Table 3.

Examples of questions to help staff communicate with a young person with ASD*

• Can they ask you questions?

• Do the questions need to be short and very specific?

• Do they need to write things down for you?

• Would you prefer pictures or symbols?

• Will it help if they point at things or demonstrate things?

• Whichever way they communicate with you, will you need a lot of time to think about the question before you can answer it?

• Do you need extra time when asked questions?

• Should they ask your carer to help explain things to you?

• Do you experience pain?

• What do you do when you experience pain?

• If you don’t experience pain, how do you know when you are unwell or ill?

*Created using information from the National Autistic Society website [44]