Resources to help Instructors and Discover Sailing Centres engage with children with autism, to ensure they feel included, especially when starting Tackers for the first time are soon to be published on the Australian Sailing website.  

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way people communicate, socialise, interpret, and engage with their environment. No two Autistic people are the same, as each Autistic person you meet has their own unique strengths and challenges.  

Attending Tackers is a social experience and for many Autistic children this can be challenging. Some Autistic children will feel anxious about the social and sensory elements of Tackers.   

Australian Sailing have engaged AMAZE, the peak body for Autism to develop resources for instructors and parents. These resources include strategies and tips for instructors on how to communicate and what to do if an autistic child gets overwhelmed during a Tackers session.  

AMAZE lived experience consultants recently visited a Tackers program at Albert Park Lake and at The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to understand what elements of a Tackers program could be overwhelming to a child who has Autism and has not sailed before.   

As a result of their observations, AMAZE has developed two social scripts for the Tackers program. One describes a Tackers lesson launching from a beach for OTB clubs and the other describes what happens during a Tackers session at an inland lake.  

A social script is a document that uses storytelling techniques to explain new experiences and environments to Autistic people through simple language and images. 

A social script will usually include very specific and illustrated information about what an autistic person can expect when visiting a place or event – such as how they’ll travel to a place, what it will look like, who will engage with them, what activities will occur, and what they can do if they feel overwhelmed. 

The social scripts that have been developed explain the different stages of a Tackers program. These social scripts should be made available to the parents/ teachers of Autistic children before they attend Tackers for the first time. This will help them prepare. The social scripts will become embedded into the Tackers registration pages, so that all parents and children have access to these prior to taking part in a program.  

Resources for Instructors  

The instructor resources developed by AMAZE provide tips and strategies on how to engage Autistic people making them feel more welcomed and included in your sailing sessions.  

Communication  

Autistic people often require support with communication and prefer direct communication. Some Autistic people can find non-verbal communication such as body language and gestures difficult to interpret.  Below are listed some of the tips around communication that will be included in the resources for instructors.  

Communication tips for instructors: 

• Simplify your language. This means keeping your communication succinct and efficient.   

• Allow for thinking time. Autistic children often need more time to process verbal information. They may need more thinking time in busy environments.  

• Communicate one idea at a time and in order. Some Autistic people may become overwhelmed with a long list of verbal instructions. Each idea may have two to three steps.  

• Use an even tone of voice. When in conversation, people need to focus on the content and the way it is being said. This can be too much information, and at times an uneven tone can be misconstrued. For example, raising your voice to instruct could be interpreted as anger. By keeping an even tone when speaking, Autistic people can focus on what you are saying, not how you are saying it.  

• Use clear language. Avoid or explain the use of sarcasm, similes, or metaphors. These types of communication mean that Autistic children must interpret the hidden meaning behind what is being said, which takes more time and can cause a breakdown in communication.   

• Speak down wind.    

• Support verbal instructions with diagrams or a demonstration.  

• Model instructions and ask the group to copy. 

• Clearly communicate the start and finish of an activity. Pausing briefly between the instructions and the start of the activity makes this clearer. You could use a verbal prompt like ‘go’ and ‘stop.’  

• Autistic people may have times where they need more time to process information. This may be when they are tired, such as at the end of a sailing lesson or after a busy week at school. This could also be if they are unwell. You may need to adjust your communication when people are at lowered capacity.  

Sensory considerations   

Sensory processing refers to the way the body interprets and manages information from the environment. Sensory information gives real time information about keeping our bodies safe and regulated. Many Autistic people are sensitive in one or more senses, or they require large amounts of input. Being mindful of Autistic children’s sensory needs can make their experience at Tackers a positive one.  

Some sensory considerations include:  

These tips and strategies for instructors and more, along with the social scripts for parents will be published on the Australian Sailing participation hub at the following link https://www.sailingresources.org.au/participation and on the Instructor resources page, in the coming weeks.