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Discover a range of different neurodiversity information, advice and support. Learn about ADHD, autism, dyslexia, tics and lots more.

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Autism Central for Parents and Carers | Autism Central

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Autism Central offers a wealth of resources for parents, carers and personal assistants of autistic people in England – from articles and learning materials to signposting you to services and support in your local area.

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Webinars on Fussy Eating in Children - patientwebinars.co.uk

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Webinars A series of webinars by NHS specialist paediatric dietitians to help guide parents when feeding children who exhibit fussy or restricted eating habits. These webinars have been submitted for BDA endorsement.

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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Central Bedfordshire SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and disability Information, Advice and Support Service) is a statutory service, provided by but working at arm's length from the Local Authority which offers a free, confidential support service for young people with SEND and their parents and carers.

To visit SNAP parent carer forum, please click here.

To view the Central Bedfordshire Local Offer, please click here

To view our 'How We Work Information Leaflet' please click here

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Central Bedfordshire SENDIASS - Central Bedfordshire SENDIASS

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Hello, we are here to help Central Bedfordshire SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and disability Information, Advice and Support Service) is a statutory service, provided by but working at arm's length from the Local Authority which offers a free, confidential support service for young people with SEND and their parents and carers.

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Supporting people across all ages to improve sleep, and provides sleep training to professionals in the health, social and corporate sectors.

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CAMHS

Mental health conditions are problems such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Dealing with these problems can be hard so it is important that you get the support you need.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) provides outpatient assessments, support and treatment for children and young people up to the age of 18 experiencing moderate to severe mental health problems.

The service works to provide them with a greater knowledge of their condition and improve coping techniques.

We provide help to children and to the wider family, including those with living with foster parents, adopted children and young people living in children's homes. The service may see children and adolescents on their own, with their parents or with their family, and may also see parents on their own.

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CAMHS | East London NHS Foundation Trust

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Mental health conditions are problems such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Dealing with these problems can be hard so it is important that you get the support you need

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Welcome to the Central Bedfordshire SEND Local OfferIf you have a child or young person with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), then think of the Local Offer as all of the services and support available to them and you as a parent or carer. Our Local Offer website contains inform…

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We are the UKs leading charity for autistic people and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.

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Autism Bedfordshire are an independent charity dedicated to improving the lives of autistic people and their families across Bedfordshire.

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NHS - School Advice if your child is Autistic

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NHS - School Advice if your child is Autistic

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Choosing a school for your child

One of the main decisions you'll have to make is the type of school you want your child to go to.

You'll have to decide if you think your child should go to a:

mainstream school - a regular school, where your child may get support from special educational needs staff if they need it

special school - a school for children with special educational needs

This can be a hard decision to make and there might not always be lots of choice where you live.

You can read advice from the National Autistic Society about:

The National Autistic Society education rights service can also give advice about school options by phone or email.

Getting support at a mainstream school

If your child can go to a mainstream school or nursery, you can help them get support if you think they need it.

1. Speak to the nursery or school

Speaking to staff at their nursery or school is the best place to start.

You could speak to:

your child's teacher

special educational needs (SENCO) staff, if the school has them

Talk to them about the needs you think your child has. For example, if they need help with communication, learning or social skills.

2. Ask what support your child can get

Ask the teacher or SENCO what support they can provide.

This may be things like:

extra teaching support for your child

different ways of teaching that are better for your child

separate lessons to help your child improve their skills

This may be enough for some autistic children. Other children may need extra support.

3. Get extra support if your child needs it

If your child needs extra support their school does not usually provide, they'll need an education, health and care plan (EHC plan, or EHCP).

This is a document from your local council. It says what education and health needs your child has and what support they should get.

This can either help:

the school apply for extra money so they can support your child

you apply for a place at a school that's better for your child

Your child does not need to have been diagnosed with autism to get extra support.

How to get extra support

1. Ask your local council for an EHC assessment. The school may be able to do this for you.

2. Have an assessment. The council will speak to you, the school and health professionals to work out what support your child needs.

3. Get a draft plan. You can comment on the plan and add details like the type of school you want your child to go to.

4. Agree the final plan.

The whole process can take a few months. Ask the school what support they can offer while it's happening.

If you do not agree with the council's decision

The council may decide your child does not need an EHC assessment or plan. If this happens, they should tell you why.

If you do not agree with their decision, you have the right to appeal.

You'll be told how to do this when you hear from the council.

Getting a place at a special school

To get a place at a special school, your child will usually need an EHC plan.

As part of an EHC plan, you have the right to tell your council what school you'd like your child to go to.

The council can only refuse this if they think there's a clear reason why the school is unsuitable.

The charity IPSEA has more about choosing a school with an EHC plan.

Where to get help and advice

Getting support for your child can be a long and complicated process.

You can get advice about it from:

It may also help to speak to other parents of autistic children.
Find out where you can get support
Dealing with anxiety about school

Going to school can be an anxious time for any child. Some autistic children might find it very hard.

The National Autistic Society has advice about coping with:

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Advice about school if your child is autistic

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One of the main decisions you'll have to make is the type of school you want your child to go to.

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy for Luton and Bedford

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Home - Children’s Speech and Language Therapy for Luton and Bedford

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Expert Speech and Language Advice and Support for Children

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With your help, we can keep offering free support to those who need us.

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Welcome to CHUMS Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing support for Children, Young People and their families, with other services specifically supporting adults; Babyloss Bereavement Service and Bedfordshire Suicide Bereavement Service. We also offer a Specialist Bereavement Service in Kent and Medway

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24/7

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It is free to text Shout from all major mobile networks in the UK.

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If you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious or sad about what's going on in the news, know that you're definitely not alone. Here are some actions we can take to help us cope better through times like this.

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Online resources and support

However you're feeling right now, you don't have to face it alone. We're here to support you with your mental health.

Take a look at our resources, information and support, find further help or reach out to one of our volunteers.

Resources for you

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Shout - UK's 24/7 Crisis Text Service for Mental Health Support

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Shout 85258 is the UK's first 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis. Get free, confidential mental health support anytime, anywhere. Text 'SHOUT' to 85258.

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Samaritans works to make sure there's always someone there for anyone who needs someone. Read more.

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BBC Tiny Happy people- Child Development and Milestones

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BBC Tiny Happy people- Child Development and Milestones

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Child development and milestones - BBC Tiny Happy People

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A collection of films and articles all about the science of child development. Your child is incredible - find out all about their mental development and how they come to understand the world and learn to communicate through play.

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Emotional Health and Wellbeing support for Young People

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Emotional Health and Wellbeing support for Young People

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Emotional Health and Wellbeing Support for Children and Young People | Central Bedfordshire SEND Local Offer

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A range of services and support is available for supporting children and young people with their emotional health and wellbeing. A local working group has coproduced a document which sets out clearly how children and young people can access support. This document is called How you...

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Skip to content

We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. If you're concerned about your child's speech and language development, we can help.

We know that it can be hard to know where to start if you are worried about your child's development. If you think your child is having challenges with talking and understanding words, we are here to help you.

Our free resources and services can help with understanding what to look out for, how to get support and even some simple ways you can help your child at home.

Our progress checker will provide short questions you can answer to see how your baby or child is getting on with their talking and understanding of words.

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Help for families - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. Access our free resources and learn more about ways to encourage children's speech and language development.

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National Autistic Society - Education information

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National Autistic Society - Education information

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Your Internet Explorer 11 browser is not supported by this site. Please upgrade to a recent browser for the best experience.

In this section you will find information on education for autistic children. Our guides provide advice for parents/carers and teaching professionals.

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Your Internet Explorer 11 browser is not supported by this site. Please upgrade to a recent browser for the best experience. In this section you will find information on education for autistic children. Our guides provide advice for parents/carers and teaching professionals.

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Strategies for Selective Eating in children with Autism

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Strategies for Selective Eating in children with Autism

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Teaching your child to use the toilet correctly can be a difficult task, whether they are on the autism spectrum or not. But if your child is autistic, the process of developing a toilet routine can take longer, and involve its own particular challenges. This guide provides some useful steps that will hopefully make your toilet training a success.

When to start

Choose a time when you have few engagements and are feeling relatively stress free. Some indicators of a good time to start are:

if your child has begun to become aware of needing to go to the toilet

if you notice changes in their behaviour patterns, such as appearing distracted or fidgeting when they are wet or have soiled

if they let you know when they need changing

if you have observed that your child is aware that they have started/finished weeing or pooing

if your child has shown an interest in using or used the toilet themselves without being prompted

if your child can avoid having a wee or poo accident for one or two hours at a time (ie has improved bladder/bowel control).

Developing a toileting routine

Remember that independent toileting is the ultimate aim and may take many months but there will be many small steps and successes along the way. As well as physical factors associated with toilet training, there are social factors to consider. It is rare for an autistic child to have the social motivation to want to be like mummy/daddy/friend and use the toilet. After using nappies for a number of years, your child might not see the point in starting to use the toilet. It's important to remember that all children are different and they will not all respond to the same teaching techniques.

Children on the autism spectrum often like routine. You can build upon this desire for predictability to develop a successful toilet training routine.

When changing your child's nappy, do this where the toilet is so they can start relating toileting activities to the bathroom.

Your child may behave differently than normal when their routine is changed so let everyone who cares for them know why there could be a change in behaviour. It is often easier not to use a potty as part of toilet training to avoid a possibly difficult change from potty to toilet.

Ensure everyone working with your child starts toilet training at the same time and follows your agreed approach. Send in any equipment to nursery/school which you use at home, for example a toilet seat they may use to make the seat smaller. Also remember to send spare clothes, plastic bags to put any wet clothes in and wet wipes. It is important that you have clear lines of communication during this time so having a home/school book to share concerns and successes is vital.

Observe your child over a few days to see when they do a wee or a poo. Identifying a regular pattern can help you take your child to the toilet with an increased likelihood of them doing a wee or poo. This then leads to positive reinforcement.

Continue to take your child at set times based on your observations. If they wet themselves at another time, take them to the toilet as quickly as possible and try to get them there so some of the wee goes into the toilet. Ignore the wetting and positively reinforce that the wee has gone into the toilet and continue the rest of the toileting routine.

Use a visual sequence beside the toilet to help your child understand what is expected of them, for example: trousers down, pants down, sit on the toilet, wee/poo in the toilet, wipe (you may need to show how many squares of paper to take), pants up, trousers up, flush toilet, wash hands. The sequence can either be in the form of photographs, pictures or the written word - whatever is most suitable and motivating for your child. You may need to create a way of removing or covering over each symbol as the step is completed to show that it is finished and to move on to the next step. There are some examples of visual supports on the Do2Learn website.

Make sure any pictures or instructions are very clear so there is no misunderstanding. For example, if you are teaching your son to stand and wee in the toilet, show an outline drawing of him standing and weeing in the toilet. If you are teaching sitting, show a picture of him sitting and weeing in the toilet.

Show your child a photo or drawing of the toilet and say 'your child's name, toilet', take them into the toilet, follow your visual sequence for undressing and sit your child on the toilet. Even if they do not open their bowel or bladder, continue to follow the visual sequence as if they had.

Use a laminated visual sequence above the sink at eye level for hand washing.

Teach toileting as a whole routine from communicating the need to go to the toilet, using the toilet, to drying hands, rather than just sitting on the toilet.

Keep the sequence of behaviours the same every time. Often when an activity is anticipated, the child is more receptive to it.

Concentrate on tackling one behaviour at a time; it's very difficult to change two behaviours at once.

Decide whether or not and how to praise your child for successfully following the toileting routine. Some children enjoy and respond to social praise ('well done', or a tickle), others respond better to an object. Some children find praise difficult and keeping a calm, structured routine with a preferred activity after toileting may work better.

Dressing and undressing

Dress your child in comfortable clothes they can easily manage themselves such as elasticated waistbands on trousers and skirts or dresses that are not too long.

Motivate your child to wear underwear by buying pants with their favourite cartoon or television programme characters on them.

Use 'backward chaining' to teach new skills. This involves breaking a skill down into smaller steps, teaching the last stage of the sequence first. So if you were teaching your child to pull up his trousers, you would pull them up to his hips and then he would pull them up to his waist. Next time, you would pull them up to just under his hips and he would pull them over his hips and waist. This is a particularly good way of teaching new skills as it raises your child's self-esteem as they have taken the final step of the task themselves to complete the sequence.

Hand washing

Follow the same steps each time: sleeves up, tap on, wet hands, squirt soap, rub hands together, rinse hands, turn off tap, shake hands, dry hands.

Stand behind your child and physically prompt them if necessary, slowly withdrawing.

Avoid using verbal prompts as your child can become dependent on these without you realising. Instead let your child refer to a visual sequence as a reminder.

You may wish to teach your child to use the cold tap only. Beware that if you teach them to use the hot tap independently at home, when they go into other settings and wash their hands, the water may be too hot and could burn them.

Boys - sit or stand?

When deciding whether to teach a boy to sit or stand to urinate, ask yourself the following questions:

Can they distinguish between when they want to wee and poo?

Do they have the co-ordination, focus and control needed to aim?

If they learn by imitation, is there someone they can watch?

If the answer to any of the above is 'yes', then they are probably able to be taught to stand to urinate. To start teaching them to aim, it can be useful to put a piece of cereal (preferably one they don't eat as this could lead to confusion) down the toilet so they have something to aim for and concentrate on. You can also purchase a variety of fun toilet target stickers online.

Bowel control

Bowel control is usually learnt after bladder control. Some children can find bowel movements very frightening and not understand what is happening. It can help to get a book with pictures to explain the digestion process.

Some children find the feel of a full nappy comforting, and may enjoy the sensory feeling of the weight of the nappy. Find alternative ways to replace these feelings so you can continue toilet training. Give your child a means of requesting the activity eg being wrapped in a warm, heavy blanket and fit it into their routine.

Sit your child on the toilet, keep the nappy on but with a hole cut in the bottom, slowly cut away the nappy each time until they are able to go without the nappy at all. To start with, they will still have the feeling of a security around their waist which in turn will enable them to feel relaxed enough to poo on the toilet.

Habit training

Some children are toilet trained through habit. Habit training is effective for children who may: lack awareness, not understand the significance or meaning related to physical sensations, be limited by decreased or absent physical sensations or have unsuccessfully tried toilet training before.

Habit training involves training the body to go at set times. Take your child to the toilet at set times throughout the day, every day.

As before, observe your child to discover the best times to take them to the toilet.

Make sure your child feels relaxed enough to open their bladder/bowels while they sit on the toilet. Having the tap running in the background can help enable your child to wee for example.

Sometimes having a toy to handle - not one which causes excitement - can be useful to both keep your child on the toilet and relax them. Keep certain toys/books for just when they are sitting on the toilet.

If your child lacks awareness or sensation, they may have to be taught a strategy before getting off the toilet, to avoid accidentally weeing on the floor. Encourage them to slowly count to ten out loud when they have finished weeing before allowing them to get up, or give them a sand timer to look at.

To help your child to independently manage their own toileting routine when they are older, you can buy watches which you can set to vibrate at certain times throughout the day. You can then teach your child when the watch vibrates, they are to go to the toilet.

Environment

Ensure the bathroom is a calm, relaxing environment to encourage independence and success with the complete toileting routine.

Remove all distractions which are not associated with toileting to help your child understand what is expected of them while in the toilet.

Make the bathroom as comfortable as possible, adding foot supports, side rails and a smaller toilet seat if necessary.

Encourage independence by ensuring that everything in the bathroom is at the right level for your child eg soap and towels.

Think about your child's sensory needs and make changes to reduce their anxiety. Does the soap smell too strong for them? Does the noise of the extractor fan bother them? Does the water temperature need to be adjusted? Is the lighting too bright?

Make sure your child can sit comfortably on the toilet with hips and knees flexed at a 90 degree angle and have feet flat on a secure object.

Night-time

Once your child is mostly dry during the day you will be able to start night-time toilet training.

Have a set bedtime routine which does not change with weekends or holidays.

Limit the amount your child eats and drinks before bed, having no fluid an hour before bedtime, but ensuring your child has enough fluid throughout the day.

Take your child to the toilet before they go to bed. They then may need to be taken once during the night. You could fit this in with your routine by taking them before you go to bed.

If they are unable to keep dry during the night, you may need to try different times in the night to take them.

Use products to protect bedding.

Schools and early years settings

Admission to school should not be refused simply because a child has difficulties with continence. A school that does this may be at risk of disability discrimination (alternative legislation operates in Northern Ireland).

Further tips

Giving a drink 10 to 15 minutes before toileting can help increase the chances of your child successfully doing a wee on the toilet but avoid giving too much as this creates an unnatural routine.

Decide if you are going to teach your child to shut the door as part of the whole toileting routine or only in certain situations.

Avoid using childlike terms for toileting as your child may find it difficult to change language later in life.

If your child has a fear of flushing the toilet, you may wish to remove this from the visual sequence and leave it until the end of the routine - after your child has dried their hands. They then may need to stand in the doorway while you flush the toilet and gradually stand closer each time until they are able to flush for themselves. Playing calming music to drown out the noise of the flush or explaining with pictures what makes the noise when the toilet is flushed may also help.

When your child is in a car, ensure they have a protector to sit on to stop the car seat from being soiled by accidents. Avoid drinks before long car journeys.

Be aware that some children will hold onto their wee/poo until they have their nappy put on, for example if they know they always have a nappy on before going in the car they may wait until it is put back to release their bowel/bladder.

A range of absorbent pants and swimwear for older children is available.

Once your child is toilet trained at home, you will want to teach them to use toilets when out. When visiting new places, show your child where the toilets are and use the same routine as you do at home. Use the same picture and toy or book they may have for toileting at home.

Some children smear their poo. Read our guide on smearing for strategies to try (link to new guide in behaviour section).

Further information

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Toileting - a guide for parents and carers

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This guide provides some useful steps to help make toilet training an autistic child a success.

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NICE Guidelines - Bedwetting in under 19s

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NICE Guidelines - Bedwetting in under 19s

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This guideline covers assessing and treating bedwetting in people aged under 19. It aims to reduce bedwetting and the distress this causes by explaining what to ask in an assessment, what advice to provide, and which treatments are effective.

Recommendations

This guideline includes recommendations on:

Who is it for?

Healthcare professionals

Commissioners and providers

People aged under 19 with bedwetting, and their families and carers

Is this guideline up to date?

We checked this guideline in November 2018. We found no new evidence that affects the recommendations in this guideline.

Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
This guideline was previously called nocturnal enuresis: the management of bedwetting in children and young people.

Your responsibility

The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.

All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.

Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.

Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.

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This guideline covers assessing and treating bedwetting in people aged under 19. It aims to reduce bedwetting and the distress this causes by explaining what to ask in an assessment, what advice to provide, and which treatments are effective

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Lots of children go through periods of eating. For many, this phase will pass as the child gradually learn s to accept new foods . F or autistic ch ildren and their families, overcoming eating challenges can be more difficult.
Over two third s of parents of autistic children report that their child is reluctant to try new food s¹ . Moreover, o ther behaviours such as eating or mouthing non-edible items , and extreme food selectivity can make providing sufficient nutrition hard.

Continue below for a range of resources for understanding, identifying and tackling eating challenges.

Understanding eating difficulties

89% of autistic children display some form of difficulty with eating². This can range from selective eating, to anorexia or ARFID (Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder). Find out more about the common food disorders for autistic people.

Spotting the signs

There are many behavioural and physical signs that might indicate if a person is having issues around eating. This may indicate that they have an eating disorder or they may simply need some additional support. Find out more about what to look out for. Providing early support can be crucial and particularly in young people could help to reduce the impact on their education.

If you are concerned about your child's eating i t's important to talk with your child's GP, paediatrician or a dietitian. This will help to rule out any underlying causes such as gastrointestinal problems and allergies.

How to address eating difficulties

There are a number of things you can do to try and increase variety within a diet and promote healthy eating. Take a look at our resources below to find out what steps you could take.
A small ask...
If you have found any of the information in this section useful, please consider making a contribution to help us create more resources like this.

1. Rogers, L.G., Magill-Evans, J. & Rempel, G.R. Mothers' Challenges in Feeding their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder-Managing More Than Just Picky Eating. J Dev Phys Disabil 24, 19-33 (2012).
2. Ledford, J. R., & Gast, D. L. (2006). Feeding problems in children with autism spectrum disorders a review. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 21(3), 153-166

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Lots of children go through periods of eating. For many, this phase will pass as the child gradually learn s to accept new foods . F or autistic ch ildren and their families, overcoming eating challenges can be more difficult.