Just Jordan Newsletter August Issue

JUST JORDAN

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JUST Jordan

Wed 3 Aug IN THIS ISSUE

Introduction

by Jordan Fernando

Hello everyone and welcome to my very first edition of ‘Just Jordan’.

Like many of you reading this I too am autistic and was diagnosed at a very young age of 3. It’s not been an easy journey for me throughout the years but with help and support along the way I’ve managed to adapt and cope with it as best I can.

I’ve embraced autism and now use it to my advantage by raising awareness, fundraising, becoming an ambassador and volunteering with The National Autistic Society. I also enjoy spending time volunteering at The One Stop Shop in Kilmarnock, attending the girls group in Glasgow and am a Young Campaigner too.

I was recently approached by Alyson from Enterprising Minds who has encouraged me to start up a monthly newsletter sharing stories,

information, support and fun topics too. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing up the first ever edition of ‘JUST Jordan’ and really hope you all enjoy reading it.

You will find information on my ‘JUST Jordan’ facebook, twitter and contact details enclosed.

I look forward to your feedback, submissions and questions for my newsletter.

See ya,

Jordan Fernando xx

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times, The National Autistic Society is

Autism Coffee Morning Find out how our recent Autism Coffee Morning went. Full details inside!

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Autism Coffee Morning

by Jordan Fernando

Reaching Adulthood The Good, the bad and the ugly truth of reaching adulthood.

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By holding annual events like coffee mornings I can reach out to my local community and offer friendship, support and valuable information to families of all ages.

there at every stage, to help transform the lives of everyone living with autism.

I will always continue to support and encourage autistic people and their families to campaign for change and to make sure their voice is heard.

Everything that The National Autistic Society campaigns on is informed by the views and experiences of autistic people and their families. You can find out more information here: http://www.autism.org.uk

I’m one of 230,000 people in Scotland who has someone with autism in their family.

This year we were joined by local MP Patricia Gibson and her husband MSP Kenneth Gibson who both gave a speech showing their support of Autism matters.

The coffee morning was a great success and I look forward to organizing another one soon.

Around 700,000 people in the UK have autism. Together with their families they make up over 2.8 million people whose lives are touched by autism every single day.

From good times to challenging

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE. If you would like to submit an article, ask a question or offer support in next month’s newsletter please contact me via email: jfernando_1997@hotmail.co.uk

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Reaching Adulthood

by Jordan Fernando

ADULT LIFE

Whether you're old or young, life as an autistic young person or adult can bring particular challenges. Although it may feel like you're alone, help is available.

In this section you'll find help with employment.

EMPLOYMENT

People with autism have some very valuable skills which can be applied in the workplace. They might have very good attention to detail, or be really good at sticking to routines and timetables. Therefore, are likely to be

very punctual and reliable. Everyone has different skills but there will always be something.

Tips for interacting and coping at work

It can be really helpful for you to have a workplace mentor, or a named person at work that you feel you can talk to about issues at work.

You will be able to talk to this person about the unwritten office rules, and

they will be able to check whether you are confused over instructions that you have been given.

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Sometimes, it might just be useful to have someone to talk to about any other issues you have in your place of work. You could ask your manager or HR team about finding a workplace mentor for you. It needs to be someone you can trust, so think of some people at work who you would feel comfortable talking to and tell your manager or HR team about them.

It does not necessarily have to be someone in your team. It is useful to have regular scheduled meetings with your mentor, so that if any incidents do occur you can talk about them as they happen and deal with them early, rather than letting things build up over time.

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to be in the office at all times over the lunch period? If so, is there a rota for when people take their lunchbreaks?

You could talk to your mentor about the different levels of relationship that exist at work. At work, relationships are generally more formal than those that we have with close friends and family members.

Some things that we say to our close friends and family are not appropriate to talk about at work, and some topics are not appropriate to discuss at work.

The things that people talk about and the way they talk at work is sometimes called workplace

It is usually a good idea to show awareness that the conversation is going on - if you show no reaction, people may think that you are not interested, or that you are being rude. While workplace banter can have little consequence, it is a great way to develop good working relationships with colleagues and feeling one of the team. (Perks, 2007).

You may feel like you want to start some workplace banter. If so, some appropriate topics of conversation could be:

the weather recent television programmes or films

There are often a number of unspoken office rules and it is helpful to go through these with your mentor. These rules vary greatly between organisations, and sometimes even different teams in the same organisation, so it is important to talk them through with someone. Examples of these rules could be:

offering to make everyone a drink when you make one for yourself (depending on the size of the team) using your own mug and washing up anything that you use finding out the arrangements with tea bags/coffee/milk - is there a collection you need to contribute to if you use it? What do you need to do if you use up the last of the milk? finding out about lunchtime arrangements - does someone have

banter, and this is another topic you could talk with your mentor about.

Workplace banter is a form of conversation that takes place between work colleagues, particularly those who work in an open plan office. The National Autistic Society has published a book called Body Language and Communication, which suggests how to participate in this banter, giving you tips and advice.

Workplace banter is not usually an ongoing conversation, it's more a series of short bursts of conversation throughout the day. It can be quite usual for people not to stop what they are doing - to join in the banter, often people will remain at their desks and continue working while still chatting.

recent sporting events.

Some inappropriate topics of conversation are:

money (eg how much people earn in your team) critical comments about how people look (eg what they are wearing) personal comments about colleagues.

If you have decided to declare your disability you may find it helpful to pass on information about Asperger syndrome to your team. If you do not feel comfortable doing this you could get your manager or your mentor to pass on the information.

Included in this information could be general information about Asperger syndrome (available from our Autism Helpline or at our website at

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www.autism.org.uk/asperger) and information about reasonable adjustments that could help you at work. Examples of these could be:

writing down instructions and tasks giving short, clear instructions

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Success Unlimited Website: www.successunlimited.co.uk http://www.autism.org.uk/about/adultlife/work.aspx

SERVICES

Person-centred For over fifty years Hansel has been working for adults with learning

hansel

by Jordan Fernando

breaking down large tasks into smaller components having a regular timetable of tasks to add structure to your working day asking that people make it clear if you are talking too long about a subject, which is your particular special interest.

You may also like to talk to your manager or HR team about seeing if they will arrange autism/Asperger syndrome awareness training for all staff. Training is offered by external companies and could be something that will help your team understand your needs more, and in turn lead to a more supportive workplace for you.

USEFUL CONTACTS

ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)Helpline tel: 08457 47 47 47 (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday 9am-1pm) Website: www.acas.org.uk Dignity at Work Website: www.dignityatwork.org

Now I couldn’t write up a newsletter without mentioning the wonderful services Hansel has to offer. Hansel is a leading social care provider, based in the West of Scotland, offering a range of services to people living with

disabilities. Hansel is at the forefront of innovation in developing supports for adults with learning disabilities.

They continue to grow and evolve with the active participation of the people we work for and in partnership with others who share our commitment to providing the best services possible.

From the Directors and management to the front line staff and the people who use these services they share a common vision: and that is to work together, building a successful future.

disabilities, developing a unique range of flexible and innovative person-centred supports. Supporting people to be safe, healthy and well, providing quality care and support, is important to Hansel.

Short Breaks Greater flexibility is available from our Getaway service which supports people to take the holiday of their choice, individually or with friends.

Lifestyle Supports Hansel offer building-based supports for a variety of interest / activity groups at Broadmeadows as well as a diverse and flexible range of 1:1 (or 2:1, if required)

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Kids Zone

by Jordan Fernando

and shared community-based supports.

Shared supports offer small groups of individuals with similar needs and interests support to establish and maintain natural friendships. These supports have been used to follow football, take college courses and go to the pub and have been particularly helpful in maintaining friendships after leaving school.

For more information: http://www.hansel.org.uk/ As long as I can remember whenever I needed some timeout, alone time, quiet time….whatever it is you call it, I’ve usually gone to the privacy of my bedroom to chill out for a while.

What I love to do the most is artwork….’JUST Jordan’ style !!

So every month I’ll post a new piece of artwork, cartoon strip or story for you and if you’d like to share yours, please submit your chosen piece and send to me via email.

Jfernando_1997@hotmail.co.uk 1 lucky winner will be chosen and featured, good luck !

My chosen piece of artwork is quite an old drawing but one that means a lot to me, as it was roundabout the time when I really started to understand autism and how it had been impacting on my life. I chose to embrace it and used my skills to highlight autism in a fun way, hope you like it !

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Share Your Hobbies!

Aside from my artwork and gaming I also love restoration work.

The furniture in my room was beginning to look a bit on the shabby side but still all in perfect working order. I couldn’t see the point of getting new one’s so Mum and I decided to give it a lick of paint instead.

I’ve been a huge fan of Super Mario and anything Italian related since I was a wee girl so my colour choices were very simple….green, white, blue and red!

I then made a sketch of what I’d like the finished products to look like and ‘Voila’…just perfecto!!!

What do you all think?

Do you have a hobby you’d like to share with our readers in the next edition of ‘JUST Jordan’?

I’d love to see you all in action so please do send me some photos and I’ll try my very best to publish as many as I can in our September issue.

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Dear Jordan……

Ask me anything and I’ll be as frank with my views as Coleen is on Loose Women!! I can be your straightest-talking agony aunt, giving advice on relationships, bullying, early diagnosis and any life problems you may have…..xx

“Dear Jordan: How do I get a diagnosis for autism? “ Jane 22, North Ayrshire

Hi Jane: “Getting a diagnosis of autism can be a really positive thing. However, the process can be difficult for adults. This is a step-by-step guide for how to seek a diagnosis. In most areas, you should book an appointment with your GP and ask them for a referral to a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, preferably one with experience of diagnosing autism. Your GP needs a reason to refer you for diagnosis, so you will have to explain why you think you could be autistic, and how a diagnosis would benefit you. If you think you might want help with this, ask someone you know to come with you. It may be worth letting your GP know that you are aware of the strategies, laws and guidelines that professionals should be following, relevant to the country you live in.

If your GP does not want to refer you for an assessment, you could show them the information about these to challenge their decision.” Love Jordan xx

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“Dear Jordan: I’d like some advice please. My boyfriend has just told me he has Asperger’s Syndrome but I don’t really know what it is and if I should be doing anything different.” Karen, 19 from Stirling.

Hi Karen, You need to be able to get used to his way of being, whether he is autistic or not. He is who he is, and if you cannot accept that then it will never work.

You could spell out what expectations are in a relationship, so that he knows, but that doesn't mean he will find it easy or be able to fulfill those expectations.

If he is autistic, his brain is wired differently, it's not his fault and he can't rewire his brain.

Sometimes, people with autism just didn't realise something, so if you haven't told him, then give him a chance by explaining what it is you want or need so that he has the chance to try. Whatever happens, don't expect him to presume anything, to have an instinct for that stuff or to pick up on hints, veiled suggestions or body language as to what you want.

One thing I would say, is even if he doesn't show it that doesn't mean he doesn't have the same emotional feelings as someone considered "neurotypical". Hope that helps, Love Jordan xx

“Dear Jordan: I’m looking for a group to get my child involved in, he is 7 years old with autism.” Stuart, 35 from Kilmarnock Hi Stuart, I actually volunteer at The One Stop Shop in Kilmarnock, which offer people with autism and their families much needed information, advice and support before and after diagnosis.

They regularly run fun groups for children on the spectrum so please do give them a call on 01563 520317. Love Jordan xx

Dear Jordan: My Son is really struggling to tie his laces, I’ve spent hours and hours with him trying to teach him but he just gets so frustrated. Do you know of other ways that can help with shoe laces?” Diane, 26 from Ayr Hi Diane, I’ve just recently learnt about Zubits Magnetic Shoe Closures.

This recent invention called Zubits, is a great idea for people who may struggle with their fine motor skills when tying shoe laces.

These easy-to-use magnetic clips are available in a variety of colors and sizes to fit on to your trainers or shoes. It’s easy to easily clip shut and can open without using your fingers. Here’s a link to the website where you can find out more information: https://zubits.com/ Hope that helps! Love Jordan xx

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What’s On in Ayrshire Ayrshire's Crafty Cooks Fun cookery clubs held in a 'home environment', in stewarton, Fenwick, Kilmarnock and Dunlop.

The clubs are available for children ages 2 - 11yrs, who will have the opportunity to create their own laminated recipe card workbook.

For further information please contact Jennifer. Thankyou.

Tel:07789931078 Email: jen@craftycooks.co.uk CraftyCooks: https://www.facebook.com/CraftyCooksSWScotland/

August's Autism Friendly Film Screenings • BFG 11am Sunday 7th August 2016 @ Cineworld cinemas • Finding Dory 10am Sunday 14th August 2016 @ Showcase cinemas • Finding Dory 11.30am Sunday 14th August 2016 @ Odeon cinemas • Jason Bourne (12a) (For older audiences) 6pm Monday 15th August 2016 @ (selected) Odeon cinemas • The Angry Birds 10am Sunday 28th August 2016 @ Vue cinemas Please click on the link below for further details.

Dimensions (web): https://www.dimensions-uk.org/families/autism-friendly-environments/autism-friendly-screenings/

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NAS East Ayrshire Tombola Stall At the Dundonald Highland Games Saturday 6th August 2016 Hi, as you may know from previous posts, the NAS East Ayrshire branch have secured a stall for Tombola and a raffle, at the Dundonald Highland Games, that we are going to be attending also.

Unfortunately the branch are lacking in donations received so far, so we would kindly appriciate your help in supporting the stall with any donated items for the Tombola e.g. any bottles, unwanted gifts or cosmetics, etc.

If you can spare anything atall, please could you drop it into our One Stop Shop as soon as possible. Please contact us first to ensure that someone is available to collect them on.

Tel: 01563 520317 Email: ayrshireoss@nas.org.uk local NAS East

Nas North Ayrshire Branch Contact details: Tel 07969003122 Email: nasnorthayrshirebranch@hotmail.com

Copyright of Jordan Fernando Jfernando_1997@hotmail.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/groups/213071952427706/

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