🌍 KEY MESSAGES (FOUNDATION)
💙 Every person is different
🌱 Support makes a difference
🧠 Understanding builds inclusion
🌍 Everyone deserves respect
🌱 Environments can be improved
🧠 Every brain deserves respect
💬 Behaviour is communication
❤️ Support should be individual
🧠 AUTISM SPECTRUM CONDITION (ASC)
💡 What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental condition.
It affects how a person:
- Communicates 💬
- Social interaction 🤝
- Experiences the world 🌍
- Processes sensory information 🔊
🌈 Spectrum
👉 Everyone is different
👉 Autism affects people in different ways
👉 Support needs vary
💬 Communication Differences
People may:
- Take things literally
- Struggle with social cues
- Prefer clear, direct language
- Find conversation difficult
🤝 Social Interaction
People may:
- Prefer being alone
- Find groups overwhelming
- Struggle with social rules
🔁 Routine & Change
People may:
- Prefer routines
- Find change stressful
- Feel anxious with unexpected events
🔊 Sensory Differences
People may be:
- Sensitive to noise
- Sensitive to light
- Sensitive to touch, smell, or taste
- Easily overwhelmed
💪 Strengths
People with autism may:
- Be highly focused
- Be honest and direct
- Be creative
- Have strong memory
- Have special interests
🛠️ Support
- Clear communication
- Routine and structure
- Sensory support
- Calm environments
- Preparation for change
⚠️ Key Message
👉 Understand and support
👉 Do not force behaviour
👉 Respect differences
⚡ ADHD (ATTENTION DIFFERENCES)
🧠 What is ADHD?
ADHD affects:
- Attention
- Focus
- Impulse control
- Energy levels
🔍 Signs (Inattention)
People may:
- Find it hard to stay focused
- Get easily distracted
- Struggle to follow instructions
- Lose things often
- Appear not to listen
- Struggle to organise tasks
⚡ Hyperactivity
People may:
- Move constantly
- Fidget or talk a lot
- Struggle to sit still
- Feel restless
⚡ Impulsivity
People may:
- Act without thinking
- Interrupt others
- Struggle to wait
- Make quick decisions
👶 Children vs Adults
Children:
- High energy
- Talking a lot
- School difficulties
Adults:
- Disorganisation
- Forgetfulness
- Time management difficulties
💊 Support
- Medication (where appropriate)
- Structure and routine
- Therapy (CBT/Coaching)
- Clear instructions
- Movement breaks
💡 Key Message
👉 ADHD is not laziness
👉 It is a brain-based difference
💭 MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
😟 Anxiety
Very common in Autism & ADHD.
People may feel:
- Worried
- Nervous
- Overwhelmed
Causes:
- Sensory overload
- Uncertainty
- Social pressure
🌧️ Depression
People may:
- Feel low mood
- Lose interest in activities
- Withdraw socially
- Feel tired or empty
Causes:
- Masking
- Stress
- Isolation
- Repeated overwhelm
⚠️ Behaviour as Communication
Behaviour may show:
- Anxiety
- Sensory distress
- Overwhelm
- Communication difficulties
👉 Behaviour is often the visible part of invisible struggle
🧠 Unique Challenges
People may:
- Want friends but struggle socially
- Need routine but feel bored
- Feel conflict between structure and novelty
🗣️ Communication Difficulties
People may:
- Struggle to explain feelings
- Not recognise emotions
- Appear calm but feel distressed inside
🛠️ Support Strategies
🧠 CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
- Helps change thoughts and behaviours
- Supports anxiety & depression
🧠 DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy)
- Emotional regulation
- Coping skills
- Distress tolerance
🏠 Environment Support
- Routine
- Predictability
- Visual supports
- Calm spaces
🧘 Lifestyle Support
- Exercise
- Sleep routines
- Balanced activity
💊 Medical Support
- Medication (if needed)
- Professional review
🤝 Education & Community
- SENCO support
- Learning plans
- Advocacy groups
💡 Key Message
👉 Mental health is part of support — not separate
🧠 NERVOUS SYSTEM
⚡ Fight / Flight / Freeze
When stressed, people may:
- Fight (argue)
- Flight (escape)
- Freeze (shutdown)
💡 Why this matters
It explains:
- Anxiety
- Autism responses
- ADHD behaviour
- Anger reactions
🧠 AUTISM + ADHD OVERLAP
People may experience:
- Focus difficulties
- Emotional overwhelm
- Sensory overload
- Social misunderstanding
- Executive function challenges
⚠️ Misunderstanding risk
People may be seen as:
- “Not listening”
- “Rude”
- “Lazy”
👉 Actually they may be overwhelmed or processing
🧬 CO-OCCURRING CONDITIONS
Autism & ADHD may occur with:
🧠 Neurodevelopmental
- Dyslexia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia
😟 Mental Health
- Anxiety
- Depression
- OCD
🧠 Physical
- Epilepsy
- GI issues
- Joint hypermobility
🧬 Genetic
- Fragile X
- Down syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis
⚡ EPILEPSY + NEURODIVERSITY
🧠 Key facts
- Autism and epilepsy can occur together
- ADHD is common in epilepsy
- Seizures require medical attention
⚠️ Safety
- Stay calm
- Keep person safe
- Seek medical help
- Follow seizure procedures
🧠 CAUSES OF DISABILITIES
🌱 Before birth
- Genetic conditions
- Brain development differences
- Chromosome conditions
👶 During birth
- Oxygen loss
- Prematurity
- Birth complications
🧑 After birth
- Illness
- Injury
- Trauma
💡 Key Message
👉 Disabilities can happen at different life stages
👉 Autism is usually before birth
🧠 EASY READ SUMMARY
- Everyone is different
- Brains work differently
- People may need support
- Conditions can overlap
- Behaviour is communication
- Support helps people thrive
🎓 POWERPOINT STRUCTURE
Slide 1
Neurodiversity & Mental Health
Slide 2
Autism
Slide 3
ADHD
Slide 4
Anxiety
Slide 5
Depression
Slide 6
Sensory Differences
Slide 7
Behaviour is Communication
Slide 8
Support Strategies
Slide 9
Overlapping Conditions
Slide 10
Key Message
🧪 QUIZ (MIXED)
- ADHD affects:
- Focus and attention ✅
- Autism affects:
- Communication and social interaction ✅
- Anxiety is:
- Very common in neurodivergence ✅
- Behaviour can be:
- Communication ✅
-
True or False:
All people are the same
❌ False
🧠 FINAL PROFESSIONAL MESSAGE
💙 People are not broken
🧠 They are different
🌱 Support improves outcomes
🤝 Understanding reduces harm
⚠️ Behaviour always has meaning
❤️ Everyone deserves dignity and respect
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