Carly Jones - Safeguarding Autistic Girls: Strategies for Professionals

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SAFEGUARDING
AUTISTIC
GIRLS

Strategies
for Professionals

Carly Jones MBE

Foreword by Dr Luke Beardon

First published in Great Britain in 2022

by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

An Hachette Company

Copyright Carly Jones MBE 2022

Foreword copyright Dr Luke Beardon 2022

The right of Carly Jones MBE to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Front cover image source: Shutterstock.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library and the Library of Congress

ISBN 978 1 78775 759 2

eISBN 978 1 78775 760 8

Jessica Kingsley Publishers policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

www.jkp.com

Dedicated to all the real Autistic women and girls
behind the case studies. You are all the strongest
girls I will ever know. Autistic Girl Power.

It used to be the case that the worlds population could be split into two: those fortunate enough to know Carly Jones, MBE, and those unfortunates who had yet to have that absolute pleasure; Im one of the lucky ones, by the way. Now, however, there is a third option to get to know Carly via this fabulous narrative that is an essential read I was going to write an essential read for and end the sentence with something along the lines of anyone interested in Autism, blah, blah, blah. Sense took over, though this book is, literally, an essential read. For everyone. If I had my way it would be statutory reading within education without exception.

Why? Because it is a life-changing book.

It might not change the lives of everyone who reads it, but the potential for it to be life-changing to many is evident as one reads through the book. Its importance cannot be underestimated.

I was worried about reading this; well firstly, I was delighted that Carly had asked me in the first place, but the nature of the subject is not something that filled me with joy; I was anxious, to put it mildly, that I would struggle emotionally and be left feeling way worse about the world than before I started. And yet, it seems that Carly has done the nigh on impossible. She has written about horrendous situations in a way that is hard hitting (emotional roller coaster is as apt a phrase as can be in reference to reading this book) and yet alleviates the potential for negativity with such a sublime narrative style, with such gentleness and sensitivity, with such wry humour that the words never become overwhelming.

Carly has an extraordinary presence in real life and she has managed to imbue her book with the essence of Carly in such a way that, on reading, I never felt alone; she remained a comforting companion throughout, which, I suspect, will be vital for many of the vulnerable people who are yet to read this publication.

The book itself is so full of wisdom, has so many gems of useful, pertinent suggestions and information, and covers such a vast array of beneficial areas of life that on finishing it I was drawn back to page one to read it again. Then once more to make it three. All of this was in one sitting, by the way. Carlys style is so accessible that reading is not an effort or a chore, but a delight, even taking the difficult nature of what she is writing about into account.

Dont be put off by thinking that this is all about Autistic girls/women this book is of relevance to Autistic boys/men too. Many of the examples given could easily be understood in different contexts. It is devastating that the book is necessary, that the abuse of Autistic people is so prevalent, that Autistic people have to suffer to such a degree. Challenging preconceptions (if you dont believe Autistic folk have a sense of humour, or empathy, prepare to be challenged) in all sorts of ways, though, this book reaches beyond abuse and vulnerability, and has a positivity throughout that is heart-warming and uplifting.

Carly writes: I dont want to use up all your time and the entire books word count on various accounts of my life story as it feels self-indulgent. We would be here for weeks and I dont want to bore you to tears.

My response? Bring on the next book, Carly Jones

Dr Luke Beardon

Hello there, welcome to the Introduction of my book, Safeguarding Autistic Girls: Strategies for Professionals.

Im not going to lie to you and sell this book as one that critics would describe as hard to put down, quite the contrary its going to be a book thats hard to pick up. It was a hard book to write and after a year of typing away at the laptop and taking mental health breaks to process the upheaval of emotions it brought to the surface, Ill be candid with you: I never wanted to lay eyes on it again. It is with that disclaimer that I hope and thank you for finding the strength to read it, even if it is just once.

Its not going to be a lighthearted read that is bought at Heathrow for your cocktail-laden holidays (if you do just this, no judgement, I like your strategy). Its more likely to be the book that youll reach for when someone you support has found lifes rock bottom and you need jargon-free, honest, tried-and-tested strategies fast.

Its not going to be easy to digest either, as you will be (from the point this Introduction ends) walking in the shoes of some of the most heart-breaking cases, patterns of abuse and misunderstandings faced by Autistic girls, with an aim to make sure together we break the cycle.

Autistic girls are never more vulnerable than when their vulnerabilities are not known by those who care for them. There is a risk to that too, of course. By writing a book demonstrating the loopholes found when safeguarding Autistic girls, could it be used in the wrong hands as a manual on how to exploit them? That fear is behind every word I typed. So, from this point onwards I need faith that those who are reading this are doing so with a view to make things better. I therefore ask you to please try at least one strategy to make a difference; just one pebble in the sea makes a vast wave of ripple effects in an Autistic girls life.