Hello
I go to Sea Cadets twice a week and In the summer I have quite a few course booked now (exiting but also VERY scary). In the past I have (mostly!) enjoyed courses but I leave completly exausted and frustrtated after a whole weekend (courses are usually weekends anyway) of being completly missunderstood by staff. So far all the courses I have been on have been at other units where i know none of the staff theri or any other cadets going-and all the ones comming up are at new places too. I doubt I would recognise another cadet even if I had seen them before.
A staff member from my local autism group said that he would help me to make a information sheet for cadets that explains about autism and then has things specific to me that I could take and show them at all these courses. He has now said that my funding for him to come to collage and help me do things like this has stopped so I don't think he is able to help me anymore. But I think it is a good idea so I want to try and do it myself.
I have a few ideas about what I should include but I'm really struggling with writing it. The things I have so far thought to include are:
- General information about Autism and common symptoms that affect me explaind in a simple way. e.g. interpret things literaly, sensative to noise/lights/touch/etc..
- What behaviors I do that are often unusal and that it is best to give me time alone when things get too much for me.
- Do not touch me! My unit did first aid and I was told off for not letting them put a sling on me when I was clearly not injured and they were touching me. The next time we did first aid he singled me out by name and said ".... now tonight we will not have you being silly, you will let people touch you and stop making a big fuss.." I felt terrible, clearly he did not understand I am not making a fuss and touching really hurts me! If I had the choice this is one part of ASD I would change, but I cant and I wish people understood that.
- That I get tired easy when doing things that are new so to allow me to go to sleep! (I have been forced up till 11pm on one course in a horrible noisy disco when I would have happily gone to sleep at 8pm! They then wonderd why I got more and more upset.... I got too scared and am none verbal so could not explain, so it went on..)
- I need to somehow tell them that I am non-verbal if scared/azious, but I can sometimes have good talking skills, but I a, not sure how to write it and explain it in a simple way-any ideas?
- I also need to include that because of eczema I do not roll my sleves up in the summer. My unit agreed to this last year but I have no proof. The staff from my center was going to help sort this out too so I had proff it would apply at other units but it has not happend.
- Neither has the fact that I should not be QM. My unit has not agreed to this but they need to, and I need a way to tell other units when I arrive. The staff was supposed to do this but never did. (QM is basically a receptionist, their are bits I can do and obviously (to people here anyway!) bits I would find hard, like knowing what on earth I should say to visitors? and that I am not able to use a phone. Obviosuly having ASD would make this a very hard job for me and cadets need to understand this and either supervise me to do it or not have me doing it if I can still progress as the others do)
Can anyone think of anything else I should mention or include?
Another thing is how should I introduce it, and lay it out. I have 2 ideas for this. The first is to do a A4 document with a short intro paragraph (mentiond below) then with a bulet point list similar to above with the different points. I would try and put them in to some sort of sections like stuff in practical lesons, stuff in theory lessons, genearal things for not in lessons (mainly when staying over somewhere). I would have a coppy myself and give each unit I went to a coppy with the health form when I arrived.
The other idea is for me to have each of the things in my poket in a card. So if for example someone was touching me I get the "do not touch" card out and show them. In that situation I would be too scared to speak and my behavior just makes me look even more 'weird or different' and no-one can ever work out what the problem is! Althouth that would mean they only learnt about these things when they happend, unless I could also give in a list at the start. Even then I can not guarentee they show all the staff.
My final point is about the introduction. I am at the moment thinking a combiation of both the list and cards would be best. I have started writing the introduction and would appreciate some feedback. Where their is brackets it would be personal information that I do not want to post on here.
Hello. I am (rank and name) from (the name of my unit) unit and I have autism. Please read the information below to help you to help me while on this course. I hope this will help you understand me and my behaviour and help you know what to do when I behave strangely. Please can you make sure that all the staff in this unit and the staff that will be teaching me have this information.
Any feedback about any of this or ideas would be a massive help. As would anything else you can offer e.g if you have had a similar problem or have a partiqular skill in writing information in a letter!
Looking forward to some advice.
Amy
