Donna Williams Talk

[cyberseraphim]

I was lucky enough to hear Donna Williams given a talk on Wednesday. She spoke for about 2 hours (and even ended with a 3 min song !) using hand gestures throughout to amplify and extend her meaning. It reminded me of Makaton. It was all fascinating as you would expect. The practical advice I took out of it was

(1) The importance of an ASD child gaining understanding through doing - don't wait until you think he/she can understand, eg get the child to help with shopping.

(2) Don't become a 'super mum' that takes over from the child. Pretend to be 'useless' so that the child gets frustrated and has to communicate/do more.

I bought a copy of 'Autism:Inside Out Approach' but was too shy to get it signed.

Ooh, lucky you. I'd love to hear her speak. I'm starting to realise the importance of 2) and definitely don't do enough 1)!

She's very good in email consultations as well. I've paid for a few with her in the past. She has a good understanding of the entire spectrum, which I think can be quite unusual.

She was very careful to include all forms of autism or autisms as she described them. She has a wonderful style of presentation - very articulate and insightful but with no artifice. She said someone compared her to Shakespeare - I can see what the person meant as she has unusual clarity and a unique way with words.