Book excerpt: Working with young children on the autistic spectrum and supporting them as they learn can be fascinating, challenging, often overwhelmingly difficult, but more than anything else, hugely rewarding. Strategies to Support Children with Autism and other Complex Needs bridges the gap between explaining what autism is and finding ways to interact through having a balance of play activities interspersed with more formal teaching of skills of everyday living. This highly practical text provides a bank of strategies that are specially designed to be matched to the developmental status of each child. These strategies are endorsed by academics who have monitored the children’s responses in communicating, pretending, playing, moving, and singing and describe how the children have responded positively over time. This book covers a variety of topics such as: The importance of play for enhancing learning for children with autism and other complex needs Evaluating different ways of developing communication Transferring learning from one environment to another to aid memorizing. Understanding the impact of sensory hypo and hyperactivity on children’s learning. Developing a ‘Theory of Mind’ The importance of movement, music and having fun Observation and assessment schedules are provided, along with clear and helpful evaluation forms which show staff in primary and early years settings how children on the autistic spectrum can be helped to make meaningful and encouraging progress. This text is an vital read for any practitioners working with children on the autistic spectrum or with complex learning difficulties.