Kay and Haitham Al-Ghani on creating The Red Beast

“I began to explore ways of getting the children to visualise their anger as a sort of beast that was very difficult to control. In this way the anger was depersonalised. After all, we are all capable of becoming angry, it is how we deal with those feelings that matters. Children with ASD already have a great deal of anxiety to cope with in a normal school day, and so the chances of awakening the ‘beast’ are increased. I thought about the methods I used to calm children and incorporated these into a story. However, this story really came to life when I asked my son, Haitham, to illustrate it for me.”

August 15, 2008Autism

Sally Kirk on Hope for the Spectrum of Autism

“The Asperger’s diagnosis was a real turning point for us. For it fit Will like his shadow. Finally I knew what we were really dealing with. Learning about it helped me to understand Will better. Understanding was transforming. For when I saw the world as he saw it, his behaviors made perfect sense. The blessing of understanding was that it led to empathy and compassion. It melted frustration and exasperation into genuine respect, whole-hearted support and even admiration. It helped me to become much more effective at helping him. The impact such understanding made on our relationship was profound. It put us on the same team – working together to face the challenges. It made all the difference in the world.”

June 15, 2008Adoption and Fostering

Tony Attwood talks heroes and Harry Potter

“I think that the greatest enjoyment is seeing the progress of individuals that I have known for a number of years, in terms of self understanding, abilities and circumstances.”