Resources about Autism for young people

• From Dr. Wenn Lawson, a wonderful “TeDB Talk” on What It Means To Be Autistic. Geared toward Autistic young people.
• From Reframing Autism, How To Talk To Children About Autism, a step-by-step guide on how to introduce and normalise differences from a very young age and help Autistic children embrace who they are. This webinar includes many references to additional resources. A shorter, accessible overview can be found here.
• Pablo, the groundbreaking children’s series features an all-Autistic main cast & Autistic writers.

• Thirteen-year-old Summer, ‘The Chicken Whisperer’, was one of dozens of young presenters who took part in our AWETISM 2020 Virtual Expo, an annual free event that celebrates the passions, talents and insights of Autistic young people. To get alerts for our AWETISM 2021 Expo (November) and other amazing programs for Autistic young people, please subscribe to our newsletter.
• From the I CAN team, our Humans On The Autism Spectrum series offers insights and advice from Autistic members of our network. Our 2020 series featured soon-to-be and recent school leavers.
• From ABC TV + iview, What It’s Like…Living On The Autism Spectrum. Currently only available in Australia.
• From My Autistic Sparkle, 7-year-old Skylar shares Being Autistic & How It Feels.
• The 2011 Award-Winning CBBC segment, My Autism & Me, is narrated by 13-year-old Rosie King. Be sure to also check out Rosie’s 2014 TED talk below, How Autism Freed Me To Be Myself.

• From The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a fabulous resource we share often, Welcome To The Autistic Community, which was recently updated and released in April 2020 (suitable for all audiences).
• From the I CAN team, Important Reminders & Resources For Our Younger Autistic Peers (tip sheet, brief video & resources). There is a companion piece aimed at parents, carers, teachers and other adults of influence: Nurturing Self-Esteem & Pride in Autistic Young People.

A few wonderful books to check out (all by Autistic authors):

• From Reframing Autism & CeArt, Just Right for You: A Story About Autism, an Autistic-crafted picture book that offers a warm & optimistic way of introducing Autism to a young person and embracing their differences.
• From Daniel Share-Storm, Do You Want To Play? Making Friends with an Autistic Kid, an Autistic perspective on how to be a thoughtful friend.
• From Emma Dalmayne, Susie Spins, aimed at pre-school and Stage 1 (K-2) children.
• From Chris Bonnello, What We Love Most About Life: Answers From 150 Children Across the Autism Spectrum, a book of positivity featuring Autistic young people from around the world.
• From Yenn Purkis & Tanya Masterman, The Awesome Autistic Go-To Guide: A Practical Handbook for Autistic Teens & Tweens, one of the best resources for Autistic tweens and teens that we’ve come across!
  

We thank the I CAN Network for allowing us to repost this article, which originally appeared on the I CAN Blog.

The I CAN Network story started with one family, the Varneys. Lisa Anderson and John Varney instilled an ‘I CAN’ attitude in their Autistic son Chris through a network of supportive friends and teachers. Years later, in 2013, Chris founded ‘I CAN Network’ with the help of two Autistic mates Penny Robinson and James Ong.