Autism and Loss

Autism and Loss
Rachel Forrester-Jones and Sarah Broadhurst
Jessica Kingsley
ISBN 978 1 843104339

Star rating: 4/5

Loss and change are necessary parts of growing up, and part of everyday life for adults, writes Liz Willetts.

The loss involved in letting go of the familiar to make way for something else is unavoidable. For people with autism and autistic spectrum conditions, changes – even small ones – can be profoundly unsettling.

It is hard for professionals and volunteers who support them to understand how the loss is experienced and what it means. This is because people with autism often find it difficult to understand and express emotions.

This is probably the first specific resource of its kind. Aimed primarily at those working with people with autism, it is an accessible source of information for parents and carers. But its main value is the wealth of photocopiable worksheets, exercises and case studies that provide thought-provoking and informative material for both training sessions and individual learning. It is well referenced, and draws on sound academic sources as well as using contributions from service users and informal carers to good effect. This is a resource I am going to use a lot.

Liz Willetts is head of education and training at the Social Care Association