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 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 Im 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 © 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 dont 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 wont listen to my views

When Im 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 Im stressed it helps if I can.... Have time to calm down before I have to explain something Image entitled Calm Down from © 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