If you have read previous blogs, you will know I am a big fan of the Autism Education Trust’s concept – the four key areas of difference. It appears in their Tier 1 and Tier 2 training and, as a result of being a registered AET Trainer, this concept became my main approach to help school staff understand the child they were working with. This led to my M Ed dissertation and is pivotal to the ethos of autism act. I openly acknowledge the influence the AET has had on this and have added a new dimension to this concept as the audience I am aiming to reach are not just confined to school based staff. In my opinion, the 4 key areas of difference are the perfect way to promote autism awareness; in fact going beyond awareness and into understanding.
I believe the 4 key areas of difference (AET 2015) are also the keys to ‘unlocking understanding’ of autism for other people- that is the new dimension (autism act 2020)
The key areas of autistic difference are as follows:
- Social understanding
- Communication
- Information processing
- Sensory processing
They come directly from the 2 strands of autism diagnosis and everyone with a diagnosis will have differences in these 4 areas. However, it is very important to realise that each person’s profile within the 4 areas will be unique to them. The saying ‘you’ve met one autistic person means you have met one autistic person’ is so true – we are all a product of our own personalities, families and cultures, autistic or not! The 4 key areas are the difference in the autistic brain – how these areas are perceived, understood and responses given.
For those supporting autistic children and young people, knowing their unique profile means better understanding, provision that is more likely to meet need, supporting those areas of challenge while using strengths to promote independence. And this is the new dimension to the 4 keys – unlocking adult understanding through using the key areas of difference.
autism act’s workshop, ready to act, is based on this concept and explores all areas in detail, ensuring delegates leave the training with a more developed understanding of autism – awareness unlocked and ready to move on with their understanding