Autism - a few notes and useful links

Since 1978 the Red Ridge Centre has accommodated many individuals and groups of people with varying degrees of Autism. This page is our attempt to indicate where we are coming from in our efforts to provide outdoor activities for our autistic guests.

Even today there are many grey areas in understanding just what autism and Aspergers Syndrome are and how they differ.

An estimated 535,000 people in the UK have some degree of autism and 4 out of 5 autistic people are boys.

Aspergers Syndrome was only really officially recognised in the early 90's and although it shares some characteristic with autism, it is not the same. Quoting Barbara Kilby, the Founder of Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support (OASIS) "By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all) exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naivete, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd, and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development, on the face of it, seems normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics (behaviour that is dictated more by practical consequences than by theory) and prosody (the patterns and intonation in a language). Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like 'little professors'. However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context." There is some debate as to exactly where Aspergers Syndrome fits. Some professionals feel that AS is the same as High Functioning Autism, while others feel that it is better described as a Nonverbal Learning Disability.

Many of our autistic guests will come to Red Ridge as one of a group of persons with autism. Others will come as the only autistic member of a main stream group. We try to provide specialist weeks for our autistic guests because we understand that they require, and deserve, a high degree of understanding and a quieter and slower moving week than they might experience if surrounded by too many other excited, and often noisy, people.

Many of us imagine that the autistic person you see today displays the same symptoms tomorrow and will never show signs of improvement. This is a misconception.

An example of this is Temple Grandin, a self made millionaire with autism, and a international speaker and writer on the subject of autism. I quote her here;

"I am a 44 year old autistic woman who has a succesful international career designing livestock equipment. I completed my PH.D. in Animal Science at the University of Illinois and am now Assistant Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Early intervention at age 2 1/2 helped me to overcome my handicap.
......My senses were oversensitive to loud noise and touch. Loud noise hurt my ears and I withdrew from touch to avoid overwhelming sensation.
I built a squeezing machine which helped me to calm my nerves and to tolerate touching. At puberty horrible anxiety nerve attacks started and they became worse with age. Antidepressant medication relieved the anxiety. ........... All my thinking is visual, like videos played in my imagination. Even abstract concepts such as getting along with other people are visualized through the use of door imagery.

LACK OF SPEECH.
Not being able to speak was utter frustration. If adults spoke directly to me I could understand everything they said, but I could not get my words out. It was like a big stutter. If I was placed in a slight stress situation, words would sometimes overcome the barrier and come out. My speech therapist knew how to intrude into my world. She would hold me by my chin and made me look her in the eyes and say 'ball'. At age 3 'ball' came out 'bah', said with great stress. If the therapist pushed too far I threw a tantrum, and if she did not intrude far enough no progress was made. My mother and teachers wondered why I screamed. Screaming was the only way I could communicate. Often I would logically think to myself, I am going to scream now because I want to tell somebody I don't want to do something."

Use this link Temple Grandin to discover more fascinating insight into autism in Temple Grandin's own words.

Ros Blackburn is another adult with autism (not aspergers syndrome) who is recognised as an international speaker. As a three year old she appeared withdrawn, isolated and very much in a world of her own. At six months she was diagnosed as profoundly deaf, which later proved to be very far from correct. Finally, at a year old , she was diagnosed as being severely autistic but with average intellectual ability. Now in her late 30's, Ros tends to feel that although many areas of her autistic condition have remained very severe, others, such as her severe language delay, have disappeared almost completely. Her talks, like those of Temple Grandin, give a valuable insight into her world of autism.

Public Autism Awareness is a website with much help and information.


An example much closer to home is a man in his 20s, who I shall call, Sean. When we first met him at Red Ridge it was very clear that Sean was autistic. He displayed many of the usual symptoms. He was very shy, never appeared to hear instructions and certainly never held a conversation. Whenever we went kayaking Sean would paddle very ably, round and round the instructor, in large circles, but would never come near us.

After several years Sean would arrive at Red Ridge, seek out the instructors that he knew, shake them by the hand and enter into discussion. It was very difficult to recognise the autistic characteristics that had been so apparent a year or so before.

What had happened to 'push back' so many of Sean's symptoms? His 'mentor' had spent several years taking him for a walk each Monday. On the first few occasions that Sean forgot his coat, gloves or sandwiches he would receive help. After that, if he forgot such items, he would suffer the consequences. His 'mentor' also brought Sean to Red Ridge about 4 times each year where Sean came to trust the instructors. Although he was made to suffer the consequences of his actions he was always treated with utmost respect and with consistency. Trust was a key issue. Sadly, the day came when he returned to the full time care of his mother, and the ambitious plan of his mentor ceased. Sean quickly totally regressed to the autistic tendencies that we had met previously. With a little knowledge and understanding we can do a great deal to a encourage a reduction in the symptoms displayed by someone with autistic tendencies. We will not always succeed but we must give ourselves the best possible chance of succeeding in improving the lives of those in our care.


What can we do to make outdoor activities more accessible to persons with autism?

• Prepare the ground prior to the visit to Red Ridge. Where possible have the potential visitor visit the centre and meet instructors or have a member of Red Ridge staff pay a visit to the persons with autism.
• Involve the potential visitor in very basic outdoor pursuits, such as walking, on a regular basis prior to the visit.
• Ensure appropriate orientation, reassurance and stability.
• Do not be frightened of change. It is part of the learning process.
• Try not to say "No". Look for a more positive spin.
• Always work on the positives and minimise the negatives.
• Consistency and trust are so important. If you gain trust you will find it much easier to execute change when it is necessary.
• Use acclimatisation techniques eg. sit in a canoe on the lawn, show pictures, try on helmets and buoyancy aids. Do not force people to try on such items. Leave the items lying around so that the person concerned can experiment with them in his or her own time. An autistic person needs a lot of time.
• Do not misinterpret the fact that an autistic person refuses to put on a helmet as misbehaviour and then force them to put it on. Consider whether it is really necessary. Do a risk assessment and, if appropriate, consider allowing them on the activity without a helmet. If the water is appropriately shallow consider whether it is absolutely necessary to wear a buoyancy aid if the instructor is immediately adjacent? Do they wear them in the swimming pool or when bathing in the sea? The first thing to develop is trust.
• Allow an autistic person to make mistakes. It is part of the learning process for all of us. eg. Allow them to learn that if you do not wear a coat you will get cold and, quite possibly, wet.
• Always treat every customer with the greatest of respect.
• Always give the autistic person as much time as they need.
• Minimise noise, reduce persons involved and excessive movement. Remember that even a car journey can be a nightmare for a person with autism.