SCHOOL PASSPORT

Presentation entitled Matthew's Passport. Used with kind permission of the author.

Important information about me

I have Asperger Syndrome. I find social communication and group work hard. I prefer to work on my own or with people that I trust.

I also have asthma and bad hayfever. I have IBS, which gets worse when I am stressed. Sometimes I have to go out to the toilet a lot.

I am slightly short sighted and have very sensitive hearing. Loud music and shouting hurts my ears and I find it difficult to concentrate if it is very noisy in the classroom.

Photo entitled A dandelion in the sun by Avmaier from http://flickr.com/photos/48244719@N00/11889249. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

Things I am interested in and things or people that are important to me

Walking

Horse riding Canoeing

Sailing

Things I’m good at (at school and at home)

• These are the things I am good at at school: Science,Maths,Food Technology, Reading.

• I am also good at gardening, making intricate card models, cycling, swimming, cooking.

Things I find difficult

• Working in a very noisy classroom

• Making friends

• Writing fast and neatly

Image entitled Noisy from http://clear.msu.edu/dennie/clipart/noisy.gif. © Purdue University. Used with kind permission.

How I communicate (and any difficulties I have with communicating)

• I sometimes find it hard to understand expressional communication.

• Sometimes I don’t understand some peoples jokes

• Sometimes I think people are cross with me when they are not

• I do not always interpret language in the same way as other people and will not always understand when you think I have done something wrong. Please try to let me explain what I think I was doing rather than assume I am being difficult.

Illustration by Jed Pascoe. I Have a Problem Communicating. Used with kind permission.

How I need you to communicate with me to help me understand

• If you raise your voice when you speak to me I can think that I am being told off.

• If I am not 100% sure what to do, I will probably ask you to repeat some of the instructions

What Did you say?

Things that help me to work well

• Clear instructions• A reasonably quiet

environment• If we are working in

groups / pairs, it helps to be with someone I trust

Things that make it difficult for me to work well

• A very noisy classroom

• Having the sun in my eyes

• Not understanding the task

• Working with someone who won’t listen to my views

When I’m stressed I.......

• Get upset• Bite my nails• Find it hard to

concentrate• Get worse IBS

symptoms• Raise my voice• Think everyone is

cross with me

If I’m stressed it helps if I can....

• Have time to calm down before I have to explain something

Image entitled Calm Down from http://chir.ag/calm-down/0 . © Chirag and Tony. Used with kind permission.

How you can help me

• Not mention my problems to anyone else and not talk to me about them if other members of the class are around – this upsets me and makes me embarrassed