On the 20th of October 2021, within the SMILE Project, ARCIL joined the organisation Autism in Context to organise the training course entitled “Autism and Well-Being: Practical Strategies”.
The session was given by the Master and Doctor of Psychology in Educational Sciences, Peter Vermeulen, internationally recognised speaker and author of more than 15 books and several articles focusing on autism.
In the “Autism and Well-Being: Practical Strategies” training, parents, teachers, school assistants and other specialists were invited to redefine the desired results when working with pupils with autism, reinforcing the focus on well-being and happiness, through the sharing of tools, strategies and experiences to make their lives happier, through more pleasurable and meaningful experiences of inclusion.
An unprecedented event, full of good energy, sharing, reflections and knowledge. In the words in one of the teachers:
“What a fantastic sharing and intense reflection!
It was interesting to hear about people diagnosed with autism without sticking to the common definitions, the diagnostic criteria, namely the most striking difficulties in interaction and social communication, restrictive and repetitive patterns of behaviour, among others.
People with and without autism are not that different in terms of behaviour, mindset and - especially - needs. It was good to remember that all human beings, autistic or non-autistic, want to be happy, feel safe, stay healthy.
So many times we verbalise “what we want is for them to be happy!”. But then … Why don't we put happiness in individual education plans?
Why don't we make comments on well-being, involving students with autism themselves, discovering what makes them feel good, evaluating sensory preferences, talents, strengths, ...
What for? Because happy autistic students need results in all areas of their lives, just like everyone else.
Thank you, Peter.
We will make sure that happiness is available to all people with autism, regardless of the nature and profile of their autism, their intellectual skills and their age. Happiness is not the absence of problems; but the ability to deal with them. It is about helping each student with autism to face challenges and reach goals by providing autism-friendly environments, more predictable rather than less stimulating. Not forgetting to give each one the freedom to choose what they think is necessary for themselves.
I loved the message: No less autistic, but “autistically happy”.