ASD Psychoeducation Pack
Milton Keynes Integrated Autism Service
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Contents
1. What is ASD?......................................................................................................... 3
a. Definition………………………………………………………………………………………………… .…3
b. How common is it?....................................................................................... ....3
c. Different names for Autism Spectrum Disorder…………………………………………….3
2. How does having ASD affect how people experience the world?..........................4
a. Persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction……….5
b. Restricted and Repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities and interests…....6
c. Visual representation of ASD…………………………………………………………….………….7
d. Sensory sensitivity…………………………………………………………………………… …….……8
e. Benefits of getting a diagnosis………………………………………………………… .………….8
f. Possible comorbidities with ASD……………………………………………………..……………8
3. How MKIAS confirms a diagnosis of ASD……………………………………………..…………….9
a. Why we chose the DISCO assessment…………………………………………………………..10
4. Famous Faces with ASD………………………………………… …………………….……………….…11
5. Strengths of ASD………………………………………………………………… ..…………………………13
6. Autism and Education…………………………………………………………………………………… ..15
7. Autism and Employment……………………………………………………………………………… ...16
8. Autism and the law………………………………………………………………………………………….17
9. Where to Find… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ……18
a. Additional Support for You…………………………………………………………………..………18
b. Additional Information about ASD……………………………………………………………….19
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What is ASD?
Definition
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental
condition. It affects how people perceive the world and interact
with others. It is not an illness or a disease so there is not a “cure”.
There are strategies and approaches people may find helpful to
manage some of the difficulties of ASD. Often people believe that
having ASD is a fundamental aspect of their identity.
People with ASD may see, hear and feel the world differently to
other people. They often use different thought processes to
people without ASD and this can be a real strength, as we will read
about later.
ASD is a spectrum. This means that all people with ASD share certain difficulties but having
ASD will affect them in different ways. Some people with ASD also have learning disabilities,
mental health issues or other conditions, whilst others do not. Everyone with ASD needs
different levels of support, but all people with ASD learn and develop.
It’s not clear why some people have ASD, this is still being investigated. Research suggests
that a combination of genetic and environmental factors may account for differences in
development. ASD is not caused by a person’s upbringing or their social circumstances alone.
It is not the fault of the individual with ASD.
How common is it?
Autism is much more common than most people think. There are around 700,000 autistic
people in the UK - that's more than 1 in 100. People from all nationalities and cultural,
religious and social backgrounds can be autistic, although it appears to affect more men than
women.
Different names for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Over the years, different diagnostic labels have been used, including; Autism, Autism
Spectrum Condition (ASC), Classic Autism, Kanner’s Autism, Pervasive Developmental
Disorder (PDD), High Functioning Autism (HFA), and Asperger’s Syndrome.
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This is because there have been different diagnostic manuals (like ICD and DSM), diagnostic
tools (like the DISCO) and research over time. The diagnostic term used now is Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This term covers a range of abilities and difficulties.
How does having ASD affect how people
experience the world?
Some people with ASD say the world feels
overwhelming – this can cause them considerable
anxiety. People with ASD may find it more difficult
to:
 Relate to other people
 Take part in everyday life with family, school,
work and social life
Other people just seem to know how to
communicate and interact with each other, yet
they can also struggle to build a rapport with people with ASD.
People with ASD may feel their social differences mean others struggle to understand them
sometimes. You cannot tell someone has ASD by looking at them, so parents of autistic
children say that other people think their child is naughty, whilst adults with ASD find they
are often misunderstood.
The characteristics of ASD vary from one person to another; no two people with ASD are the
same. For a diagnosis to be made, a person will usually be assessed as having:
 Persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction
AND
 Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests
These difficulties must have been present since early childhood and be to the extent that
they limit and impair everyday functioning.
But what does this mean…?
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Persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction
Social communication
People with ASD have difficulties with interpreting both verbal and non-verbal language such
as gestures and tone of voice. They often have a very literal understanding of language and
think people always mean exactly what they say. This might mean they find it difficult to use
of understand:
 Facial expressions
 Tone of voice
 Jokes and sarcasm
Some people with ASD may not speak or may have limited speech. They often understand
more of what other people say to them than they can express. People with ASD may also
struggle to understand vagueness or abstract concepts. Some people with ASD benefit from
using alternative communication styles like sign language or visual symbols. This means that
many people with ASD communicate very effectively without speech.
Other people with ASD have
very strong language skills and
an excellent vocabulary, but
they may still find it hard to
understand the expectations of
others
within
conversations. This might mean
they repeat what the other
person has just said (this is
called echolalia) or they might
talk a lot about their own
interests.
People with ASD usually find it helpful for other people to speak in a clear, consistent way.
Social interaction
People with ASD may struggle to ‘read’ other people, that is, recognise or understand other
people’s feelings and intentions. They may struggle to express their own emotions. These
difficulties can make it very hard for them to navigate the social world. They may:
 Appear to be insensitive when they don’t mean to be
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 Seek out time alone when they feel overloaded by other people
 Not seek comfort from other people
 Appear to behave ‘strangely’ or in ways others think is inappropriate
These difficulties can mean that people with ASD find it hard to form friendships. Some
people with ASD don’t want to have lots of friends. Others may want to interact with people
and form lots of friendships, but they might not know how to do this.
Social imagination
Those with ASD will also experience varying degrees of difficulty with social imagination.
Social imagination allows us to understand and predict other people’s behaviour, make
sense of abstract ideas, and to imagine situations outside our immediate daily routine or
experience. Difficulties with social imagination mean that autistic people find it hard to:
 Imagine the world from someone else’s perspective and understand that other people
may have different thoughts and feelings from their own
 Interpret other people’s thoughts, feelings and actions
 Predict what will happen next, or what could happen next
 Prepare for change and plan for the future
 Cope in new or unfamiliar situations or with new and unfamiliar people
Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities and interests
Repetitive behaviour and routines
The world can be a very unpredictable
and confusing place for people with
ASD. You might prefer to have a daily
routine so that you know what is
going to happen every day. This might
be routines like travelling the same
route to and from school or work or
eating the same thing every day.
Routines can help people with ASD
make sense of the world.
The use of rules might also be helpful for people with ASD. Sometimes it can be difficult for
them to
take a
different approach to something once they’ve found the ‘right’
way to do it, even if the different approach is also successful. The idea
of
change
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can be uncomfortable, but people with ASD often cope better if they can prepare for
changes in advance.
Highly focussed interests
Many people with ASD have intense or highly focussed interests. These often start at a fairly
young age. Interests may change over time or might be lifelong. They can be about absolutely
anything and might sometimes be unusual. Some people might be interested in art, music,
trains or computers. Other people may enjoy more unusual things like collecting rubbish or
studying a specific obscure topic. Sometimes interests can grow, for example, the person who
enjoys collecting rubbish may develop wider interests in recycling and the environment.
Many people with ASD channel their interest into studying, paid work, volunteering or other
meaningful occupations. It is very common for people with ASD to report that engaging in
their interests is fundamental to their wellbeing and happiness, the same as everyone else!
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Sensory sensitivity
Most people with ASD may also
experience underor
oversensitivity to sound, touch, taste,
smell, light, colour, temperature or
pain. For example, they may find
certain
background
sounds
unbearably loud or distracting, while
people without ASD ignore these
sounds or block them out, most of
the time they do this without
realising.
Sensory sensitivity can cause anxiety or even physical pain. Other sensory experiences may
be very enjoyable, such as specific textures, lights, music or movement (like spinning objects).
Benefits of getting a diagnosis
Getting a thorough assessment and diagnosis may be helpful because:
 It helps people with ASD (and their families, partners, employers, colleagues,
teachers and friends) to understand why they may experience certain difficulties.
 It allows people with ASD to better access services and support.
Possible comorbidities with ASD
Comorbidity means someone has more than one diagnosis. People usually have a primary
diagnosis (the one which affects them the most), then other diagnoses known as
comorbidities. For example, someone with a diagnosis of ASD can have a comorbid diagnosis
of ADHD. It is quite common for people with ASD to have more than one diagnosis. Common
comorbidities for ASD are:
 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
 Down’s Syndrome
 Dyslexia Dyspraxia
 Epilepsy
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 Learning Difficulties or Disability
Many people with ASD do not have comorbid diagnoses. If you are concerned that you have
additional undiagnosed conditions, please speak to your GP.
How MKIAS confirms a
diagnosis of ASD
MKIAS has a thorough diagnostic process which follows best practice guidelines. First, we
received a referral from your GP with your completed Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ10)
screening questionnaire. Your score on this questionnaire showed us that further screening
was appropriate, so we sent you two more questionnaires; the Screening Tool for Autism
Spectrum Disorder and the RAADS-14. These questionnaires help us understand you more
than the AQ10 can, because they are longer and more thorough. These questionnaires have
lots of indicators of ASD in them, and your responses showed us that a full assessment would
be beneficial for you.
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The full assessment we use is
called the Diagnostic Interview
for Social and Communication
Disorders, or DISCO for short.
The DISCO was developed in
1991 and is suitable for use for
people of all ages and levels of
ability. The DISCO covers current
behaviours as well as how you
behaved and developed as a
child – this information is
essential in confirming a diagnosis of ASD.
MKIAS only employs properly trained, qualified and experienced staff to administer the
DISCO assessment.
Why we chose the DISCO assessment
The DISCO helps clinicians understand you and specific aspects of your development as an
individual.
It assesses lots of different parts of your development and behaviour; this is known as a
dimensional approach. The DISCO offers a wider dimensional approach than the other
available diagnostic tools.
It helps us understand where your difficulties lie.
The findings of the DISCO assessment are relevant and helpful for children and adults of any
age.
The findings from the DISCO assessment are relevant and helpful regardless of someone’s
ability level – it covers a range of abilities from profound learning disability to people in the
‘superior’ intellectual range.
The DISCO might identify comorbid diagnoses like ADHD, tics, dyspraxia and more.
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Famous faces with ASD
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins is a famous actor. In 2017 he
revealed that he had received a diagnosis of
Asperger’s in 2007. He is known for his extraordinary
ability to memorise lines and says the way his brain
works may have been helpful for this.
Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist
who is internationally known for challenging world
leaders to take immediate action against climate
change. She wrote: “I have Asperger’s and that
means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm.
And – given the right circumstances – being different
is a superpower.”
Elisabeth Wiklander
Elisabeth is a Cellist with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and was diagnosed with Autism in 2009. She
is in demand as a public speaker on Autism and
recently gave a TEDx talk about her life.
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Chris Packham
Chris presents the BAFTA award-winning series
Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch for the
BBC. He received a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome
in 2005 (before the term was changed to ASD). He
was in his 40s when he was diagnosed. Chris has
made a documentary about his life called Asperger’s
And Me.
Susan Boyle
Susan is a Scottish singer who gained fame through
the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. She was recently
diagnosed and shared with the press that she was
quite relieved to know the explanation for some of
her behaviours.
Alan Gardner
Alan is a leading conceptual garden designer and has
won numerous awards at Chelsea, Hampton Court
and two gold medals and Tatton Park. He also has
Asperger Syndrome and is famed for his unique
garden designs. He has a Channel 4 series called The
Autistic Gardener, where he and a team of
apprentices (all on the Autism Spectrum) transform
gardens across England.
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Strengths of ASD
There are many more well-known people with ASD. Most people listed above have embraced
their differences arising from ASD, often using them to form exceptional careers and skills.
You will also have met several other people in your life who have ASD (whether they knew it
or not), who use their abilities and skills to their advantage. Consider:
 The very knowledgeable IT staff member, who seems to know absolutely everything
about computers
 The incredibly efficient factory worker, who gets employee of the month consistently
for their work focussed attitude
 The person adapting for their sensory needs in public (and looking much happier for
doing so!)
There are some people with ASD who have talents that others simply cannot match. These
people are known as Savants. They demonstrate incredible abilities in specific areas such as
rapid calculation, artistic ability, map making or musical ability, among others. Some famous
Savants include:
Stephen Wiltshire
Stephen was mute as a young child. He was diagnosed as Autistic and sent to a school for
special needs children. There he found a passion for drawing. Over time it became clear that
he had a special talent – he can draw an accurate and detailed landscape of a city after seeing
it just once. He drew a 33ft long panorama of Tokyo after a short helicopter ride!
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Ellen Boudreaux
Ellen is a blind autistic savant who has exceptional
musical abilities. She can play music perfectly after
hearing it just once and knows a huge number of
songs. Ellen can also walk unaided without ever
running into things – she makes little chirping
sounds that seem to act like a human sonar. She
also has a precise digital clock ticking in her mind;
her mum encouraged her to listen to the ‘talking
clock’ time recordings on the phone when she was
age 8 to overcome her fear of the phone. Since
then, Ellen always knows the exact hour and minute
without having to look at a clock.
These people have exceptional skills and abilities. We are all individual and unique and we all
have strengths and weaknesses. During your assessment for ASD, we focussed on finding
your strengths as well as areas where things are more difficult. This helps us to better support
you where needed, but also find ways to help you do things you enjoy or are good at more.
You told us that your strengths are…
You really enjoy…
You’d like some help with…
Your goal is to… utism and Education
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Autism and Education
Autistic children, teenagers and young people may need additional help and support with
education. Some will need highly specialised educational placements. Others will stay in
mainstream education with little support.
A special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice
was published in January 2015. This gives guidance and practical
advice on how the law around supporting people with additional
needs should be applied. Local authorities (including Milton
Keynes Council) are required to develop a local offer, which gives
information on provision for children and young people with SEN.
You can find details of Milton Keynes’s local offer on the Council
website.
Further education colleges and sixth form colleges must also follow the SEND code of
practice. They must ensure that young people with SEN have access to a wide range of study
programmes and support.
Colleges might want to assess your needs and use information from your previous school.
They may involve your parents, if appropriate, in discussing what additional support may
benefit you.
Colleges do not have a legal duty to have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO),
the teacher who is responsible for assessing, planning and monitoring the progress of young
people with special needs, but they should ensure a specific staff member has responsibility
for ensuring SEN support is offered – even if the college sources support through specialist
practitioners who do not work for them directly.
If you believe you need additional support on top of what your college provides, you can
apply for an assessment of your Education, Health and Care Needs. If this indicates you need
additional support, an Education, Health and Care Plan is developed (EHCP). This is a
thorough assessment process which can provide extra funding to educational placements to
meet your needs.
An agreed EHCP stays in place to support you until you are 25.
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Autism and Employment
Some autistic adults may need extra help and guidance in
accessing employment opportunities, as well as finding
the right employment placements to suit their strengths
and needs. Employment may not be the right option for
all autistic people, but the National Autistic Society (NAS)
found that 77% of unemployed autistic adults they
surveyed wanted to be in work.
As an autistic adult you may experience the world
differently, which may affect how you see, hear and feel
the world. This means that some workplaces may feel
overwhelming to you and harder to process. Although,
you might also experience some real benefits from being
in the right workplace; such as confidence, getting paid
and a sense of purpose.
Ensuring that the work environment is right for you and your needs will be very important
for an adult with Autism. Telling your employer about your diagnosis is one step which may
help toward this.
Telling your employer about your diagnosis can be scary and overwhelming but there are
benefits;
 Employers are legally obligated to support you and make reasonable
adjustments for you in the workplace (Equality Act 2010).
 Your colleagues and manager might be able to understand the way you
communicate and work better.
 You won’t need to ‘hide’ your Autism.
There might also be some things that make you feel worried about telling your employer
about your diagnosis, such as:
 Feeling like you do not fit in
 You might be met with a lack of understanding
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Autism and the law
There are laws in place in England that help to keep people with autism safe and make sure
they have the right support. It is important for people with autism to know their rights. The
laws listed below support this.
The Autism Act (2009)
 The Autism Act is a law that tries to make things more equal for autistic adults
in England. This law said that the government had to make a plan how best to
support adults with autism. This plan is called The Autism Strategy.
 The Autism Strategy - ‘Think Autism’ is the plan to make sure that adults with
autism get the help that they need in areas such as living, employment and
social care needs.
 The strategy for the next 5 years (2021-2026) has 6 main areas where the
government want to make things better for autistic people:
 1. Helping people to understand autism
 2. Helping autistic children and young people at school
 3. Helping autistic people to find jobs
 4. Making health and care services equal for autistic people
 5. Making sure autistic people get help in their communities
 6. Help for autistic people in the justice system
For more information on the latest Autism Strategy, search ‘The national strategy for
autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026 (easy read)’ online.
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The Equality Act (2010)
 This law states that changes need to be made
to make sure that people with autism have
the same chances as people who do not have
autism.
 This means that ‘reasonable adjustments’
should be made in any area that is needed for
a person with autism.
The Human Rights Act 8
 … is about the right to family life, opportunities for social engagement, and life in the
community.
The Care Act (2014)
 …is about the duty to promote wellbeing and that everyone has the right to be happy
and healthy.
 You may be referred for a Care Act Assessment if you have some needs that are not
being met.
The Health and Social Care Act (2012)
 …explains what the government needs to do to make health and social care as good as
it can be for individuals.
Where to find…
Additional support for you
Some people with autism may need formal referrals to additional services for their health
and social care needs, following their diagnosis of Autism. Some services may be related to
mental health needs, housing advice, benefits support, or carer’s needs. Further information
on this can be found below:
 The Milton Keynes Council website (www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/social-care-andhealth/adult-social-care/autism)
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 There are links to Adult Social Care on this website that may be helpful in providing
more information on any support you may require.
 Carers MK (www.carersmiltonkeynes.org)
 This is an independent local charity who support unpaid carers in the Milton Keynes
area.
 They offer support such as counselling, creating emergency plans, support groups
and carer workshops. They can also refer to other services if that be helpful for other
needs.
Additional information about ASD
 The National Autistic Society (www.autism.org.uk)
 This website has a huge amount of resources from articles, to peer groups to join
and member’s networks to be a part of.
 It also has many stories from autistic people and even has its own magazine which
is produced by autistic people for autistic people.
 Autism Alliance (www.autism-alliance.org.uk)
 Includes a network of 17 autism charities which support thousands of individuals
affected by autism across the UK.
 It provides more information about autism from some of the UK’s leading experts
and further information about your legal rights and services available to you.
 The Curly Hair Project (www.thegirlwiththecurlyhair.co.uk/)
 The Curly Hair Project is a social enterprise that supports people on the autistic
spectrum and the people around them, founded by autistic author Alis Rowe.
 They use things like animated films, comic strips and diagrams to make their work
interesting and easy to understand.
 ‘Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Second Edition: Different
Sensory Experiences - Different Perceptual Worlds’ – Written by Olga Bogdashina
 This book enables teachers, parents, professionals and individuals with autism to
fully understand and address the problematic aspects of the sensory perceptual
differences of people with autism spectrum conditions.
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This MKIAS Psycho-education Pack was produced
using information from the National Autistic Society
(www.autism.org.uk), Autism Alliance (www.autismalliance.org.uk), Autism Bedfordshire
(https://www.autismbedfordshire.net/ ), www.gov.uk
and other sources.
Milton Keynes Integrated Autism Service
Email: MKIAS@milton-keynes.gov.uk
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