Ambitious About Autism

Project Summary

One in 100 children have autism. Research has shown that over 70% of children with autism are taught in mainstream schools and that 40% are bullied as a result of their ‘difference’. Funds raised at ICAP Charity Day 2010 London enabled Ambitious About Autism to commission a project to design and develop a National Schools’ Peer Awareness Programme for neurodiversity, including autism, or differences in the way people think or perceive the world.

Funds went towards Woodfer’s World, a new anti-bullying teaching resource to help stop children with hidden disabilities being bullied at school. The programme is based on four illustrated short stories that introduce characters and a set of situations that reflect some of the challenges around being different. The resource is designed to make seven year olds think more deeply about the concept of ‘difference’ and their responses to difference.  It is a well-established practice that great authors have used allegory as a technique (e.g. Aesop’s Fables, George Orwell: Animal Farm) and have used animals as their main character to teach a lesson or to make us explore something from a different perspective. Allegorical stories are used to stimulate learning, enhance understanding and lead to behaviour change. 

Guidance has been given to teachers about how to introduce the stories to the children to ensure a universal appeal, regardless of age. Designed to help children gain a greater awareness of differences in an engaging way, the teaching resource has been distributed to 17,000 primary schools in England for use with pupils aged 7-8.