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Graduated Approach which is a term used in SEND policies and by SEND professionals when discussing supporting a child

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Speech and Language therapy (SALT). These are professionals who provide advice, assessment and therapy to children and young people with speech, language and communication needs and/or with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

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The professional body for speech and language therapy in the UK.

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CAMHS which stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS helps children and young people up to the age of 18 years who are finding it hard to cope with everyday life because of mental health difficulties.

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CAMHS :: Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

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OT which stands for Occupational Therapy which is a service you can refer into and access with or without a diagnosis. Occupational Therapists help provide ideas, strategies and practical support to children, their families, carers and schools. The aim is to help children and young people with physical difficulties reach their full potential.

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Occupational Therapy – Children and Young People’s Services

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Sirona care & health C.I.C is a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales with company number 07585003. Registered office is: Sirona care & health, 2nd Floor, Kingswood Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9TR.

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EHCP which stands for Education Health and Care Plan. This is a legal document which sets out a child or young person’s needs and the support that is required to meet these needs.

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What is an Education, Health and Social Care (EHC) plan? (updated 2019)

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Community Paediatricians. They are specialist children's doctors who have a particular expertise in the management of children with long term health problems which may have an impact on other areas of their life

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We support children and their families with the management of long term health problems which may have an impact on other areas of their life.

We undertake the assessment and treatment of children with developmental problems such as delayed milestones, learning disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

We see children in care for their regular health check and we also see children for whom there are child protection concerns. We provide support to vulnerable children and their families, liaising with other professionals involved as appropriate. We also provide reports for children who require an Education, Health and Social Care Plan (formally the School Statementing Process). We also contribute to the process that takes place when a child dies unexpectedly.

We provide an individual service to each child and their family and as well as treating their medical problems, we work closely with colleagues in other parts of the health service as well as those in social and education services to ensure that children's needs are met.

We're working with local Parent Carer Forums and other groups and organisations to transform support for neurodivergent children and young people in our area. Find out more on the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board website.

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We support children and their families with the management of long term health problems which may have an impact on other areas of their life. We undertake the assessment and treatment of children with developmental problems such as delayed milestones, learning disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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Reasonable adjustments is a term which can be largely described as the positive steps educational settings must take to enable a disabled pupil to participate in their educational setting.

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Neurodiversity is a phrased coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer who merged the words Neurological and Diversity.

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FINE MOTOR SKILLS is essential for everyday tasks. It involves the use of the smaller muscle of the hands and often a term used by Health visitors, OTs and Early Years staff.

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Help for early years providers : Fine motor skills

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Fine motor skills involve small muscles working with the brain and nervous system to control movements in areas such as the hands, fingers, lips, tongue and eyes. Developing fine motor skills helps children do things like eating, writing, manipulating objects and getting dressed.

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Understanding autism - BNSSG Healthier Together

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Section titled module-1 Understanding autism Section titled module-2 Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that is present from birth, although autistic traits can be recognised at any age. Autism represents a spectrum of differences, which means that autistic people all have different strengths and can face different challenges. However, there are some common signs of autism […]

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DOUBLE EMPATHY is when there is a mutual difficulty in understanding or communicating between autistic and non-autistic people. The term 'double' shows that there isn't one person who is better at communicating than the other, the difficulty is shared.

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Autism & Double Empathy: The Silent Gap Between Two Perspectives

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Some Autistic people may have intense interests which they spend a lot of time doing or thinking about. These can either be referred to as 'special interests' or 'focused and dedicated interests'.  These interests are considered within the criteria for an Autism diagnosis.

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Autistic people often have intense interests, sometimes known as special interests. They may become an expert in a topic or develop an impressive collection.

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SENSORY PROCESSING is a term used by Health Professionals and describes the way people see, hear, feel, or notice different sensations and how they process this information to respond to everyday experiences. A high number of Autistic people experience sensory processing differences, often leading to overwhelm.

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AUTISTIC BURNOUT is a term used by Mental Health Professionals and can affect Autistic people differently. It can be caused by factors such as stress, excessive shutdowns/meltdowns or prolonged masking especially when trying to live in a neurotypical world where your needs are not being met.

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GLUE EAR is a conductive hearing loss which is common in 80% of pre school aged children.

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What causes glue ear? — Glue Ear Together

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What is glue ear and what causes it? Why does glue ear impact on hearing?

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GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) is the feeling of being anxious about almost everything and anything for no real apparent reason. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions.

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Generalised Anxiety Disorder - Anxiety UK

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Dyspraxia, also known as Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting your physical coordination.People with dyspraxia can refer to themselves as 'neurodivergent'.

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Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia, is a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects a child’s ability to plan, organise and carry out coordinated movements needed for everyday tasks.

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Speech Sounds are the sounds we use to make words. By the age of 7, most children's speech sounds should be clear and understood. Speech and Language therapists help children with speech sounds difficulties and delays

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Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty where the brain works differently to most people. It mainly affects things like reading, writing, processing information and using numbers.

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What is dyslexia? - British Dyslexia Association

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Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is…

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ATTUNEMENT is a process where the care giver is able to 'tune' in with a baby to regulate and soothe them. This co regulation can then lead to the baby self-regulating.

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Noticing and navigating feelings - The Centre for Early Childhood’s Explainer series

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GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY (GDD) is diagnosed when a child is not meeting some of the expected developmental milestones for their age in two or more areas of their development. Children with more significant global delay are at risk of developing learning disabilities as they grow older.

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Global development delay and learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone’s brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. , and finding the right support

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GROSS MOTOR SKILLS is a set of skills that children develop using their whole body such as crawling, walking, jumping and even tummy time. Children’s development of gross motor skills affects their learning and development, so it is important they are confident in using these set of skills.

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Gross motor skills (babies and toddlers)

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Before babies are born, they spend their final few months in a very tight space, in a curled up position. When they are born, they then need to spend time adjusting to the freedom of being able to…

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Fidgeting fits under the umbrella of Stimming.  It isn't solely seen in Neurodivergent people, anyone can fidget. We fidget when we are bored, impatient, nervous or anxious and sometimes we don't even know we do it!

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Fidgeting fits under the umbrella of Stimming

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Neurodivergent children often prefer one style of play over another eg only playing with trains. This is not an indicator of their level of play development but simply a play preference.  As long as that play makes sense to them, it doesn't matter if we as adults, don't understand it.

Imitating car sounds repetitively without playing with the cars, can be a form of stimming and something that regulates the child. Play is more than learning for neurodivergent children.

It is also worth noting that how a child plays is not a sole indicator for Autism.  Lining cars up in order or playing with wheels are examples of schematic play where all children engage in repetitive actions and behaviours.

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Stimming is most commonly associated with Autism and used as a self-soothing strategy. Fidgeting is a manifestation of ADHD and a trait linked to hyperactivity and inattention. Recent studies with people with ADHD, have shown that fidgeting actually helps with improved concentration and increased focus on the task ahead. For people with ADHD, fidgeting is also a way to mask hyperactivity especially in situations where you have to stay still in public.

In our team, people can use fidget toys as part of their reasonable adjustments to work.  These toys such as fidget spinners can be used during training to help with concentration or in meetings to accommodate hyperactivity especially if you're needed to sit for a long time and have to release some excess energy.

The word toy is misleading as it suggests you're playing but in reality, for a neurodivergent person, the use of a fidget toy can make a huge difference to their work.

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Our SEND Peer Support worker recently attended an information talk on Autism and Maternity. The talk addressed how pregnancy is different if you're Autistic, highlighting examples such as how sensory changes can impact your pregnancy journey.
Throughout the talk, the speakers referenced the new book "The Autism Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and the Fourth Trimester" which is an easy read book based on lived experience research from Autistic people and from Autistic health and birth professionals. The book was in response to the lack of information out there for pregnant Autistic people.

As well as normalising the Autistic pregnancy experience, the book draws attention to ways Autistic people stim during pregnancy and birth, acknowledging the importance of stimming as a way to self soothe and regulate.  Some common stims during pregnancy are:

-touching something that feels nice ( I used to love the feel of a swaddle blanket across my cheek)

-using your voice to sing or hum (I was guilty of that!)

-being in water

-moving your hands or feet in a particular way.

The video explores it further.

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The Autism from Menstruation to Menopause study hopes to make Autistic people’s reproductive health and healthcare experiences better. This research project is based at Swansea University and funded by the Wellcome Trust.

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Our SEND Peer Support worker recently attended a session on Starting Reception with SEND: What to Expect and How to Prepare. This was co-hosted by Bristol Parent Carers and the Bristol Early Years team.

If your child is starting reception in September 2026, there are some great resources available to support you through this transition.

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Your child’s journey to school starts at home. We understand that all children develop at their own pace, and that we’re all learning from birth. When it’s time to start school, some children will need more help than others.

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A new approach is being introduced across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) to improve support for children and young people with neurodivergent needs, including Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

This is expected to start in SEPTEMBER 2026 and will be called the Neurodivergent Needs Analysis.

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North Somerset Parent Carers Working Together (NSPCWT) represents the collective voice of North Somerset parent carers to key decision makers across the local authority, health and education.

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Because together, there's a greater chance for things to get better and brighter.

Access a network of support through our forum, ask questions and raise issues. Here you can be heard by those who understand what it's like to be a parent carer.

You won't just find support here but also representation. When you voice your concerns in our forum, we can voice those same concerns to policy makers and service providers.

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Because together, there's a greater chance for things to get better and brighter. Access a network of support through our forum, ask questions and raise issues. Here you can be heard by those who understand what it's like to be a parent carer. You won't just find support here but also representation.

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If you live in South Glos, this local parent carer forum, represents and supports parent carers of children and young people (aged 0-25) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in South Gloucestershire

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SGPC aims to to give a voice to Parent Carers living in South Gloucestershire who have a child (aged 0-25) with SEND.

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If you live in Bristol, the forum is called Bristol Parent Carer Forum.  This forum work alongside service providers in education, health, and social care, helping to ensure that local services meet the needs of Bristol families with children and young people (aged 0 – 25) with SEND.

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CLICK HERE to watch the Bristol Parent Carers Event
Bristol Parent Carers exists to help improve the services provided for children with disabilities or additional needs in Bristol.
Telephone: 07306 650222 | Email: bristolparentcarers@gmail.com
Address: Phoenix Social Enterprise, 5 Russell Town Avenue, Bristol BS5 9LT

Who we are

We are a friendly and active group of parent carers of children and young people, 0-25 years with disabilities, special educational needs, and life-limiting conditions. We come from different backgrounds and communities across Bristol.

What we do

We work together as partners with Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol to shape the services provided for our families - this is called 'parent carer participation'.

Why it matters

By participating, parent carers can have a voice and make a difference. Our involvement gives these service providers a greater understanding and insight into our needs. Participation empowers parent carers and brings about improved service provision, and hopefully improved outcomes for the whole family.

What is participation?

Think of parent carer participation as a way to get us where we need to go - to a place where our lives are improved. To do this we must consider how involved we, the users of a service, are with providers of the service?

This is a better way of working, with good results. So, parent carers, support agencies and officials, please join us!

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CLICK HERE to watch the Bristol Parent Carers Event Bristol Parent Carers exists to help improve the services provided for children with disabilities or additional needs in Bristol. Telephone: 07306 650222 | Email: bristolparentcarers@gmail.com Address: Phoenix Social Enterprise, 5 Russell Town Avenue, Bristol BS5 9LT We are a friendly and active group of parent carers of children and young people, 0-25 years with disabilities, special educational needs, and life-limiting conditions.

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Notes taken from various workshops.

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A new approach is being introduced across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) to improve support for children and young people with neurodivergent needs, including Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This approach shifts the system from a focus on diagnosis to earlier support based on understanding a child’s individual needs.

There is also a support email which will answer questions on behalf of the Autism Assessment Service and/or Community Paediatric service: sirona.nd-queries@nhs.net

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A list of recommended children's books on Neurodiversity.

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Tips from Speech and Language Therapy.

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School age support for North Somerset families

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School age support for North Somerset families

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Signposting support for NS families with primary school aged children.

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School age SEND support for South Glos families

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School age SEND support for South Glos families

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Signposting support for SG families with primary school aged children.

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School age SEND support for Bristol families

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School age SEND support for Bristol families

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Signposting support for Bristol families with primary school aged children.