Inside the Bubble was founded to provide reliable information about autism and the issues surrounding it. Although awareness of autism is growing, there is still considerable ignorance about the condition, and those affected continue to suffer prejudice as a result.

If you have ever had trouble choosing suitable presents for an autistic, read the guide to buying Toys and Gifts for Autistic Children. Autism can be expensive in many subtle ways, and the costs can mount up. Fortunately there are several benefits available to autistics and their carers, which you can read about here.

Once diagnosis is made, the problem of how to educate the autistic child is a controversial one. There is a multitude of treatments and methods to choose from, and many of them are unsuitable or even scams. Unfortunately many official autism charities are unwilling to favour one treatment over another and point out which ones are the best. It is hard to know who to treat as an authority, or where to go for information on the best educational methods. Parents must make their own decisions, and not all sources of information are equal. Added to this, the window of opportunity for language aquisition is said to diminish after a child's sixth birthday, so it's hard not to feel pressured for time.

We have had a certain degree of success using Applied Behavioural Analysis (sometimes called the Lovaas Method). You can read a full account of that in Jamie's story by following the links on the left. You can also read about trying to set a programme up. ABA involves a certain scientific rigour, as well as a healthy dollop of good sense. To complicate matters, there are large differences between children on the autistic spectrum, and what works for one won't necessarily work for them all. So whilst ABA has been very useful for Jamie, other approaches have their place and may be more appropriate for people diagnosed with autism who have slightly different symptoms.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a popular method of getting pre-speech autistics to communicate. TEACCH also involves using pictures to communicate with, and to structure the day. It plays on the strength for visual learning that many autistics have, but unlike ABA this approach to teaching doesn't come with its own step-by-step programme.