My name is Daniel Griffiths I like to be called Dan Please read! This booklet will help you to get to know me and how I communicate. CALL Centre 11/12 Communication Passport

Page Index 1. Key things you need to know 2. My family 3. My friends 4. Special people 5. How I communicate 6. How you can communicate with me 7. Things I like to talk about 8. Things I enjoy doing in my spare time 9. Special moments and events in my life 10. Things that cheer me up 11. Things that upset me 12. I can’t stand this! 13. My past. My future plans 14. Places 15. I need help with 16. Eating and drinking 17. Sight & hearing 18. My photos CALL Centre 11/12

Key things you need to know about me CALL Centre 1a 11/12 I am high functioning. I have autism. I think people see me differently because I am autistic. I get sensory overload. This is when things get very loud or I am touched or there is too many things to look at and happening at the same time. I feel very anxious. I flap my hands and I try to switch off my hearing. If I get very distressed I will take deep breaths, I will think happy thoughts and I will count to 10 and sometimes I will hum or sing to myself. I talk to myself. Sometimes when I am extremely anxious I might lash out. I know that I mustn’t do this, but it’s sometimes hard to stop myself. This makes me unpredictable. I like to touch leather. I also like to scratch my arm. I can use a hairbrush to do this. Touching things help to calm me. I like different materials on my skin. I like foreign people especially Dutch people and Nigerian people. Touching a black person’s hair and skin also makes me feel calm and happy. I like relaxing, calming music and using the computer. I find it hard to read and understand people’s feelings.

Key things you need to know about me CALL Centre 1b 11/12 I have a savant memory. This means that I can look at something, e.g. a calender, a timetable etc., and I instantly take a picture of it in my mind and recall it whenever I want to. I’m able to recall information that I have heard or things people have told me or done (including dates, names and time etc) and recall programmes that happened many years ago or anything. I can remember lots and lots of things. I store things in my memory and try to remember them if they interest me.

My Family I like to communicate about them so you need to know who everybody is CALL Centre 2 11/12 I live with my mum and dad. My sister is called Claire. She is married to Lee and they have two daughters called Zara and Tia. Zara is 1½ and Tia is 3. My grandad lives in a carehome in Radlett. He is 88. He is my dad’s dad.

My Friends CALL Centre 3 11/12 I don’t like having friends.

Special People CALL Centre 4 11/12 Mum and Dad Grandad Sister and brother-in-law Neices

How I Communicate Understanding other people Getting my own message across CALL Centre 5 11/12 When im flapping my hands im not listening to the person talking. I listen to the radio commentary in my head. I’m not listening to the people who’s talking. I am interested in other people. I like to know where they were born and where they live. I ask lots of questions. I ask them how old they are. I am intelligent and I can talk about things that interest me. I am very good at remembering details about things that happened a long time ago.

How you can help me to communicate Please DO Please DON’T CALL Centre 6 11/12 Talk quiet Touch me (it doesn’t hurt but the feelings not nice of being touched.) Know about people (where they Shout were born and where they live) Singing When you speak to me, please say my name FIRST so that I know that you’re talking to me. Then give me your instruction or tell me what you want to say. If I don’t do it or respond, say my name again and then repeat what you are saying again using EXACTLY THE SAME WORDS, in EXACTLY THE SAME ORDER and using EXACTLY THE SAME TONE OF VOICE. Repeat in this way until I have responded to you.

Things I like to talk about CALL Centre 7 11/12 News events, current affairs Nigeria Holland Memories Places Foreign countries Football especially Arsenal

Things I enjoy doing in my spare time CALL Centre 8 11/12 Using the internet Finding out the news Watching T.V. Listening to music In the travel news Collecting old TV magazines. Going to the Vintage Magazine Shop (VMS)

Special moments and events in my life CALL Centre 9 11/12 Watching the film Rain Man My birthday Christmas Holidays

Things that cheer me up CALL Centre 10 11/12 Going on the Internet TV Out-takes Listening to the radio and my CDs Watching Arsenal win The weekend Singing in drama. Singing makes me happy. I like singing any song. I have a good singing voice. Reading old TV magazines Watching variety shows

Things that upset me CALL Centre 11 11/12 Because im autistic I look at the whole picture in precise details, for example, when I look at someone who is talking to me, I don’t just see that person, I see everything around them and behind them. I hear other things going on in the background. If something changes, it then makes me anxious. This is because I have to reassess everything again. I don’t like people coming into class and disrupting the class. I don’t like people who shouldn’t be where they should be. I like things to be the same and not change. I like things to be on time and not run over. It is true that I like to be told I can go home on time. I don’t like loud noises. It gives me pain. I cover my ears and swith off the noise and stop the pain. I don’t like people singing. Changes make me unpredictable to be around. I like the door to be shut. I don’t like things to change because I have to reassess everything again. Sitting in traffic. Sometimes people having a joke upsets me because I don’t realise they are joking. I get very anxious when disasters happen in the world. I am worried the end of the world is on 21 st Dec 2012.

I can’t stand this! CALL Centre 12 11/12 TV Sport events when they over run I don’t like natural disasters I don’t like people predicting disasters I have lots of worries but I don’t like to catch a cold or to be near anyone that has a cold. I can’t stand it if someone has a cold. If someone has been unwell, even though they are better now, I still worry that I will get what they had. I don’t like going near them. Hot weather

My Past CALL Centre 13 My Future 11/12 Whitefields was a special needs school I went to Ware College. Then I went to a different college. And the college was Oaklands. Up till I was 27. Epping Forest College

Places I live with Mum and Dad My family live Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire I have been to Netherlands, Gibraltar My favourite places Netherlands and Gibraltar CALL Centre 14 11/12

I need help with… CALL Centre 15 11/12 Explaining to me Researching on the internet I need help with personal space, e.g. in a queue. When I am in a queue it makes me anxious. This is because the person in front of me and behind me might touch me. I don’t like them standing too near to me. I need help with calming down.

Eating and Drinking Things you might need to know CALL Centre 16 11/12 I don’t eat food I haven’t tried I like foods im familiar with I like most drinks I don’t like food that might be slimy, e.g. pasta I don’t like vegetables I don’t like some textures of food I don’t like pancakes or Yorkshire puddings

What’s my sight like? CALL Centre 17 What’s my hearing like? 11/12 My sight is good. My hearing is excellent. I can hear people speaking a long way away from me. My hearing is very sensitive.

My Photos CALL Centre 18a 11/12 My Sister Claire and my brother-in- law Lee Me and my dad Sam my dog Me and my mum

My Photos CALL Centre 18b 11/12 Me and my dad My nieces Tia and Zara

11/12 Copied and personalised for use as an inclusive communication resource by: Andrea Slade Lecturer – LLDD / CSW with Deaf People Preparation for Life and Work Epping Forest College This Passport template layout is based on the work of Sally Millar, CALL Centre ©2006 CALL Centre “Widgit Rebus symbols used with permission from Widgit Software Tel: ”