Linda Woodcock on Managing Meltdowns
“The low arousal approach is based on three assumptions, firstly that most individuals who are distressed are extremely aroused at the time, therefore we should avoid doing anything to make it worse…”
“The low arousal approach is based on three assumptions, firstly that most individuals who are distressed are extremely aroused at the time, therefore we should avoid doing anything to make it worse…”
“Contrary to what is normally understood, children on the autistic spectrum do recognise when we use their own body language to communicate, provided we respond using the repertoire of their personal behaviours. We are shifting their attention from solitary self-stimulation to shared activity, remembering that what is important is not just what they do – but how they do it, since this tells us how they feel.”
“One of the great things about current times is that communication is so much easier, if we just use it. […] A teacher can email a homework assignment home, or send early warning that there will be a different teacher taking a class the next day. AS may involve a communication difficulty, but the technology is there now to help overcome it.”
“The use of pictures to illustrate “what it sounds like” and “what it really means,” also helped the children to gain better understanding of the idioms. But I also realized that any child understands language better if it has context and relates to their own experiences…”
“I am always inspired by my patients and their families and how they cope and bravely make the best lives they can for themselves. I keep my desire to help alive by the strength and altruism of the people I have gotten to know through this work. I truly love my work and feel lucky to be asked to help in this incredible challenge of our age.”
“The 5p Approach evolved over several years as a result of my work as a psychologist within schools. I grew increasingly concerned that I was often called in to deal with behaviour difficulties after the event, when a better understanding of autism and the reasons for the behaviour occurring could have prevented many problems arising in the first place…”
“Adults with AS seem so often to be regarded as a frustrating puzzle. I have spent much of the last ten years or so teaching and training people to understand and manage the problems that AS can present, and it seemed that this was an area where lots of people, regardless of their level of training, would welcome some help.”
“We believe that learning about and developing social competency and social interactional skills must occur within the naturalistic environment of peers and groups. However, for children on the spectrum, this must be approached in thoughtful, systematic, effective ways with a variety of variables considered and addressed to be successful.”
“…neurotypicals are linked together, or rather our brains are, by a kind of wireless network, which I call the interbrain. […] People with autism do not tune in, or not so much–that’s the main argument of the book. Their ‘interbrain connection’ is tenuous. They have ‘low bandwidth’.”
“We started getting these alphabet-soup diagnoses, and even as I became more expert on the subject, it was still a confusing maze to me. I wanted to write a book to help other parents and those professionals who work with them, that would provide a roadmap that would make their journeys easier. This is really the book I wish I had when I started my research almost two decades ago.”