Teenage Hygiene

Social skills stories are ideal tools for helping teenagers with an autism spectrum disorder understand social and communication skills and behaviours, which they may otherwise struggle to master.

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Chapter 1 4

Drinking from a water fountain 4

Chapter 2 6

Getting a haircut 6

Chapter 3 8

Going to the dentist 8

Chapter 4 10

I need a tissue 10

Chapter 5 12

Menstruation 12

Chapter 6 14

Nose picking 14

Chapter 7 15

Passing gas 15

Chapter 8 16

Puberty female 16

Chapter 9 18

Using deodorant 18

Chapter 10 21

Why I wash properly 21

Chapter 1

Drinking from a water fountain

Sometimes in buildings where there are lots of people, like offices or the library and at school there are drinking fountains

I can drink from a water fountain when I am thirsty. Lots of different people might have used the water fountain to have a drink if they were thirsty.

Sometimes people might leave their germs on the water fountain when they have a drink. I might get sick if I catch other peoples germs, so I must be very careful, when I drink from the water fountain.

It is also important that I do not leave my germs on the water fountain when I have a drink. If I leave my germs on the water fountain other people might get sick.

I must try and drink from the water fountain without my lips touching it. I will get germs if my lips touch the water fountain when I drink, if my lips touch the water fountain I might get other peoples germs and I will leave my germs behind.

I will avoid getting germs and leaving my germs behind, this is the right thing to do and it makes people happy to see me not touching my lips on the water fountain.

Chapter 2

Getting a haircut

Sometimes I need to get a haircut.

I need to get a haircut when my hair every (add weeks?) People go to the hairdresser or barber shop to get a haircut.

I am old enough to go alone to the hairdresser, but if I am not comfortable with this my Mum or a friend can come with me while I get my haircut. While I am at the hairdresser I can sit in the hairdresser’s chair and watch the hairdresser cut my hair in the mirror.

If I am not sure what hairstyle I want the hairdresser can help me to decide, I can look at some pictures of people with different hairstyles and choose, my Mum or friend might want to help me make the decision.

The hairdresser will use scissors to cut my hair, this is ok, the scissors may feel cold on my head and neck but this is ok, the hairdresser can not cut my hair if he/she does not use scissors. If I want a very short style the hairdresser/barber will need to use clippers these will make a funny noise but it wont last for too long.

It is very important to sit still while the hairdresser cut’s my hair. If I do not stay still the hairdresser will not be able to cut my hair neatly. I do not want my hair to look silly or only have half of my hair cut that is not good. I want my hair to look nice that is why I am going to the hairdresser.

Chapter 3

Going to the dentist

Sometimes I need to go to the dentist. Everybody must go to see a dentist at some point it is very important.

I go to the dentist to have my teeth checked. It is important to have your teeth checked every 6 months to make sure there are no cavities and that my teeth are all healthy. I do not want to get a tooth ache so visiting the dentist is important.

While the dentist is looking at my teeth I will need to lay back in the dentist chair, this may seem odd but the dentist can see all of my teeth easier if I am laying back in the chair with my mouth open wide.

The dentist has a small mirror that helps him to see all of my teeth even the teeth right at the back of my mouth. He will put the small mirror into my mouth. This may feel cold but that is fine it will only be for a short time. If the dentist can not see all of my teeth he will not know if any of them need treatment.

I must keep my mouth open wide and sit still while the dentist looks at my teeth, if I move around it will take longer to get my teeth checked. If I am feeling agitated I can raise my hand, the dentist knows to stop if I do this, I can ask the dentist for a break until I feel calm again. The dentist will not mind taking a break until I am ready to begin again.

It is a good idea to have my teeth checked every 6 months. By visiting the dentist regularly I am helping to keep my teeth healthy, brushing my teeth twice a day is also a good way to make certain my teeth stay healthy, getting a tooth ache would hurt, so I must try to avoid that.

Chapter 4

I need a tissue

Sometimes my nose feels full. It may be full of mucus, sometimes people call this snot. Sometimes my nose might be full of dry mucus.

Sometimes when I get sick my nose might have more mucus in it and it might feel runny. This might feel strange and make me feel bad.

I need to blow my nose into a tissue to get the mucus out of my nose.

If I do not know where to find a tissue, I can ask someone for help, I can say "Please will you tell me where I can find a tissue, I need to blow my nose".

Everybody will get mucus in their nose at some time, this is natural, nobody will mind me having mucus in my nose, I just need to remember to blow my nose when it is full of mucus, so that the mucus does not run out of my nose.

Using a tissue to clean the mucus from my nose is a good idea. I will try to remember to use a tissue the next time my nose feels full of mucus. This will make me happy and it will make all of my friends happy too.

Chapter 5

Menstruation

Every day I get older and soon I will be a woman like my mum

Ladies have a menstrual cycle each month. This is when they have a period. My Mum has a period once a month. Blood comes out from a ladies vagina. All ladies have a period, this is very grown up and it means that they can have a baby if they want too. I will have a period when I am grown in to a young lady.

The blood flow normally lasts between 5 to 7 days. When the blood comes out of the ladies vagina it goes on to a sanitary pad, this is worn inside the ladies knickers, so that she does not get blood on her clothes. I will need to wear a sanitary pad when I have my period too.

When a lady is having her period she can keep herself clean by changing her soiled sanitary pad when she goes to the toilet. The soiled sanitary pad is wrapped in toilet paper and put into the bin, the lady then needs to put a new sanitary pad into her knickers.

It is very important for a lady to keep fresh and clean when she is having her period, if you do not keep fresh and clean you may be smelly, a lady must wash between her legs to keep herself clean.

This is what I need to do when I have my menstrual cycle. Sometimes I might get a sore tummy when I have a period, this is normal, this happens to all ladies when they have period. I need to ask an adult for some tablets to help the pain to go away.

Chapter 6

Nose picking

Sometimes I feel like picking my nose.

Mucus inside my nose sometimes makes my nose feel full and this is uncomfortable, I like to pick my nose when it feels full. No one like their nose to feel full and uncomfortable

People use a tissue to blow their nose, when their nose feels full this gets rid of the mucus that is making their nose feel full.

I can use a tissue when my nose is feeling full it is not very nice for people to see me picking my nose. It is bad manners to pick your nose when there are people that can see you. I need to remember this.

Chapter 7

Passing gas

Sometimes our bodies pass gas, everyone must pass gas sometimes this is natural.

Our bodies digest the food we eat this is what causes us to pass gas sometimes. Passing gas can be smelly sometimes and noisy. I must try not to laugh when someone passes gas, they can not help it is not funny.

When I pass gas I need to say "excuse me" this is polite and it is good manners. I need to remember this, other people are happy with me when I say "excuse me"

Chapter 8

Puberty female

My body is great it can do a lot of different things, (activity) or dancing.

My body has been growing from the day that I was born, I am not a baby anymore or a small child I am (add age). Now I am growing from a child into a teenager I am going to go through puberty I might begin to get some spots and some hair will begin to grow under my armpits and between my legs. This happens to all children as they grow up.

Most girls will get a bra as they grow up because their breasts will start to grow; girl’s bodies are different to a woman’s body. I am still growing and soon I will be a woman. One of the changes that will happen to my body is the start of my period. This is when blood will come out of my vagina for 5-7 days and nights.

A period will happen once every month, it does not mean that I am sick or that I am going to die, a period is a natural thing that happens to all girls and women, when I am having a period I will need to wear a sanitary pad in my knickers so that I do not get blood on my clothes.

The sanitary pad will collect the blood that comes out of my vagina. I must change the sanitary pad when I go to the toilet and put a fresh one in my knickers. After I change the sanitary pad I need to wash my hands.

At first wearing a sanitary pad will feel funny, this is normal but no one can see it inside my knickers so I do not need to worry. Sometimes I might get a sore tummy when I have my period this is ok a lot of girls and women get sore tummies when they have their period. I can tell my mum and she will give me some tablets to help the soreness go away.

Chapter 9

Using deodorant

When I get hot, or when I play sport my underarms sweat. This is when they get smelly and damp.

I am an adolescent now and my body is changing, this means I will start to grow hair in my armpits, and that I will start to sweat more. No one likes to smell the sweat from my armpits, it is not very nice and it might offend people.

I can help to stop myself from being smelly, by keeping myself clean. Everybody should take a bath or shower at least once a day; I will also take a refreshing shower every day.

When I am in the shower I can use soap to wash myself, when I use soap I can clean all the smelly sweat away, then I will smell nice again.

I can also help myself to not get sweaty and smell by using deodorant, deodorant comes in either a can which I can spray under my arms or as a roll on which I can roll on to my armpits. They are both good and will make my armpits smell nice and stop them from getting sweaty and smelly.

I like to smell nice and my friends like me to smell nice too.

Chapter 10

Why I wash properly

Most people shower or wash every day, normally in the morning and in the evening.

I do not want to smell bad, people do not like it when I smell bad neither do I. I can keep myself clean and fresh by washing or showering. I like to take a warm shower in the morning. The smell of soap on my skin and shampoo in my hair is refreshing.

I must try to wash properly, if I do not I will not get the smelly odours of sweat off of my body. I can use the soap, I lather the soap up in the warm water and rub it over my body, this is called washing and it is good. Once I am washed all over I rinse off with warm water to get all the soap off.

When I am done, I turn off the shower or tap and dry off. I dry my body with a nice clean towel.

I enjoy taking a shower and washing properly every day, so do my family and my friends. Everybody smells nice now and that is good.