger syndrome throughout my life. But I still feel misunderstood by nearly everyone, especially people at school. I have made a lot more friends than had in year 7 three years ago, but even they give me funny looks all the time. Whenever people in my year or class walk past me I catch them casting blank looks in my direction. I admit my action in school differ a lot from theirs and I am basically the only one who draws or reads in my spare time. Yet despite this I still feel isolated from them, like I am from another world. The teachers know of my condition and support me, but the students would see me as an attention-seeker if I tried to explain that I had autism. I am not used to expressing myself to people like this and this is my first post on the ASD forum. Thank You

LINKS UK Specialists Ltd is hosting a series of important half day seminars designed specifically for Frontline Education staff. These include topics such as … Ø An introduction to Autism and other related diagnosis Ø Differentiating topic for children with Autism/ADHD within a classroom setting Ø Behaviour Management Ø Effective Communication for children with Autism Ø Individual Education Plan (IEP) creation and delivery LINKS UK Specialists Ltd has secured the force behind The Island Project School as key speakers for a number of events to share best practice and effective strategies. Ofsted has recognised The Island Project as ‘outstanding’ in all areas of SEN provision. The school serves five local authorities and accommodates children with the most complex needs. “The school’s use of multidisciplinary staff to support learning, so that all areas of the pupil’s development are targeted, is a fundamental aspect of its impressive work” “Pupil’s behaviour is outstanding and no disruption to learning was seen during the inspection. Although pupils enter school, often with challenging behaviour, they are quickly given respect for what they bring to the school community and clearly established routines and strategies rapidly encourage positive behaviour” “Staff are very skilful at following the highly individualised behaviour plans so that any initial signs of discontent are identified and pupils are not distracted, or their behaviours de-escalated, before any learning is lost.” – Ofsted 2012 Please contact me for a booking form and a copy of our brochure outlining the workshops currently on offer and prices. The next available dates are in April 2012 so please email your booking form to reserve a place immediately as interest is high. Course dates will be confirmed as soon as places have been reserved. Kind Regards Mr Chris Gardner Director LINKS UK Specialists Ltd Tel: 07565852118 Email: chrisgardner.linksukspecialistsltd@hotmail.co.uk