Based on direct work with over 250 individual children, Andrew Miller wrote this book in order to provide parents and professionals with information, tools and guidance to help introduce children to autism in the absence of specialist support. This in-depth guide describes the practicalities of disclosure, including when to tell, who should do it and what they need to know beforehand with strategies to tailor your approach as every child's experience will be different. Step-by-step instructions detail how to deliver the programme and produce with a child a personalised booklet containing information about their personal attributes and their autism.
These booklets and follow-up material help make disclosure a positive and constructive experience for everyone. Accompanying material can be downloaded online including questionnaires, examples of children's booklets and flexible templates.
PART I: Getting ready to deliver the programme: considerations, decisions and preparation. 1.Introduction. 2. Arguments for and against telling children about their autism. 3. The pre-programme work. PART II: Teaching and following-up All About Me. 4. An overview of the programme's teaching methods, content and framework. 5. Teaching session 1 - creating the context for disclosing the child's diagnosis. 6. How to teach sessions 2 and 3 - disclosing and explaining the child's diagnosis. 7. Differentiating All About Me to make it accessible to more children. 8. What next? 9. A brief guide to the electronic resources. References. Bibliography.
Accompanying downloadable material: Folder A. Pre-programme information gathering and recording forms. Folder B. Example All About Me booklets. Folder C. All About Me booklet templates. Folder D. Teaching and learning prompts. Folder E. Resources to support possible follow-up initiatives.
The book is divided into two parts, with the first focusing on preparations to deliver the programme and the second on providing an overview of its teaching methods and introducing the associated electronic resources... There is detailed information about delivering the All About Me programme, that is influenced by the work of recognized experts in this field, and Miller explains the steps to supporting children in the process of completing an editable computer template to produce a unique narrative about themselves and their autism, rather than a generic social story. There are links in the book to on-line resources and sample and templates booklets are available for download, along with additional resources and questionnaires.
