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Amazing Things Happen - by Alexander Amelines

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Information on the ASD support services in Derby City

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ASD Support Leaflet - city wide April-Aug 2023

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Derby City's Local Offer brings together information about the local services and support available for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25.

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Derby City Council, Council House, Corporation Street, Derby, DE1 2FS

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Support groups and courses for parents of children with ASD in Derby City

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For support and signposting.

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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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Since 2016, this group of young people, ages 15-25, have shared their voices and lived experiences to steer, influence and advise the work we do. As well as advising on AET materials and strategy, Panel members speak at events, co-deliver training and support autism education networks.

Find out how this group of young people are supporting, co-producing and advising the AET.

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Helping you support autistic children and young people since 2007

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Our Family Support Hubs across the East Midlands provide a regular meeting point for families affected by autism, where our families can access activities for the whole family, as well as gain support and specialist information and advice.

Due to the current virus situation, our hubs are offering virtual sessions only, including groups and 1:1 support where needed.

Please contact us to find your local Coordinator in your area at enquiries@autismeastmidlands.org.uk and please follow our social media pages to be notified about our Family Support Hubs.

Facebook: Autism East Midlands

Twitter: @AutismEastMids
Dates and Information for 2021
Only applicable for physical hubs: The hub is a regular meeting point for families affected by autism. There are activities for children, and families can gain support, advice and meet with other people. These are free drop-in sessions and the whole family are welcome to attend.

For more information please contact: enquiries@autismeastmidlands.org.uk

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Our Family Support Hubs across the East Midlands provide a regular meeting point for families affected by autism, where our families can access activities for the whole family, as well as gain support and specialist information and advice. Due to the current virus situation, our hubs are offering virtual sessions only, including groups and 1:1 support where needed.

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Derbyshire Speech and Language Therapy Service

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Derbyshire Speech and Language Therapy Service

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We will agree with you the most helpful way to communicate with you. This may be face to face, by telephone, video call, email, text message or a posted letter, and this may change depending on what we need to communicate.

We try to use telephone and email as much as possible as this is the quickest and safest way to get important information to you. It also allows us to help the environment and to save money. Patients and their families may request paper copies of information but these may take longer to reach you.

Emails:

When sending emails, we must make sure we are doing so securely. We will check we have the correct email address for you, by sending a 'test email' first. We will wait for your reply before sending any further information

If you are the patient or parent of a patient under 18:

We will ask your consent before sending you any emails. We will also check you are happy for us to send you patient-identifiable information by email. Although our own email system (NHSmail) is secure, we cannot guarantee that information will still be secure once it arrives in your inbox. Your confidentiality may be at risk if your email account is hacked, or if you forward the email on.

If you are another professional:

We will send emails to other NHS professionals and to addresses ending in .gov.uk using NHS mail as this is fully encrypted end-to-end.

We will send emails to any other professionals as follows:

We will only send to a professional, work email address. We cannot send patient-identifiable information to other professionals via a personal email address (hotmail, gmail, yahoo etc). If you are in an education setting, please let us know the single preferred contact address for your setting.

We send emails using Egress, a secure online server, fully integrated with NHSmail.

You will receive an email inviting you to click a link to view the email (and any attachments) on the online Egress server. Please click the link.

On the landing page, you will be invited to either login (if you already have an Egress account) or register for a free account.

Once registered/logged in, you will be able to view the email and any attachments.

You can download any attachments and save these to your own system, and then print off or forward them to other appropriate staff as indicated on the cc list (or with our additional consent for anyone not already on the cc list).

You cannot download or forward the email itself.

Please do not forward the email invitation to another email address. It will only be accessible via the email address we originally sent it to. Forwarding will trigger an automated request for additional permissions which we may not be able to action. Instead, if another person needs to see the email (rather than just the attachment), please reply to ask us to re-send the email to the new person. We will then send it direct to them and they will need to go through the process above.

If you have any difficulties, please contact the service on 01773 525079.

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Our therapists, practitioners, assistants and admin support workers work together to deliver high quality services for adults and children who have speech, language and communication difficulties; eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). We work with adults and children, throughout Derbyshire and Derby City.

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This document provides a list of useful support services across Derbyshire, including food banks, mental health, housing, SEND and other important areas of life.

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This is the link that may be helpful if you feel you need some independent advice about your child's SEND or the EHC process.

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Derby SEND | Information & Advice Support Service (SENDIASS)

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Impartial information and advice to parents, carers and young people in Derby City

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A website containing resources and links to support young people and families with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

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Mental Health Resources for children, parents and school staff

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Mental Health Resources for children, parents and school staff

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We have put together some useful links and sources of mental health support so that children and young people, parents, carers, and school and college staff can get the advice and help they need.

We have also added a new module to the   curriculum for   and   schools specifically designed to focus on mental health. This important addition will enable much-needed conversations about mental health to happen inside the classroom.

The list below is not exhaustive, and many other useful organisations and services exist, but it is hoped that these will help children, young people and adults navigate the key resources and get the support they deserve.
Seeking specialist support for children and young people
Local children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) are continuing to operate and in many cases are providing support remotely. Children and young people or their parents or carers can also contact their GP or refer to  NHS 111 online . Local CYPMH services will also have information on access on their websites: many offer self-referral or single points of access.

NHS trusts have established 24-hour urgent mental health helplines in most parts of England for people of all ages. If you have urgent concerns about a child or young person, you can find your local helpline  to discuss these with a mental health professional.

And remember to refer to your local children's services if you have any safeguarding concerns.

These resources are dedicated to children and young people 's general mental health and wellbeing, with a particular focus on mindfulness with developing coping skills in young people.

Student Space is here for students through coronavirus. However you're feeling, help and guidance is available. Explore a range of trusted information, services and tools to help you with the challenges of student life. You can use their search tool to find the services available at your university.

Sleepio is an online sleep improvement programme which is free for people living in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Thrive helps you prevent and manage stress, anxiety and related conditions.

Students Against Depression is a w ebsite offering advice, information, guidance and resources to those affected by low mood, depression and suicidal thinking.

Mentally Healthy Schools :  an anxiety thermometer as a wellbeing measurement tool.

NHS IAPT : free online NHS adult psychological therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), for common problems involving stress, anxiety and depression. IAPT services can be accessed either through a self-referral by contacting your   or via your GP.

Cruse Bereavement Care :  Coronavirus, Bereavement and Grief online information, advice and support. Helpline: 0808 808 1677 .

: *  Looking After Your Mental Health Resources aims to support everyone to feel more confident in taking action to look after their mental health and wellbeing by promoting a range of self-care actions.

For young people who feel particularly overwhelmed and troubled by Covid-19, these resources are helpful ways to manage anxiety around the pandemic, with helpful tools on homeschooling and self-care during lockdown.

The  Think Ninja  app educates 10-18-year-olds about mental health, emotional wellbeing and provide skills young people can use to build resilience and stay well. It has been adapted to Covid-19 to bring self-help knowledge and skills to those who may be experiencing increased anxiety and stress during the crisis.

The  Every Mind Matters  website aims to support everyone, including children and young people, to feel more confident in taking action to look after their mental health and wellbeing by promoting a range of self-care actions. It has been adapted to include advice and support about mental health issues that may have arisen because of the pandemic.

Keeping in mind that parents, carers and school staff can often be impacted by children's mental health, we have provided some select resources that can help adults better support children, and also find the help that they themselves might need.

Public Health England advice for parents and carers on looking after the mental health and wellbeing of children or young people during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Resources for managing anxiety and improving wellbeing

Dealing with the effects of lockdown

Resources for building resilience

Mental Health at Work : Resources, Toolkits and Case Studies. Supporting Staff Wellbeing in Schools with a rich repository of information and easily accessible resources including videos and posters.

Sometimes, children need specific and targeted resources to help with problems they are facing. Below we have outlined some support available for particular issues, including loneliness, suicide prevention, eating disorders and domestic abuse.

DfE have published  factsheets for care leavers , setting out the support they can access during Covid-19, including one on their wellbeing and where to access support for their mental health.

Resources from  University of Bath  and the  'Tell Me about Loneliness' project provide advice and tips about how to tackle loneliness and are thoroughly rooted in evidence of young people's experiences during loneliness.

Helpline: 0808 801 0677

Youthline: 0808 801 0711

Studentline: 0808 801 0811

Operation Encompass   Teachers' Helpline staffed by educational psychologists, to support staff working with children and young people at risk of or experiencing domestic abuse (0204 513 9990, weekdays during term-time, 8-11am).

Children and young people can access free confidential support anytime from Government-backed voluntary and community sector organisations by:

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Mental health resources for children, students, parents, carers and school/college staff

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We have put together some useful links and sources of mental health support so that children and young people, parents, carers, and school and college staff can get the advice and help they need. We have also added a new module ...

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Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders | Signs and symptoms

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Anxiety is a feeling of fear or panic that many young people experience. Find out about the causes and symptoms of anxiety and where to get help.

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Zones of Regulation
What it looks like and what you can do

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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website.

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Social and emotional games to play with your child

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Social and emotional games to play with your child

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At a glance

Kids can learn to manage their emotions and work on social skills.

You can help your child with social-emotional learning by playing fun games at home.

There are lots of simple games you can play during everyday activities.

Many schools have started teaching kids how to do things like cope with feelings, set goals, and get along with others. It's called social-emotional learning. You can help your child work on these skills at home, too.

Here are a handful of activities that can help your child manage emotions and work on social skills - and have some fun with you along the way. These games are very low-tech. And all are designed to fit easily into daily routines.

1. Starfish and tornadoes

Try playing this game at different times of day, and help your child describe the energy levels. For example, if you play this game before dinner, you can say, "You have so much energy, I bet you could run up and down the stairs five times before I finish cooking!"

Keep in mind: Self-awareness can help kids build a skill called self-regulation. This skill is about managing your internal energy. It helps kids manage their emotions and their body movements during tough situations. It also helps them pay attention and learn.

The goal: To help kids practice observing what's going on around them. Picking up on social cues helps kids get their needs met and understand the perspective of others.

Help your child connect these observations with choosing how to behave. For example, when the swings are crowded, your child may decide to go on the slide first.

To help your child come up with ideas, comment whenever you notice your child's positive behaviors: "You just offered to teach your sister a nursery rhyme. Let's talk for a second about what kind of person you're being right now."

Also, you can buy these kinds of cards or find templates online. But kids might like making the cards themselves.

How to play: When you and your child can't agree, use the tune of "This Old Man" to sing these lines: "You want this. I want that. How can we both get what we want?" Then brainstorm solutions and choose the best idea for right now. For example, if your child is demanding to bake cookies at 8 a.m., the best solution might be to wait two hours so you can bake when the baby is napping.

5. Taking turns taking charge

Key takeaways

Simple, fun games can help kids learn to cope with feelings, set goals, and get along with others.

Self-regulation helps kids manage their emotions and their body movements.

Praising good behavior often leads to more of it.

About the author

About the author

Kate Kelly has been writing and editing for more than 20 years, with a focus on parenting.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Lynne Kenney, PsyD is a Harvard-trained pediatric psychologist and international educator in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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5 social-emotional learning games to play with your child

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Social-emotional learning activities can help kids learn to manage emotions and get along with other kids. These games are simple, low-cost, and low-tech, and can be built into your daily activities.

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SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) resources, activities and support to help parents support their family.

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Learn how to touch type with the BBC Dance Mat Typing game. It’s a fun introduction to touch typing game for kids and covers levels 1, 2, 3, 4.

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iPad apps for Dyslexia and reading/writing difficulties

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iPad apps for Dyslexia and reading/writing difficulties

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A children's communication charity - UK wide

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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We are Speech and Language UK - we want every child to face the future with confidence. For 1.7 million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feel like an impossible hurdle.

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Local, independent mental health charity aiming to support and advocate for mental health.

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Derbyshire Mind is your local independent mental health charity within the national Mind network. Our focus is on improving mental health and wellbeing for people across Derby and Derbyshire. We provide a range of advocacy and community mental wellbeing services designed to support local people with mental health problems as well as the wider population.

FIND OUT MORE

We're here for you. How can we help?

Upcoming Activities

We have lots of community activities, groups and courses running across Derby and Derbyshire. Find out what is happening locally to you and book your free places.

Our Blog

Read our latest articles on what is happening here at Derbyshire Mind

View Blog Posts

Ways to support us

As a charity, Derbyshire Mind relies on the generous help and support we receive in order to run our local mental health services.

Where your money goes...

£400

funds one 'Green Connections' outdoor Ecotherapy day for 20 adults experiencing mental health conditions.

£1,700

enables our popular and long-running Mindful Crafts wellbeing group to run for 6 months, helping over 200 people.

£10,000

funds a Mental Health Practitioner to deliver our Active Monitoring Service from a local GP Surgery for a year.

" I can't describe how good this group has been for my mental health, and my anxiety particularly! "

Enjoying Derbyshire Group Attendee

OUR SERVICES

We're here for you. How can we help?

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Derbyshire Mind is your local independent mental health charity within the national Mind network. Our focus is on improving mental health and wellbeing for people across Derby and Derbyshire. We provide a range of advocacy and community mental wellbeing services designed to support local people with mental health problems as well as the wider population.

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Lots of helpful advice in one place

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Support and advice about dyslexia and dyscalculia, including information on private dyslexia assessment.

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This website places cookies on your computer to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more details, see our privacy policy. I agree

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The British Dyslexia Association is the voice for the 10% of the population that are dyslexic

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Information for children, parents and professionals about ADHD

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ADHD isn't just a childhood condition - it affects young people and adults as well. ADHD can affect all aspects of life, including home, school or workplace and relationships; that's why getting the condition diagnosed and treated is so important.

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ADHD and you | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

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If you want to know more about ADHD, you've come to the right place. ADHD isn't just a childhood condition - it affects young people and adults as well.

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Information by the NHS on ADHD

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.

Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood.

Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult.

The symptoms of ADHD may improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.

People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.

Getting help

Many children go through phases where they're restless or inattentive. This is often completely normal and does not necessarily mean they have ADHD.

But you should discuss your concerns with your child's teacher, their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) or a GP if you think their behaviour may be different from most children their age.

It's also a good idea to speak to a GP if you're an adult and think you may have ADHD, but were not diagnosed with the condition as a child.

What causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

The exact cause of ADHD is unknown, but the condition has been shown to run in families.

Research has also identified a number of possible differences in the brains of people with ADHD when compared with those without the condition.

Other factors suggested as potentially having a role in ADHD include:

being born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy)

having a low birthweight

smoking or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy

ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although it's more common in people with learning difficulties.

How attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is treated

For children with ADHD, although there's no cure, it can be managed with appropriate educational support, advice and support for parents and affected children, alongside medicine, if necessary.

For adults with ADHD, medicine is often the first treatment offered, although psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may also help.

Living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Parents of children with ADHD

Looking after a child with ADHD can be challenging, but it's important to remember that they cannot help their behaviour.

Some day-to-day activities might be more difficult for you and your child, including:

getting your child to sleep at night

getting ready for school on time

listening to and carrying out instructions

being organised

social occasions

shopping

Adults with ADHD

Adults with ADHD may find they have problems with:

organisation and time management

following instructions

focusing and completing tasks

coping with stress

feeling restless or impatient

impulsiveness and risk taking

Some adults may also have issues with relationships or social interaction.

Page last reviewed: 24 December 2021
Next review due: 24 December 2024

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Read about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that affects people's behaviour.

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National Autistic Society video explaining autism

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A brief explanation of what dyslexia is and may be like

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Information about dyspraxia including how to get an assessment

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Dyspraxia UK provides assessments and diagnosis for children and adults, and is the UK specialist in this field of occupational therapy. Unlike specialist teachers, we are able to provide comprehensive assessment of movement and coordination skills, in addition to those used for writing and paper based tasks. We also run training in Dyspraxia (DCD) and other neurodiversities for teachers, occupational therapists and staff managers.

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Dyspraxia UK l Specialist occupational therapy

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Dyspraxia UK offer a specialist occupational therapy service with high quality diagnostic assessments for children and adults in school, university and work

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What is dyslexia? - Kelli Sandman-Hurley

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Neurodiveristy information from Derby and Derbyshire, regarding assessments, waiting lists and diagnosis.

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Transforming Health and Wellbeing for Everyone

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Derby and Derbyshire assessment processes for ASD and ADHD information for parents

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Transforming Health and Wellbeing for Everyone

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Parent information from Derby and Derbyshire Emotional Health and Wellbeing

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Transforming Health and Wellbeing for Everyone

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Sensible SENCo Padlet
Information about autism with useful resources and some parts specifically for parents.

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Sensible SENCo Dyslexia Padlet
Useful information and resources for dyslexia

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All Day Every Day signs

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Left handers and how to form letters correctly

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Advice and support for parents and carers to help support a child or young person experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing

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Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set optional analytics to help us improve it. We won't set optional cookies unless you enable them. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies page

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Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytics cookies

We'd like to set non-essential cookies, such as Google Analytics, to help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work, please see our Cookies page. If you are 16 or under, please ask a parent or carer for consent before accepting.

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Parents and Carers | Advice and Guidance | Anna Freud Centre

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Advice and guidance for parents and carers to help them support a child or a young person experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing.

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Tips for how to talk about mental health with primary school children

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Let's talk about anxiety

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For the majority of pupils, the best environment to learn in is school, where being surrounded by teachers and friends helps keep them safe.

It's important for your child's academic achievement, as well as their wellbeing, wider development and mental health.

For example, data from 2019 shows that 84 percent of Key Stage 2 pupils who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, compared to 40 percent of pupils who were persistently absent across the key stage.

Higher attendance at school may also lead to better career progression with higher earnings post-16.

It's usually safe for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild illnesses, like a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat.

However, children should stay at home if they have a high temperature of 38C or above.

Children can sometimes feel a little bit worried about going to school. Mostly, this is a very normal emotion.

It's important to recognise that going into school can help children to feel less worried than letting them stay at home.

If your child is anxious over several weeks, talk to their school about how they can support you.

Children who are registered at a school but regularly fail to turn up are officially referred to as being 'persistently' or 'severely' absent.

The school day is split into two sessions - one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school.

Pupils who have missed more than 10 percent of school sessions are considered persistently absent, while children who have missed more than 50 percent of school sessions are referred to as severely absent.

When you register your child at school, you have a legal duty to ensure your child attends that school regularly.

This means that your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:

Your child is too ill to attend that day.

You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances.

Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance.

Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child's transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet; or

You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school.

In most circumstances, however, your child is required to attend another school temporarily during such absences.

These are the only circumstances where schools can permit your child to be absent.

What should I do if my child needs to be absent from school

You should contact their school as early as possible to explain why your child needs to be absent, for instance if they are too ill to attend school.

If not, your child's school will contact you on the first morning of their absence to find out why.

All parents can request a 'leave of absence' for their child which gives them permission to be absent from school.

These must be agreed with the school in advance and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Your child's headteacher has the final say over whether to approve the request and how long your child can be absent.

Other initiatives include:

Introducing a new   daily data tool which now makes it easier for school leaders and teachers to analyse attendance.

Establishing the attendance hubs programme, which supports schools across the country to share practical solutions on breaking down barriers to school attendance.

F orm ing an   Attendance Action Alliance of national education and sector leaders who are working together to target the reasons behind poor attendance.

Funding and expanding our  Attendance Mentors scheme. Delivered by children's charity Barnardo's, the programme targets areas of the country with the highest levels of pupil absence. Trained mentors work directly with persistently and severely absent children and their families, to identify barriers to attendance and help get children back into school.

Collecting evidence to inform future policy on children who are not registered at school or receiving suitable home education, to help us identify best practice to make sure all children are receiving an appropriate education.

Publishing  a toolkit for schools, which provides tips and templates for communicating with parents and carers about attendance.

Together, these measures aim to improve attendance, leading to better attainment and mental wellbeing amongst school children.

Children may struggle to attend school for a wide range of reasons.

If your child is struggling to attend school, both their school and your local authority also have responsibilities to help you to support your child's attendance.

In most cases, if your child's attendance level is falling, their school will contact you to explore the reasons and discuss what help can be put in place to help you overcome the barriers they are facing.

If your child is struggling to attend school, you can expect the school to meet with you, and your child if they are old enough.

The school will want to understand the reasons for their absence and what support you or they need to overcome the barriers to attendance they are experiencing.

Reasons that relate to being in school

If the barriers to your child's attendance are in school - such as they are having friendship problems - the school is responsible for working with you to help overcome the issues.

Information on who in school you can contact for help, including the school's senior leader responsible for attendance, can be found in the school's attendance policy on its website or available in hard copy from the school itself.

Reasons that relate to issues outside of school

If the barriers to attendance you or your child are facing go beyond the remit of the school - such as a transport or a mental health issue - both the school and local authority have a responsibility to help you.

This includes helping you to access the wider support you might need, for example from the school nurse or from local housing or transport teams.

Making a plan

As part of the conversation you have with your child's school you will agree a set of joint actions you will all take to help overcome any barriers to attendance.

This agreement will often include a commitment to refer or help you to access support services in exchange for an agreement from you to engage and take part in the support offered.

They will also arrange mutual convenient times for you to come together to review these commitments and your child's progress.

It may take the form of an informal action plan, an early help plan, or a parenting contract - depending on the complexity of the reasons for your child's absence.

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How to improve your child's school attendance and where to get support

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For the majority of pupils, the best environment to learn in is school, where being surrounded by teachers and friends helps keep them safe. It's important for your child's academic achievement, as well as their wellbeing, wider development and mental ...