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ADHD/Autism Right to Choose providers and wait times West Sussex

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ADHD/Autism Right to Choose providers and wait times West Sussex

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Right to Choose - ADHD UK - Your NHS options

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Our data on the national and local NHS wait times and NHS Right to Choose options.

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Do you think your child is autistic or have they been recently diagnosed?

If the answer is yes, you will have many questions about what to do next. Our Right from the Start parent toolkit is here to help.

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Do you think your child is autistic or have they been recently diagnosed?If the answer is yes, you will have many questions about what to do next. Our Right from the Start parent toolkit is here to help.

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A child friendly and positive explanation of Autism.

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Recommended by our Designated Schools Team Support Worker

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The Things Great Parents Do That Might Unintentionally Feed Anxiety in Children - And What to Do Instead - Hey Sigmund

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The things loving parents do that might unintentionally feed anxiety in children – and what to do instead. Please visit our page!

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Support can be sought from MIND through your GP - Recommended signpost from Dedicated Schools Team Support Worker

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About

Family hubs offer a range of support, information and guidance to parents, carers and young people as part of Early Help.

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Our 'Find it Out' offer is available to all young people in West Sussex aged between 11-19. We also support young people up to 25 who have additional needs or have experienced care.

We can provide you with information, advice and guidance by answering any questions you may have. We can help you find local services, make referrals and talk about your needs.

If we can't find the right service to support you, or you need some further support but your family doesn't, we can offer up to five sessions with one of our staff members who will work directly with you on what you require support with. We will provide tailored sessions designed to achieve the positive outcomes you want to focus on.

We also offer whole family working that supports everyone in your home and gets everyone working together with your consent, if that is what you need.

For further information and support, please complete the online form below or contact one of our family hubs (a contact phone number and email address is available on the right-hand side of the page).

Request for support for young people online form

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Adur West Family Hub (Lancing) - West Sussex County Council

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Our 'Find it Out' offer is available to all young people in West Sussex aged between 11-19. We also support young people up to 25 who have additional needs or have experienced care. We can provide you with information, advice and guidance by answering any questions you may have.

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Special Educational Needs (SEN) encompasses various learning differences that may affect your child's ability to learn. This can include difficulties with reading and writing, understanding information, concentrating, physical abilities, or expressing themselves. Remember, every child is unique, and understanding their specific needs is the first step to supporting them effectively.

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A guide on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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A guide on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

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There are various forms of financial support available for families of children with SEN, including Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Carer's Allowance. Your local authority might also provide support for transport or specialist equipment. Don't hesitate to seek advice from Citizens Advice Bureau for guidance on applications.

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Skip to main content

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Disability Living Allowance ( DLA) for children may help with the extra costs of looking after a child who:

is under 16

has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability

They will need to meet all the eligibility requirements.

The is between £26.90 and £172.50 a week and depends on the level of help the child needs.

If your child lives in Scotland

You need to apply for Child Disability Payment instead of DLA for children.

If your child is getting DLA for children but they have moved to Scotland, you'll need to report this change so they can get Child Disability Payment instead.

If your child moves from Scotland to England or Wales

If your child gets Child Disability Payment, you must:

Your Child Disability Payment will stop 13 weeks after your child moves - apply for DLA as soon as possible after moving or your payments could be affected.

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Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children

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Help for children under 16 with disabilities - DLA rate, eligibility, how to apply, claim form.

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Information about local and national services for children, families and professionals.

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Information about local and national services for children, families and professionals.

Search for details by keyword, town or city, or postcode. You can refine results by using the filters available.

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Information about local and national services for children, families and professionals.

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An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document that describes your child's special educational needs and the support they require. As your SENCO, I often guide parents through this process. The journey begins with a needs assessment request, which can be made by parents, school, or other professionals working with your child.

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The West Sussex SENDIAS Website contains information about who we are, what we do and how we work as a service. The website also includes our leaflets, videos, blogs and events.

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Recommended by our Psychotherapist and Dramatherapist

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Recommended by our Psychotherapist and Dramatherapist

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An introduction to the Double Empathy problem

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Recommended by psychotherapist and dramatherapist.

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North Lancing Primary School SEND Pathway

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North Lancing Primary School SEND Pathway

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Recommended by our Designated Schools Team Support Worker

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Recommended by Autism and Social Communications Team. The transition from primary to secondary school is a big one — for children and their families alike. It’s full of unknowns, changes, and emotions that can feel exciting one moment and overwhelming the next. If your child is feeling wobbly, you’re not alone — and there’s a lot you can do to gently support them.

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Supporting Your Child Through the Move to Year 7 

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Recommended by our Learning, Behaviour Advisory Team

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Recommended by our Learning, Behaviour Advisory Team

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By people with ADHD for people with ADHD

Sharing stories, struggles and achievements, this book gives you an opportunity to learn or remind yourself about the positives of having an ADHD brain.

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Young People’s Counselling (ages 11+) in Worthing on Tuesdays, taking place at West Worthing Family Hub.

They currently have after-school appointments available from 5pm, delivered by a qualified and experienced young person’s counsellor.

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Welcome to Angling4Education, where we believe in the power of alternative education to transform lives. As a leading independent alternative provision provider, our goal is to improve the engagement of children and young people in education. We understand that traditional learning methods may not work for everyone, and that‘s why we offer a range of courses to cater to different needs and learning styles.

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Coronavirus Support Archives - Elsa Support for emotional literacy

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Coronavirus support provides free resources for teaching staff and parents to help children cope with the current viral outbreak.

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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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The Zones of Regulation is a framework designed to foster self -regulation and emotional control.  This is an approach we use at school to help pupils.  It is based on the concept that individuals identify and then describe their emotional state.  They then use a chosen suite of  'tools'  to self regulate.

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Wondering where to start and what you need? Check out this information to find out more.
Supplementary Zones Emotion Visuals
These Zones visuals feature characters from The Zones of Regulation Storybook Set. They can be used when teaching Lesson 1 in The Zones of Regulation curriculum to supplement Reproducible C: Zones Emotions and Reproducible E: The Zones of Regulation Visual and at any point in the learning process.
Our most popular resources are available in Spanish, French, and English.
We are pleased to provide digital versions of three widely used "Reproducibles" from the curriculum book translated into Spanish and French. In addition, you will find the English version in the digital format which is already included with The Zones book.
Information About The Zones Of Regulation (Reproducible A) French/Francais Spanish/Espanol The Zones Of Regulation Glossary (Reproducible B) French/Francais Spanish/Espanol The Zones Of Regulation Visual (Reproducible E) French/Francais Spanish/Espanol New Emotion Imagery (Zones Reproducibles C, E, BB)
We are pleased to announce that we have included a broader representation of characters within our Zones emotions illustrations throughout the book. While eight characters can't possibly embody all the spectrum of humanity, we hope that learners see glimpses of themselves and those that they know among this new cast. Updated versions of select Reproducibles are available for download to all Zones of Regulation curriculum users
Adolescent Zones Logo Visual
This Zones of Regulation visual, featuring our updated Zones logo design, is helpful for learners who have access to a broad emotional vocabulary.

Print and use this Zones check-in on staff lanyards, or even as a tabletop check-in for learners.
All the Zones Are Okay Coloring Page
Use this coloring page to reinforce the key concepts that all our feelings and Zones are Okay!

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Browse our collection of free resources for parents and educators to support a social-emotional learning curriculum.

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If you're a parent helping your child to learn a new skill, backward chaining is a useful approach. You can use this for mastering a range of skills such as dressing and undressing, doing up and undoing zips and buttons as well as writing letters and drawing.

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Have fun drawing characters from Ed Vere's book Max and Bird.
Drawing is not only enjoyable and creative - it's great for developing fine motor skills too!

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The Evelina Resource Pack for school aged children

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The Evelina Resource Pack for school aged children

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Lots of activities here to focus on specific areas of difficulty.

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Kim Griffin is a paediatric OT who has a You Tube channel with a range of motor skills videos and information about sensory processing disorder.

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Dough Dance Fine Motor Playdoh Fun Write Rules GriffinOT

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St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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This page will give you lots of information about the ADHD Service at St George's Hospital.
Here are some questions that we often get asked by young people: Q. Why am I going to see a nurse or doctor? Q. What will the nurse or doctor ask me? Q. What does having "ADHD" mean? Q. How does medication help? Q. Where can I get more information about ADHD?
One of our service users, Kate, is going to help us answer any questions you may have. Kate was 7 years old when she was diagnosed with ADHD by our team. She has offered to tell you about her experiences.

Q. Why am I going to see a nurse or doctor?

Some children are asked to come to see us by their teachers or parents/carers. These adults might have noticed you are finding it difficult to concentrate at home or school.

The nurses and doctors in our team work with children and their families who may have:

What to expect at the appointment?

The nurses and doctors will ask you and your parent's questions about how you are finding things at school and home.

This will just be a chat and nothing to worry about. There will be no tests. There are toys all around the room that you can play with whilst everyone talks.

What does having "ADHD" and "ADD" mean?

ADHD affects the way your brain works. Having it is a bit like having a "racing car brain".

It means that it can go really, really, really fast.

The problem is, it sometimes goes a bit too fast and the brakes don't work so well.

Children with ADHD might find it hard to pay attention in school because their mind is zipping around all over the place, bursting with new ideas. That is great!
This video shows a helpful way of understanding ADHD:
But sometimes, children might need some help to slow it down so that they can look after their racing-car brain.

Doctors can give children some medicine that can sometimes help with this.

ADD also affects the way your brain works. The difference is that a child with ADD is not as hyperactive as a child with ADHD.

Some children describe it as like getting lost in a big daydream, like being asleep but with your eyes still open.

Daydreaming can be really fun, and some children with ADD have brilliant imaginations. This might be something that children don't notice they are doing.

When this happens, it can be a bit tricky because they might not be paying attention to what is going on around them.

Doctors can give some medicines that can sometimes help with this.

How does medication help?

The doctor or nurse might suggest that you try taking some tablets. This can help you to concentrate and focus better. You might try different ones until you find the right tablet for you.

Here is a video that can help explain how an ADHD brain works and how medication works:
Websites Young Minds Kids Sleeps Doctor Apps Mindshift app Videos Books
ADHD tablets can come in different shapes and sizes. Kate thought it would be funny to give them all characters:

Where can I get more information about ADHD?

If you would like to talk to us more about ADHD then we would be happy to see you. You might also like to check out the links below. There are lots of websites and videos available to help young people understand ADHD. We think these ones are good:

The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD, by J.F. Taylor

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ADHD Kids Zone - St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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This page will give you lots of information about the ADHD Service at St George's Hospital. One of our service users, Kate, is going to help us answer any questions you may have. Kate was 7 years old when she was diagnosed with ADHD by our team. She has offered ...

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Guidance for parents of girls with Autism

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A wealth of information including school support and interventions.

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View our full range of Nessy apps, available for Apple and Android devices.

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Meditation, Yoga and Breathing Techniques

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There are lots of way to feel calmer. Try our breathing exercises, activities and games or watch a video to help let go of stress.

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MIND - mental health support for children and young people

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MIND - mental health support for children and young people

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Good nights: how to handle older children’s sleep problems

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Practical tips, advice and ideas on handling toddler and older children’s common sleep problems.

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Mrs Drummond-Davies supports EYFS, 1M, Year 3 and Year 5.

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Mrs Pickford supports 1H, Year 2, 4 and 6.

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Miss Griffin

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Mrs Cartwright

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Mrs Wake

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Mrs Stonestreet

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Mrs Casey

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Mrs Chenary

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Mr Tsiringakis

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Miss Williams

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Reaching Families have published a series of fact sheets written for parent carers by parent carers. They are designed to provide parents with bite size information that helps them get started, whether in understanding their child’s condition or a key topic like behaviour, DLA or choosing a school.

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Reaching Families have published a series of fact sheets written for parent carers by parent carers. They are designed to provide parents with bite size information that helps them get started, whether in understanding their child's condition or a key topic like behaviour, DLA or choosing a school.

We have created a range of fact sheets on specific conditions, which combine clinical information with local information on what projects and services are available to help children, parents and families. Our fact sheets also cover a wide variety of other key subjects and also combine clinical information with local information and support, as well as further reading and useful links.

Parent carers have been involved in all stages of the project, from identifying topics to cover and helping to write and edit content. Our aim is to add to the factsheet series over time. If parents have any ideas for future content and/or would like to get involved in writing and editing new content, please contact us at admin@reachingfamilies.org.uk.

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Reaching Families have published a series of fact sheets written for parent carers by parent carers. They are designed to provide parents with bite size information that helps them get started, whether in understanding their child's condition or a key topic like behaviour, DLA or choosing a school.

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Feeling relaxed is important in the run up to bedtime for both parent and child. If your child is experiencing difficulties sleeping it can make you both feel anxious. Youngsters often pick up on stress levels so try to create a relaxing and calm environment as bedtime approaches.

Here is some advice that may help:

1. Turn off all screens an hour before bedtime, this includes television, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Screen activities can be mentally stimulating and also may inhibit the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone that helps us to feel drowsy.

2. Set aside time earlier during the day to allow your child to share any worries with you. It can be helpful to share how their day has been and what is planned for the next day. Make sure to give them your full attention.

3. Dim the lights in the hour before bed to create a relaxing environment and aid the production of melatonin.

4. Fine motor skill activities such as craft activities, model making, jigsaws or colouring pictures can aid relaxation.

5. Massage can help some children to unwind.

6. Classical music can be very soothing and makes good relaxing music to play in the background during the bedtime routine.

7. Mindfulness is being increasingly used and there is evidence to suggest that it can be helpful to promote relaxation and sleep. There are a number of apps and products on the market that may be useful.

8. Encourage your child to concentrate on their breathing. Imagine breathing in a beautiful white light and blowing out any worries or troubles each time they exhale. Breathing exercises are also useful for parents to carry out and are a great exercise to enjoy together.

9. Teach your child to progressively relax the muscles in their body. They can begin my tensing their feet to the count of 5 and then letting them relax. Next tense the calf muscles and relax, moving up to the thighs and so on until they have relaxed each part of their body. This is another good activity to try together.

10. End the day on a positive note by sharing 5 great things that have happened during the day.

If you are concerned about your child's anxiety levels discuss with your GP or a healthcare professional, some children may require specialist support.

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Youngsters often pick up on stress levels so try to create a relaxing and calm environment as bedtime approaches.

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

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Dr Daniel Siegel presenting a Hand Model of the Brain

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A collection of pre-recorded webinars on subjects including autism, eating disorders, anxiety, sleep and managing self harm

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Supporting bereaved children and young people The death of a close family member can be hard for children and young people to understand and difficult for adults to talk to them about. Jigsaw South East is here to help support…

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Young carers - West Sussex County Council

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Young carers are children and young people under 18 years old, who look after a member of the family who is sick, disabled, has mental health problems or is misusing drugs or alcohol. Lots of children and young people want to help out and feel proud that they are lending a hand.

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Young Carers & Mental Health - e-wellbeing

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If you’re aged 0-25 and you regularly care for someone (such as a parent or relative), you may be a young carer. Click here to learn more about young carers, hear from other young carers about their experiences, and find professional support.

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Building self esteem and resilience: A parent and carer workshop

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We also have the support in school of:

Speech and Language Therapist - Mrs Sabido

Therapeutic practitioner - Mrs Sutton

Designated Schools Team Family Support Worker - Kristine Francis

Psychotherapist - Mrs De Silvo

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Groups Activities and Facilities for Children with SEND Worthing Area  updated March 24

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Winston’s Wish is a charity that offers free, accessible online grief support to children and young people (aged 25 or under) across the UK who are bereaved or facing the death of someone important.

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Barrington Stoke For over 25 years, we have been publishing super-readable, dyslexia-friendly fiction to help every child become a reader. Our award-winning short novels are expertly designed to ensure an accessible read for those who struggle and a quick win for more confident readers. Discover the range

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Teaching and learning resources for primary, KS3, GCSE. IGCSE and A level. Revision, practise and exam preparation for all levels. Including Letts revision and home learning, books for Scottish education from Leckie, and Keen Kite resources for primary schools.

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Browse our free mental health resources for those working in primary, secondary and FE settings.

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Are you feeling low in mood? How can you tell? Find out more information and how to help yourself.

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We aim to improve children’s mental health through movement, equipping them with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies to thrive during the complex demands of growth into adult life.

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We aim to improve children's mental health through movement, equipping them with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies to thrive during the complex demands of growth into adult life.

Today's children move less than ever before whilst mental health issues are on the rise.

We have a responsibility to serve our children better amongst the growing crisis in children's mental health in the UK.

We're finding ways to do that.

8% of 5-10 year olds and nearly 12% of 11-15 year olds have a diagnosed mental health disorder.

Transforming Children & Young People's Mental Health Provision, DfE 2017

When the storm rages we teach children to find shelter and create light, calm and change through movement.

What if we could inspire mentally healthy movement to help children become happier, healthier humans, forever?

We believe we can.

What if we could embed mentally healthy movement in every school, for every child, everyday

This change benefits everyone...

For CHILDREN

* Build resilience, overcome adversity, learn to face stress and pressure.

* Develop effective self-care, depression, anxiety and anger management skills.

* Develop optimism, focus, persistence and perseverance.

* Improve confidence, self-esteem, self-image and self-worth.

For teachers

* Change perceptions of mentally healthy movement creating a whole school approach and lasting change.

* Improve confidence and delivery for supporting mentally healthy movement.

* Improve children's behaviour and reduce their absenteeism.

For parents, carers & the community

* Reduce referral rates to school-based and community mental health interventions

* Improve social capital, wider community engagement opportunities and family mental health.

* Create healthier, happier, families and communities.

Stormbreak CIO is a registered charity in England & Wales (1182771) and part of a wider collaborative team led by Dr Martin Yelling. The partnerships working to shape the way forward include Bournemouth University, University of Winchester, Dorset CAMHs, Public Health Dorset, DragonFish, schools, teachers and children.

Help us create more healthy, happy people

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We aim to improve children's mental health through movement, equipping them with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies to thrive during the complex demands of growth into adult life.

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Supportive works of Dr Luke Beardon

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Dr Luke Beardon: books, biography, latest update

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Follow Dr Luke Beardon and explore their bibliography from Amazon’s Dr Luke Beardon Author Page.

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ThinkNinja is an app specifically designed to educate 10-18 year olds about mental health, emotional wellbeing and to provide skills young people can use to build resilience and stay well. Available to download on apple and android.

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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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Our projects & services
Support for parents is provided primarily through: School Transition Courses, held in the summer holidays for children moving on to Secondary School. Our pioneering DLD Together Training Courses for parents. Our Parents/Carers’ Telephone Helpline. Primary to Secondary School Transition Courses Is your child moving from Primary School to Secondary School and do you feel

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© 2018 by Boys Town National Research Hospital and DLDandMe.org Collaborators

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Helping You Help Children Communicate

Make the most of everyday moments to build children’s early language, social and literacy skills.

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Activities and ideas

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Simple, fun activities for kids, from newborn to five years old Children take everything in. They love it when you…

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National Deaf Children's Society | Supporting deaf children

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We are the National Deaf Children's Society, the leading charity for deaf children and young people. We're here to support every deaf child who needs us.

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Home - Welcome to Action for Stammering Children

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Welcome to Action for Stammering Children. Read more about the Charity, what we do, and how we can help. You will find information about stammering...

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Videos for children with speech, language and communication needs

In 2021, Stories with Symbols and Usborne Publishing launched an official partnership, combining forces to make a broader range of videos more inclusive and accessible to people with a wider range of additional needs.

young children with no additional needs

Who is it for?

Nina Soloff

Speech and language therapist

Research and Effectiveness lead

Central & NW London NHS Trust

Such a good idea, and so professionally done!

​

There are loads of schools who will benefit from seeing this approach to books and task tracking modelled. ​

​

I plan to share this widely!

What people say

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Stories with Symbols | Free Video Resource

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Stories with Symbols makes free video resources for children, especially children with SEN, children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). The videos use favourite children's books as a springboard for igniting interest in reading and book sharing, and for learning new words and ideas. AAC.

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Olaf is a three-year-old fox red Labrador therapist and a published author. He was invited to speak at the Cheltenham Literature Festival 2023. Olaf is a family pet registered with the Pets As Therapy (PAT) Charity. His job is to make people smile when, with his human mum (a specialist teacher and mindfulness coach), he visits hospitals and schools.

Every Thursday morning, Olaf goes to Battledown Special School. He enjoys his visits so much that he set his second book there! Team Olaf to the Rescue is a heartwarming story about his classroom adventures (it very cleverly rhymes!). With help from his merry band of canine mates, Olaf saves the school's Christmas celebrations and gives the children a party they will never forget. All the dogs in Team Olaf are Olaf's real friends whom he sees every day on his walks. They all play a vital role in the story, showing kindness, creativity, and bravery. Fun activities are added to stimulate the reader's imagination and memory.

Battledown School uses Makaton as part of their teaching and learning, so we included their symbols in the book to enable more of Olaf's human friends to enjoy it. We were delighted Makaton wanted to be involved in our project and are grateful to the Team for their expertise and patience. They provided symbols for the concepts/story words and explained where to place them on the page, so that the story makes sense to the Makaton reader.

Olaf's first book, Mr. Olaf the Therapist, is a mindfulness scrapbook, diarying his experiences in a mainstream school and his work in the NHS. As a PAT dog, Olaf visits Cheltenham General Hospital where he is a valued member of the Knightsbridge (Gastric) and Critical Care Teams. He has been doing this for over two years but is still banned from the staff rooms because of the doughnuts... It is a privilege and humbling to be welcomed so warmly by patients, their families, and Olaf's NHS colleagues. Olaf also shares his lifestyle wisdom with self-care activities and mindfulness questions to help us reflect on our own work/life balance.

Olaf gives all the proceeds from his books to the Pets as Therapy charity. He attends promotional PAT events e.g., Crufts and Goodwuff.

For more information about PAT and/or to buy Olaf's books, please visit Pets as Therapy.

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Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. It supports the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall and organisation

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Occupational therapy sensory strategies NHS

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Occupational therapy sensory strategies NHS

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Right to Choose – assessment and/or diagnosis

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Despite often hearing from parents about the demand on them to get a written report stating a diagnosis, in England our legal system does not require a child or young person to have a formal diagno…

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A signpost from SENAT Special Needs Officer

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On this page you will be able to find lists of schools including Special Schools and Special Support Centres (SSCs). Mainstream Schools and Colleges To look for a mainstream school or college then …