(autism Initiatives website)

·         It can be difficult for them to think ahead and to guess what is going to happen next, which means that they may become scared or confused in some situations. - Use a diary or visual timetable

·         The patterns of thinking mean that people with autism often like routine and are good at setting up and following routines. 

·         They may have fixed interests and be adept at focusing on detail.

·         It may be difficult for them to learn the ‘social rules’ about what to do with other people.  - Role play to help them practise scenarios.

·         They may feel anxious or fearful in unfamiliar places or with unfamiliar people because they find it difficult to make sense of what they see and hear. - Take them on dry runs to new places or show them photos of new people or places beforehand

·         This can occur in one or more of the senses and can mean that a person may be extremely sensitive to certain sensory information (hypersensitive) or may appear not to notice some sensory stimuli (hyposensitive). 

·         Common examples of things that can cause sensory difficulties are reflective surfaces, loud noises, fluorescent lighting and long sleeves. - In some cases you may have to avoid wearing highly patterned clothes or wearing perfume when working with autistic clients. Some autistic people have problems with strong flavours or textures of food, they may be OCD about having even numbers of meat balls etc . They may not be able to tolerate certain smells or even some clothes on their skin.