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Parent Portal - Speech and Language Link

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Support your child’s speech and language development with expert advice, activities, and resources in our award-winning Parent Portal.

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All children and young people deserve the opportunity to benefit from connected technology safely.

That's why we've created a range of guides to empower parents and carers to help young
people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to stay safe online.

Why's this important?

The online world can be a lifeline for children with additional needs. It allows them to develop new skills, be creative, and find their 'tribe'.

However, from our research, we know that children and young people already facing offline
vulnerabilities, are more likely to face risk and harm online.

Out of the different types of risks, young people with SEND are more likely to experience
contact risks online like sexting under pressure and coercion.

So, taking the time to learn some simple strategies, informing children of safety tools, and
staying engaged in what they do, are effective ways to keep their time online positive.

What's inside the guides?

You'll find insights and resources to support young people while they are connecting and
sharing, browsing the internet, and online gaming.

You'll find helpful tips to:
● Encourage young people to adopt good online habits
● Stay informed about the online risks they face online
● And how to make use of safety tools to help them thrive in their digital world

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Supporting children and young with SEND online | Internet Matters

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All children and young people deserve the opportunity to benefit from connected technology safely. That's why we've created a range of guides to empower parents and carers to help young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to stay safe online. Why's this important?

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Online Safety for families and children with SEND

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Online Safety for families and children with SEND

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Online safety for families and children with SEND

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Online safety for families and children with SEND

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ChatAutism- text messaging support service | Autism Space | Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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ChatAutism is a text messaging support service for autistic people living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, where you can access advice and guidance from a healthcare professional.

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Leicestershire CC - Hearing Impaired and Deaf Children Support

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Leicestershire CC - Hearing Impaired and Deaf Children Support

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Hearing tests

Babies are given hearing tests in the first few hours of life.

If you think your child might have a hearing problem, speak to:

your health visitor - if your child doesn't go to school yet

your doctor (GP)

the school nurse at your child's school or your child's teacher

They will arrange a hearing test for your child.

If your child has permanent hearing loss

If the hearing tests show that your child has permanent hearing loss, they'll be referred to our Hearing Support Service.

An educational audiologist from our Hearing Support Service will work closely with a paediatric audiologist in the NHS.

The NHS paediatric audiologist will:

assess hearing levels

fit hearing aids

help your child to use their hearing aids or cochlear implants

Our educational audiologist:

will assess your child's hearing levels to understand what help they need to hear better at school and home

may offer radio systems or other listening devices at your child's nursery or school

Help for your child

Pre-school children

Your child will get help at home and at nursery from a specialist teacher of the hearing impaired or specialist practitioner to:

use their hearing aid or other hearing equipment

develop their listening and language skills

work with families to develop skills to fully support your child

We may also offer the opportunity for your family to go to a support group to meet other families who have a child with hearing loss.

Assessments

We will assess your child's hearing, language skills and how they're doing at nursery or school. We'll then advise you and your child's nursery or school about what your child needs to make sure they reach their full potential.

Your child may get extra help to make sure they progress as well as they should.

In school

Your child will get help from a specialist teacher of the hearing impaired.

The teacher may:

help your child to develop their language and listening skills

observe your child in class and offer advice on ways to support them

provide advice to the school on how to create good listening conditions

advise and train other staff at the school to help them teach your child

Other help

A technician from our Hearing Support Service may:

repair your child's hearing aid or arrange a replacement

provide help to make sure a radio system works with any hearing equipment your child is using

Information technology (ICT)

If your child needs extra ICT equipment to help them with learning, the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) at their school will refer them for an assessment.

Every school and nursery has a SENCO. They're responsible for identifying children with special educational needs and disabilities and making sure they get all the help they need.

Support groups and activities

Search the Family Information Directory for local support groups and activities for your child and your family.

The National Deaf Children's Society has lots of information for families and links to local support groups.

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Hearing impaired and deaf children | Leicestershire County Council

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Children and young people with permanent hearing loss may get help at nursery and school and special equipment to help them hear better.

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This service offers diagnostic audiology assessments for children from 7 months to 16 years of age and for children attending special schools up to 19 years of age.
Appointments
Please be aware we are seeing an increased demand in referrals for our services.

We are sorry that children are having to wait longer than we would like for a hearing test.

Currently waiting times may be up to 10 months.

We are doing all we can to offer an appointment to children on the waiting list as quickly as possible.

If you have significant concerns about your child's hearing, please contact the community paediatric audiology service on 0116 295 3919.
Locations
The service is carrying out improvements to some of our locations to make sure all the places we carry out hearing tests are of a high quality.

This means that some places may be temporarily unavailable.

Voluntary transport can be requested to help you get to a suitable venue for you.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Please refer to referral section of website.

Who to contact if you need an interpreter or information about disabled access

If you have any specific access requirements, such as needing an interpreter or accessibility to the site, please ask your referrer to include this information in the referral.

Alternatively, please ring us on 0116 295 3919 prior to your child's appointment.

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Community Paediatric Audiology Service - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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This service offers diagnostic audiology assessments for children from 7 months to 16 years of age and for children attending special schools up to 19 years of age. Appointments Please be aware we are seeing an increased demand in referrals for our services.

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We help children, young people, parents, and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.

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NHS advice for children who are dealing with bereavement

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NHS advice for children who are dealing with bereavement

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The following information could help if your child has lost or is about to lose someone, such as a family member or friend.

If your child is about to lose someone

If a child has a loved one, such as a friend or family member who's going to die, they can benefit from special support.

A child's stress level is often at its highest before bereavement because of fear and the unknown.

Pre-bereavement counselling gives a child a chance to think and talk about their feelings and share their worries.
The YoungMinds website has more information on counselling services for children and young people
Making a memory box

If you're a parent and you know you're going to die, you could make a memory box to give to your child, or make one together.

A memory box contains things that remind you both of your time together. It can provide an important link between you and your child once you've gone.
Macmillan Cancer Support has information about making a memory box

If a child has lost someone

Talk about the person who has died

During bereavement, it can help a child to talk about the person who's died, whether it was a grandparent, parent, brother, sister or friend.

Direct, honest and open communication is more helpful than trying to protect your child by hiding the truth. If you exclude them from family ceremonies and services after someone has died it could make them feel excluded.

This can also help your child be open about their own feelings and avoid confusion about what has happened. It may be helpful to talk as a family, perhaps with your child, about how to include them in any events that celebrate or say goodbye to the person who has died.

It's important for them to have someone with whom they can talk about that person and share their emotions. This could be through photos, games, memory boxes or stories.

Over time, children may start to talk more about their loss at different times and in different ways. Young children may start talking about death or including it in their play, but this is normal and is a way for them to make sense of what has happened.

Further support for your child

There are also bereavement charities that offer helplines, email support, and online communities and message boards for children.

These include:

Child Bereavement UK - call 0800 028 8840 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or email helpline@childbereavementuk.org

Cruse Bereavement Care - call 0808 808 1677 Monday and Friday, 9.30am to 5pm; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.30am to 8pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm

Grief Encounter - call 0808 802 0111 Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm, or email contact@griefencounter.org.uk

Hope Again - call 0808 808 1677 Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm, or email hopeagain@cruse.org.uk

Winston's Wish - call 0808 802 0021 Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, or email ask@winstonswish.org

You can also find out more about children and bereavement from the Childhood Bereavement Network
Make a memory box

If the person who's died did not leave a memory box, you could make one with your child.

It can include:

gifts

shells collected on the beach

memories written on a card

anything that makes the child feel connected to that person

Don't forget to look after yourself

It's important to make sure you're also getting the support you need after a loss. This can also help you to better support your child.
Read more about getting help with grief after bereavement or loss

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Find out what to do and where to find bereavement support if your child has lost a loved one or has a loved one who's dying.

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The Leicestershire Down's Syndrome Group has been running since 1981 and is here to support local members and their families.

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A team of teachers and teaching assistants who work with children with special needs from 0 to 5 with SEND, their families and other professionals. They offer support in the home, early years settings and schools and also provide a range of training to parents and school staff.

Telephone: 0116 454 4750

Email: Early-years-SEN@leicester.gov.uk

'Portage' home visitors work with babies and young children (up to the age of 3) who have significant learning difficulties and disabilities. Your portage home visitor will:

find out what your child can do, what they like to do and what you would like to teach your child

agree 6-month goals for what you want your child to achieve

break these goals down into activities

show you how to teach the activities

work with other professionals who are helping your child

They'll visit you either weekly or every 2 weeks during school term times.

Telephone: 0116 305 9400

Email: Jo.Copeland@leics.gov.uk or ruth.melluish@leics.gov.uk

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Down's Syndrome Pathway - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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Congratulations on the birth of your baby Care Pathway for Children and Adults with Down's Syndrome Physiotherapy advice for Down's Syndrome Children's Occupational Therapy Services Signing with your child Early Years Support Team - Leicester City A team of teachers and teaching assistants who work with children with special needs [...]

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Down Syndrome UK is a national charity passionate about empowering parents and professionals to improve the lives of those with Down syndrome.

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Down’s syndrome is when you’re born with an extra chromosome.

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

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Link to Wellbeing Padlet - made by Hannah Pegley

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Link to Wellbeing Padlet - made by Hannah Pegley

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We’re here to help people with ADHD Thrive. Positively changing what it means to have ADHD in the UK if not the world.

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The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity - an integrated health and education service.

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Welcome to PANS PANDAS UK. This is our Home page.

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Autism Space | Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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A dedicated space for autistic people and their family members to discover advice, information and support.

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HappyMaps - Find the best support, advice and information on young people's mental health, all in one place. For Parents, Professionals and Young People.

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Read reviews

"I think this is a fabulous resource-very clearly laid out with the full range of supports available, from parenting tips through to professional help" (Parent)

"This is great to recommend to parents when they are worried about their children. It's the best website for mental health issues that I've found" (Teacher)

"Excellent. I work for CAMHS Bristol and regularly recommend this website" (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)

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Home - HappyMaps: Help and Resources for Children's Mental Health

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An award-winning website on children's mental health collating sensible and professional advice on common problems. With new self-help pages for young people.

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Cafcass advises the family courts about the welfare of children and what is in their best interests

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Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

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Selective Mutism Information & Research Association (SMIRA)

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Selective Mutism (SM) is a communication anxiety disorder. This site contains information on and support for parents, people with SM, and professionals.

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Starting secondary school- Supporting your child

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School nurse - Transition to Secondary School

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School nurse - Transition to Secondary School

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School nurse - Transition to Primary School

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School nurse - Transition to Primary School

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Starting primary school- Supporting your child

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How we feel about ourselves and our bodies

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Learn to love yourself, be happy, safe and curious.

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What do you look for in a friend? What makes you a good friend?

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Everyone experiences a range of feelings, and that’s normal- feelings make up who we are. The way you feel, learn and behave are all because of your character

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Discover the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) with senior public health dietitian Paula McKee

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HEALTHY TOGETHER PARENT AND CARER_VIDEO_1

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The best possible start in life - Grownups - Health for Kids

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Health for kids - Grownups - Health for Kids - Everything You Wanted To Know About Health

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School readiness toolkit - birth to starting school | Leicestershire County Council Professional Services Portal

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School readiness toolkits for early years providers and schools to support children from birth to age five, including information to share with parents.

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Early Years SEND Inclusion team

We provide a service to children, their families and early years providers when the child requires specialised long-term support, has significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or has a disability which prevents or hinders access to activities or experiences available to children of the same age.

There are three teams who help in their respective ways:

Portage team - working with children from birth until they are 3 years old

Early Years SEND Inclusion team - working with children from birth until they go to school

Early Years Inclusion Practitioners - supporting children in settings and foundation stage of school who are at risk of exclusion

Portage service

Our Portage practitioners support our youngest children from birth to 3 years at home and/or in a setting. Portage home visitors build strong relationships with parents/carers and they give practical help and advice to help you to support your child. Family events are run throughout the year when families can come together.

Referrals to the service are considered at the Early Years Panel. Referrals can be made by parents, health professionals and setting SENCos.

Leicestershire's Portage service is accredited by the National Portage Association (NPA).

When your child is 3 years old

Your child may be transferred to the Early Years SEND Inclusion team if they continue to need support from the team.

Early Years SEND Inclusion team

Specialist advisors and practitioners may visit your child at home or at their nursery or both. They work with children who have a:

much greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age

disability that stops them doing activities that most other children of the same age can do

They work with children from 3 years until they start school.

Your Early Years SEND Inclusion advisor or practitioner can:

use play to help your child learn by observing and imitating them - this is called modelling learning

give you and the nursery advice on how to improve your child's development in all areas of learning

contribute to an assessment

tell you about other help you can get for your child

Early Years Communication and Interaction advisors and practitioners

Specialist advisors and practitioners work with children with a diagnosis of autism, on the pathway of a diagnosis or with social communication and interaction needs, from birth until they start school. They may work at home or in settings or both. They can:

Develop understanding around sensory processing and social communication

Model some strategies for parents and professionals

Give advice about environments and the role of the adult in the nursery

Contribute to an assessment

Early Years Inclusion Practitioners

The Inclusion Practitioners work with children at risk of exclusion, until they are statutory school age. This work is based in settings and schools and can take the form of advice, modelling, intensive support, supporting dual placements and/or supporting statutory assessments.

How often will the service see my child in their early learning setting?

We will discuss with you how best to support your child. Your child will have a period of active involvement, during which they will be observed and assessed. Your child will then be placed on monitoring for a period of up to 6 months to allow yourselves and nursery time to embed the strategies and guidance given.

What does the team do for Early Years Settings?

Every validated private, voluntary or independent early years setting has an Area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who supports the setting to include children with special educational needs and disabilities. In exceptional cases inclusion funding may need to be applied for.

How do I access the Early Years SEND Inclusion team?

The team accepts referrals from parents or anyone working with a child who has parental consent for the referral. Children accepted by the team show significant delay in more than one area of development. Referral is via the local authority's Early Years SEND Inclusion Panel. There is a meeting every week during term time.

The team discuss every child referred and decide which service is best placed to meet the child's needs.

Following allocation at panel, an Advisor will contact parents and carers to talk about what the team has to offer. At this first contact it will be decided how often and where the visits will take place. Contacts may be at home or setting and may be a mix of virtual and face to face.

Before you begin the referral form

You cannot save progress, so to avoid being timed out please have the following information ready:

Child's information, including date of birth and parental details including address, telephone number, email address

Setting details

Names and contact details of any other services who have/had involvement with the child

Details of the Early Years Provider

Information on the areas of need and electronic copies of any documents you wish to submit to support the referral

Electronic copies of any assessments (small steps etc.)

Parental permission to complete the referral

Make an Early Years referral online
When you've submitted the information, a PDF version of the referral can also be downloaded for your own records.

Will information about me and my child be shared with other services?

We will share information about your child with other appropriate services to enable us to support them. However, we will never pass information to another service without your knowledge and only after we receive a signature from a parent or guardian giving us permission to do so.

Leaflets for parents

A parent and carer's guides to:

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Information for parents | Leicestershire County Council Professional Services Portal

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For parents of pre-school children with special educational needs or disabilities.

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School readiness | Leicestershire County Council

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Early years information to help your child become ‘school ready’

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Healthy Together Newsletter- Primary Schools (Leicestershire & Rutland)- Edition Five

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The 30 Local Area Co-ordinators will initially work closely with GP surgeries, adult social care teams and borough/districts in order to identify individuals who may benefit from support, as well as developing a presence within their local communities.

What do Local Area Co-ordinators help with?

Individuals: thinking about how to make life better and looking at what you have to offer

Connecting with others: linking people together and being part of a community

Information: finding out about what's happening in your area and getting the right help from services

Taking action: making positive changes

What will this mean for communities?

improved health and wellbeing

fewer hospital / emergency admissions and visits to the GP

better quality of life; improved confidence and independence

stronger individuals, families and communities

more community links and social interaction - great community cohesion

positive use of community resources and buildings

increased levels of people taking part in volunteering, training or employment

Local Area Coordinators and their contact details:

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Our Local Area Co-ordinators aim to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. This helps to reduce demand on public services (mainly health and social care), preventing people from reaching crisis, and putting people in control of their lives and choices.

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Your First Contact for Information Advice and Support in Leicestershire

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First Contact Plus Room G58, Public Health Department County Hall, Glenfield LE3 8TB

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WINE - I wonder, I imagine, I notice, empathy

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WINE - I wonder, I imagine, I notice, empathy

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Transition Resource from Autism Outreach

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Transition Resource from Autism Outreach

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Moving up to secondary school for children with additional need

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Moving up to secondary school for children with additional need

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This short specialist course is for parents, relatives or friends of children who have additional needs. Your child may be dyspraxic, dyslexic, very anxious, autistic, really dislike change, have ADHD, a learning disability, a physical disability or any other additional need.

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The session will be held online using Microsoft Teams, joining details will be sent to ticket holders in advance of the session.

This session is free. It is for parents and carers of autistic children (no diagnosis required) living in the East of England you must be registered in advance.

This event is part of the Autism Central Peer Education Programme. Essex County Council are the Regional Hub for the East of England for Autism Central.

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virtual drop in event for parents/carers of autistic children

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virtual drop in event for parents/carers of autistic children tickets

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Virtual Drop In Event for Parents/Carers of Autistic Children

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Eventbrite - East of England Autism Central Hub presents Virtual Drop In Event for Parents/Carers of Autistic Children - Thursday, 25 July 2024 - Find event and ticket information.

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We all have times when we need some parenting support. With My Family Coach, you get all the help you need with advice‌ ‌to support ‌every‌ ‌stage‌ ‌of‌ ‌your‌ ‌child's‌ ‌development.

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Copyright © 2024, Dyspraxia Foundation · A Registered Charity (1058352) and a company registered in England limited by guarantee (3256733) Registered Office: 8 West Alley, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1EG

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What is dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia is a difficulty with organising and directing the body to perform a motor skill (movement) needed to correctly carry out the steps in a process and to ensure that a task is performed in the most efficient way. In order to do this the brain must receive and register sensory information from the environment and one's own body (e.g. tactile (touch), kinesthetic (body position awareness), vestibular (balance awareness) and visual information). The brain must then process and interpret this information in order to generate an appropriate response: including how to interact with the environment, planning the movement necessary to proceed and finally executing the performance. Included in the organisation and planning of how to execute the task presented to the child, the child also requires the ability to effectively evaluate the success of the performance in order to refine it for next time.

What are the common features of dyspraxia?
Gross Motor (whole body) Skill Difficulties: Fine Motor (Finger) Skill Difficulties:

Difficulty with pencil-based tasks (e.g. holding and using a pencil for handwriting).

Difficulty with self-care activities such as using cutlery, tying shoe laces, brushing teeth, using scissors and doing up zips or buttons.

Perceptual Difficulties

Poor spatial awareness showing confusion between left/right, back/front, b/d, p/q.

Visual perceptual difficulties that result in difficulties with reading fluency, copying and writing.

Auditory perceptual difficulties that result in not being able to follow a set of oral instructions or being easily distracted by background sound.

Perceptual Difficulties:

Poor spatial awareness showing confusion between left/right, back/front, b/d, p/q.

Visual perceptual difficulties that result in difficulties with reading fluency, copying and writing.

Auditory perceptual difficulties that result in not being able to follow a set of oral instructions or being easily distracted by background sound.

Language Difficulties: Organisation Difficulties:

Often loses/forgets things.

Difficulty remembering sequences (e.g. months of the year) in order.

Difficulty following a set of instructions (may appear to not be listening).

Difficulty learning routines.

Difficulty putting multi-step tasks together (e.g. obstacle course).

Appears lazy and non-compliant (when in fact they may not know how to start the task).

Difficulty getting things organised at school (e.g. getting out pencils, paper, glue and the right book for a classroom activity, getting all the equipment needed for an outdoor game).

Struggles to get themselves ready on time.

Emotional/Social Difficulties: Common difficulties often (but not always) experienced by the child with dyspraxia:

May lack interest/motivation in physical activity or be hard to engage in particular activities they find difficult or in which they have experienced failure.

May avoid socialising with peers or not be included by peers in physical games (e.g. on the playground for fear of failure or experience with repeated failure).

Easily frustrated when completing tasks.

Easily distracted

Reduced self-esteem

Anxiety when asked to participate in difficult activities.

Tends to seek out younger children to play with as their skills are of a similar level and they feel more confident playing with them.

May complain that 'this is too hard' or 'I can't do it' when presented with motor activities.

May be resistant to changes in how or when tasks are done, as changes present new situations/tasks that require planning and new learning.

Management strategies that support the child with dyspraxia (at preschool, school and/or home):

Provide lots of praise and encouragement.

Use visual cues to support organisation and planning as well as attention to task.

Allow extra time to process and learn when presenting the child with a new task.

Recognise that additional practice is often required on an on-going basis to recall a previously mastered task.

Break large tasks into smaller ones wherever possible, even if it seems silly (not only does this support skill development, but it also reduces the heightened anxiety that is commonly experienced with motor planning challenges).

When teaching a skill, start with a movement that the child is likely to achieve and gradually increase the degree of difficulty.

Provide opportunities to succeed by simplifying activities.

Introduce new skills or environments on an individual basis before introducing peers.

Use simple language and instructions.

Recognise and reinforce the child's strengths.

Ensure appropriate set up of school desk.

Set realistic and achievable goals for all task performance and completion.

Make participation, not competition, the goal.

Occupational Therapy approaches and activities that can support the child with Dyspraxia and/or their carers include:

Child's abilities: Observing the child during play and formal assessment to determine the child's abilities with gross motor (whole body) tasks, what they find difficult and then making recommendations for management.

Devising goals: Setting functional goals in collaboration with the child, parents and teachers so that therapy has a common focus beneficial to everyone involved.

Educating parents, carers and teachers about dyspraxia, the age appropriate skills a child should be demonstrating and providing management strategies/ideas to assist the child in the home, at school and in the community.

Physical skills: Providing ways/ideas to promote physical activity and participation in team/group activities.

Underlying skills: Developing the underlying skills necessary to support whole body (gross motor) and hand dexterity (fine motor) skills, such as providing activities to support:Direct skill teaching through a task based approach.

balance and coordination

strength and endurance

attention and alertness

body awareness

movement planning

Confidence: Building self-confidence to enable a child to willingly participate (it is common for these children to shut down when they perceive the task to be too hard) in activities by:Simplifying tasks: Educating parents and carers on ways to simplify tasks to the smallest possible components and using simple and concise language.

Providing the child with awareness about why they may be experiencing difficulties with movement, their strengths as well as their weaknesses and providing and teaching them strategies to overcome obstacles they may face which otherwise may see an avoidance of activity.

Breaking down specific physical skills into one or two step components to teach the skill and then gradually adding in components until the skill is doable in its entirety (e.g. skipping - start with a step, then a hop).

Providing opportunities and strategies to master the same skill in different environments (home versus school versus therapy session).

Presenting the activities at the 'just right challenge' level to provide success and then gradually increasing the demands of a mastered skill.

Non-verbal cues: Using physical and visual models or instructions (wherever possible) not just verbal.

Sensory processing: Improving sensory processing to ensure appropriate attention and arousal to attempt the tasks, as well as ensuring the body is receiving and interpreting the correct messages from the muscles in terms of their position and relationship to each other.

Multi-sensory approach: Using a multi-sensory approach to learning new skills.

Modelling tasks visually and using hands-on adjustment techniques to aid body awareness for the child.

Speech Therapy approaches and activities that can support the child with dyspraxia and/or their carers include:

Speech and language assessment to help the family to understand how the child is processing, understanding, learning and using language and communication.

Communication strategies: Providing the family with strategies and techniques to increase and enhance communication with the child.

Daily activities: Helping the child to understand the environment, routines and language.

Developing language: Helping the child to understand and use richer language and to use language more spontaneously.

Articulation: Improving the child's ability to articulate sounds within words.

Conversation skills: Developing conversation skills (e.g. back and forth exchange, turn taking).

Concept skills: Developing concept skills, especially abstract concepts, such as time

(e.g. yesterday, before, after).

Visuals can be used to help with understanding and the child's ability to express their needs, wants, thoughts and ideas.

Social skills: Development of social skills (i.e. knowing when, how to use language in social situations).

Enhancing verbal and non-verbal communication including natural gestures, speech, signs, pictures and written words.

Visual strategies: Using visual information to help understand, organise and plan the routine for the day.

Liaising with educational staff regarding the nature of the difficulties and ways to help the child to access the curriculum.

Why should I seek therapy for my child with dyspraxia?

Diagnosis alone is NOT the solution. It simply opens the door to getting the help that is needed by arming all involved with the relevant information.

The 'help' still needs to be provided. The help that is provided (at least from a therapy perspective) will reflect:

First and foremost what medical intervention is needed.

What the parents/teachers/carers biggest concerns are for the child (i.e. what are the most significant functional challenges).

The specific areas that are problematic to the child (which will vary even within children with the same diagnosis).

The capacity of the child's environments to meet the child's needs.

If left untreated the child with dyspraxia may have difficulties with:

Learning to talk, speech intelligibility and clarity.

Managing a full school day due to poor strength and endurance.

Participating in sporting activities leading to an inactive lifestyle, increasing the risks of other health related issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or similar conditions.

Self esteem and confidence when they realise their skills do not match their peers.

Bullying when others become more aware of the child's difficulties.

Fine motor skills (e.g. writing, drawing and cutting) due to poor core stability, meaning they do not have a strong base to support the use of their arms and hands.

Completing self-care tasks (e.g. doing up shoelaces, buttons, zips, using cutlery).

Self regulation and behaviour as the child is unable to regulate themselves appropriately to settle and attend to a task for extended periods of time.

Anxiety and stress in a variety of situations leading to difficulty reaching their academic potential.

Academic performance: Developing literacy skills such as reading and writing and coping in the academic environment.

Academic assessment: Completing tests, exams and academic tasks in higher education.

More specific implications of not seeking treatment will be influenced by the common difficulties that are most influencing your individual child.
For more information see the relevant fact sheets under areas of concern or refer to the other relevant resources section below.
What does the diagnosis of dyspraxia really mean for the child?

Diagnoses are used to label a specific set of symptoms that are being experienced by a child.

This label then helps to narrow down and specifically tailor what:

A diagnosis helps the child and their carers (parents, teachers, health professionals, carers) to:

Access information about the relevant cluster of symptoms.

Communicate the salient features of the child's challenges to all people involved in the child's care.

Possibly interpret certain behaviours differently in light of the diagnosis.

Obtain information about what can be done to help the child.

Determine specifically where and how to help the child.

Access funding or services that might not otherwise be accessible.

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Kid Sense Child Development helps get rid of Dyspraxia among children through customized activity and approach programs that support their individual needs. Contact us about occupational therapy services today!

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Urgent help with mental health

For urgent help, please contact your GP/doctor (you'll need to register with one if you don't have one) or telephone the Mental Health Central Access Point on 0808 800 3302.

If your GP's surgery isn't open:

telephone the surgery - the answerphone message will tell you the number for the out-of-hours service which is available 6.30pm to 8am on weekdays and all day at weekends

telephone the NHS 111 service (available 24 hours a day) to find out what other help is available for a mental health crisis

go to the Leicester Royal Infirmary Urgent Care Centre

Confidential helplines

Talk to someone confidentially over the phone, by email or visit a branch or drop-in centre.

If you find that you need extra support regarding substance misuse and issues with mental health, you can find information about local organisations that can help you on Mental Health - information, advice and support.

Mental Health Central Access Point

If you are in need of urgent NHS mental health support, you should call 0808 800 3302.

This is a 24/7 Freephone helpline for people of all ages in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, provided jointly by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) and Turning Point

Using Turning Point's established Freephone number, the re-named Mental Health Central Access Point is for people of all ages, offering round-the-clock access to urgent support and solution focused conversations, signposting and referral for yourself or on behalf of someone else.

Calls are handled by Turning Point's skilled and experienced recovery workers who can access clinical advice from Leicestershire Partnership Trust's specialist clinicians when needed. They will talk with you to agree the best support for your urgent mental health needs.

Samaritans

If you have feelings of distress or despair:

Resources

This set of resources is designed to help people find the right support to meet their mental health needs.

NHS Choices - Five steps to mental wellbeing takes you through ways to improve your mental health and resilience.

Pregnant women or new parents

If you're feeling down before or after the birth of a child:
Taking care of babies and young children

Children and young people

You can access services especially for children and young people experiencing emotional difficulties.

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Get support with mental health and wellbeing

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Advice on how to take care of your or your child's mental health and wellbeing, as well as how to get urgent help in situations when someone is in danger.

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Leicestershire's first-ever 'Baby Fortnight' is offering a range of free sessions for parents and carers of 0-2 year-olds. These sessions will feature messy play, language workshops and sensory fun for both the little ones and their pre-school age siblings. The events will take place from 8th - 21st April across the county and are part of Leicestershire County Council's Family Hubs Start for Life Initiative. This initiative aims to help parents and carers better understand how they can aid their child's development through simple and fun activities.

During the 'Baby Fortnight', three new sessions will be held that will focus on creative play, language and communication skills, and sensory experiences. Parents and carers are welcome to attend these sessions with their children and take advantage of this opportunity to learn new and engaging ways to help their child's development.

'Let's Get Messy' is a creative session providing fun for children and parents alike whilst also sharing tips on how messy plan can encourage a child's development.

'Tip Top Talkers' offers a unique workshop for parents/carers and children to come together and learn some tips on how to improve language and communication skills.

'Little Senses' sessions provide fun activities for you and your child to explore their senses and encourage all round brain development.

If you'd like to join one of our sessions simply contact a hub to book:

Blaby and Oadby & Wigston
Monday 8th April Active Mums Club Buggy Walk, Brocks Hill, Oadby 10am - 11am - Just turn up!
Wednesday 10th April, Wigston, 1 - 2.30pm - Lets get messy!
Tuesday 16th April, Huncote, 1pm - Little Senses
Wednesday 17th April, Braunstone Town Family Hub, 10am - 11am - Tip Top Talkers
Thursday 18th April, Active Mums Club Buggy Walk, Everards Meadows, Enderby 10am - 11am - Just turn up

Wigston Family Hub - 0116 3055282
Huncote Family Hub- 0116 3050306
Braunstone Town Family Hub - 0116 3054217

Charnwood:
Monday 8th April - Thurmaston Family Hub - 1:30pm - 2:30pm - Tip Top Talkers
Monday 8th April - Mountfields Family Hub - 1 to 2.20pm - Lets get Messy!
Tuesday 9th April - Active Mums Club Buggy Walk, Gorse Covert Community Centre, Loughborough 1pm - 2pm - Just turn up
Tuesday 16th April - Thurmaston Family Hub - 10 to 11.30am - Little Senses

Thurmaston Family Hub - 0116 305 5264
Mountfields Family Hub - 0116 305 2880

Harborough:
Friday 12th April - Market Harborough Family Hub - 10 to 11.30am - Lets get Messy
Monday 15th April - Lutterworth Family Hub - 1:30pm - 2:30pm - Tip Top Talkers

Market Harborough Family Hub - 0116 305 0079
Lutterworth Family Hub - 0116 305 5011

Hinckley and Bosworth
Tuesday 9th - Earl Shilton Family Hub - 1 to 2.30pm - Lets get Messy
Thursday 18th April Bagworth Family Hub - 10am - 11am - Tip Top Talker
Friday 19th Spril - Hinckley East Family Hub - 10.30 to 12pm - Little Senses

Earl Shilton - 0116 305 5601
Bagworth - 0116 305 5601
Hinckley East - 0116 305 5601

Melton:
Thursday 11th April - Melton - The Edge- 10am - 11am - Tip Top Talkers
Monday 15th April - The Edge- 10 to 11.30 - Little Senses

The Edge - 0116 305 106

North West Leicestershire:
Tuesday 9th April - Coalville Children & Family Centre - 10.30 to 12pm - Lets get Messy
Wednesday 10th April - Measham Family Hub - 10am - 11am - Tip Top Talkers
Tuesday 16th April - Coalville Children & Family Centre - 10.30 to 12pm - Little Senses

Coalville - 0116 305 5993
Measham - 0116 3055275

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Leicestershire's first-ever 'Baby Fortnight' is offering a range of free sessions for parents and carers of 0-2 year-olds. These sessions will feature messy play, language workshops and sensory fun for both the little ones and their pre-school age siblings.

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Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) resources for children and families

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Emotionally Based School Avoidance Resources for families to use to support their children and young people.

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Parents/ Carers EBSA Guidance | Support Services for Education

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This webpage is designed to help parents/carers to support children who have concerns about going to school, known as Emotional Based School Avoidance.

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About pre-teen and teenage moods

Moods, or emotional ups and downs, are a part of life for pre-teens and teenagers, just as they are for adults.

For example, pre-teens and teenagers might feel cheerful and excited some days, and down, flat, low or sad at other times. And they often want more privacy or time on their own. In the pre-teen and teenage years, these emotional ups and downs can happen more often than they used to, and they can be more extreme.

Your child's emotional ups and downs might happen for many reasons - physical, emotional, social and psychological - and not for any one reason in particular. Often you won't be able to pin down why your child feels up or down - and neither will your child.

Moods are a sign that your child is experiencing more complex, mature emotions and trying to understand and manage them. This is an important part of teenage development. You have a big role to play in helping your child with this part of their journey into adulthood.

Emotional ups and downs: why they happen

Physical factors
Pre-teens and teenagers go through many physical changes during adolescence.

Your child's body is changing, which might make them self-conscious or embarrassed - or just make them want more privacy and time to themselves. Pre-teens and teenagers who seem to be developing earlier or later than friends might feel emotional about these physical changes.

Another physical factor is sleep. Pre-teens need 9-11 hours of sleep, and teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep. The amount of sleep your child gets is likely to affect their mood.

Your child's eating and nutrition and their physical activity levels can affect moods too. Healthy eating and plenty of exercise can often help your child to regulate moods.

Brain factors
The adolescent brain goes through many changes in the teenage years.

For example, brain changes cause your child's body to make sex hormones. These hormones trigger physical changes, as well as sexual and romantic feelings. These new feelings can be powerful and sometimes confusing for your child.

Also, your child's brain will keep changing into their early 20s. The section of the brain that's the last to develop, the prefrontal cortex, is closely connected to the areas responsible for regulating and managing emotions. This means your child might find it harder to manage some of their stronger emotions, and it might seem that they react more emotionally to situations than they used to. They're still learning to process and express their emotions in a grown-up way.

Social and emotional factors
New thoughts, new emotions, new friends and new responsibilities can all affect how your child is feeling.

Your child is learning how to solve more problems on their own as they move towards independence. Your child is also living in their own head more than they used to and is busy thinking about challenges like friendships, school and family relationships.

Stressful family situations can affect your child's mood too.

Helping pre-teens and teenagers have more ups than downs

There are a couple of things you can do to help your child have more ups than downs.

The first is recognising the things your child already enjoys. These might be playing a favourite sport, spending time with old friends, listening to or playing music, drawing, creating their own digital content and so on. Keeping up with these activities will help your child feel secure and give your child a base for exploring new interests.

You can also help your child find new activities that challenge them and that help them set new goals and meet new friends. These might be learning a new musical instrument or joining a new social group. Rather than choosing these activities for your child, you might get ideas by listening to your child talk about what they like and dislike.

Helping pre-teens and teenagers manage emotional ups and downs

You can't stop your child from feeling flat or low. But there are many things you can do to help your child manage the ups and downs.

Helping your child accept ups and downs
It can help your child to know that emotional ups and downs are a part of life. One of the best ways to do this is to let your child know that sometimes you feel flat too.

It's also important for your child to know that you'll be there for them when they're feeling flat or having a tough time. You don't need solve your child's problems. Instead, it can help just to say, 'I can see you're having a difficult day'. This lets your child know that it's OK to feel down or flat sometimes.

Staying connected with your child
Staying connected and actively listening to what's going on in your child's life will help you pick up more easily on the triggers for their emotional ups and downs. Sometimes casual, everyday activities like driving your child somewhere or watching TV together are the best times for your child to share things with you.

Giving your child space
Your child is developing independence and tackling new things. While this is happening, try to give your child space or time alone to think about new emotions and new experiences. Let your child know you'll be there if they want to talk.

Holding off on solutions
If there's a problem, discussing solutions with your child can be great, but your child needs to contribute to the solutions and feel that they 'own' them. Your child is also more likely to try the solution if they feel it has come from them.

Also, problem-solving is a valuable life skill, which your child will get better at by practising. By helping your child develop problem-solving skills, you're sending the message that you value your child's input into decisions that affect their life.

Working together on coping strategies
Learning to cope with and manage emotional ups and downs independently is one of the big jobs of adolescence. And you can help your child develop this important life skill.

One way to do this is by making a list of 'mood busters' with your child. These are things that your child can do to feel better. For example:

Listen to an upbeat or favourite song.

Spend time with a friend.

Go for a brisk walk.

Pat the dog.

Get a hug from you.

Watch a movie with you.

It's good for your child to have a few options on their list, so they can try different things to see what works best.

Being a role model
You're still your child's most important role model. Your child will look to you to see how you cope in tough times. Think about how your child sees you working through problems and using coping strategies.

More than moods: when pre-teens and teenagers feel down all the time

Sometimes, continually feeling down or flat can be a sign of something more serious.

Pre-teens and teenagers can feel down for minutes, hours, days or much longer. If your child seems down, flat, irritable or sad for more than 2 weeks, or if you notice moods are stopping your child from getting on with their usual daily activities, this could be a sign of a more serious mental health problem.

If you're concerned about your child's emotions and behaviour, it's important to talk with your child and to seek help from a mental health professional. Your GP can help you find the right person.

Most pre-teens and teenagers with mental health problems recover well if they get treatment, particularly if they're treated early.

Your child might like to call Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. It's a free, confidential, anonymous telephone counselling service for young people aged 5-25 years. Kids Helpline also offers webchat counselling and email counselling services.

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ups and downs are normal for teenagers. this article explains why your teenage child might be having more moods than before

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Moods: helping pre-teens and teens manage emotional ups and downs

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Moods, or emotional ups and downs, are a natural and important part of teen development. Help teens manage moods by listening, talking and staying connected.

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It's okay to reach out for help. Your situation is unique and no parent has all the answers. We all need a little extra support sometimes, and we hear from parents and carers just like you all the time.

So, if you're worried about the mental health and wellbeing of a child or young person up to the age of 25, you can chat to us by phone, email or webchat.

Our Parents Helpline is also accessible for those who are hard of hearing or speak English as an additional language. If English is not your first or preferred language, we can arrange for a language translator to support you on a call with one of our helpline advisers. Or if you would like to use our webchat or email service, we offer a digital translation service.

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Parents Mental Health Support | Advice for Your Child

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Practical tips, advice and where you can get help if your child or teenager is struggling with their mood, feelings, or their behaviour seems different.

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Health for Under 5s | For healthy, happy early years

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Select your area We offer tailored content specific to your area. Check below to find your local area. View site without local content Close Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111.

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Online Course - 'Finding Employment for Autistic Job Seekers' until 20/09/23

A series of sessions until 20th September 2023 this free online course is run by the National Autistic Society and will give you the tools you need to find new employment.
Click here for the link to the course
Online Course - 'Disabled parent support group

Mosaic 1898 and Enable2Parent's Disabled Parents Support Group are offering an online support course for physically disabled parents living in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland. For more information and booking please contact Holly Dunkley at Mosaic 1898 email: holly.dunkley@mosaic1898.co.uk
Disabled parenting support group leaflet
Reality aims to support the whole family unit affected by ASD/Asperger Syndrome. No formal diagnosis is required. The group organises activities, trips and outings for the whole family.

Meetings are held at Braunstone Sure Start, Gallards Hill, Braunstone, Leicester LE3 1QR.

Contact: Leisa Smith on 0791 285 0517 or via email on: leisa_smith3@hotmail.com

Mosaic 1898- Autism Advocacy Group

Leicester Carers Support Services- Neurodiversity peer support for carers

Aylestone Park Football Club

Offering children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to train and play football, feel part of a team and make new friends.

When: Friday evenings

Contact: Andrew Lennon on 07368210471

Offering both children's and adult services, as well as dance, drama and music and creative therapies and summer play schemes.

Contact: 07543 068872 or email: ftmdance@gmail.com

Phoenix Cinema: Access Cinema Programme

Offering an 'access cinema' service. Part of this offering is autism friendly screenings in a supportive environment with reduced sound levels, partially raised lighting, no trailers and freedom to move around. They also look to provide a separate space to relax in.

Find out more about the 'Access Cinema Programme' on their website .

The CEA Card is a national card scheme developed for UK cinemas by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA). The Card enables a disabled cinema guest to receive a complimentary ticket for someone to go with them when they visit a participating cinema.

The Card is also one way for cinemas to make sure they look after their disabled guests. If you require an adjustment to visit a cinema because of your disability, cinema staff should make them for you whether you have a CEA Card or not.

Eligibility: To apply, the person requiring assistance must be 5 years of age or older and be in receipt of one of the following:

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Attendance Allowance (AA)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Adult / Child Disability Payment (ADP / CDP in Scotland)

Click here to visit the CEA Card website for more information .

Local participating cinemas:

Phoenix Cinema, 4 Midland Street Leicester. LE1- 1TG

The cinema hosts 'Autism Friendly Screenings' ticket price £4.00 (+1 FREE carer ticket for CEA cardholders)

Spirit at Play Horse Centre

This is a non-horse-riding centre which focuses on helping children interact with six horses on the ground. It is for people of all abilities from those who have never been near a horse before to those who have ridden and been around horses. Our latest project called Families United is designed for children with additional needs and their siblings.

Where: Spirit at Play Horse Centre, Illston On the Hill, LE8 8BJ

Contact: 07557819483

An outstanding holiday park, for those who are affected by autism, epilepsy and other special needs. Providing holidays for families and groups like yours, on a dedicated 25 acre site in a safe & non judgemental environment.

Click here to visit The Thomas Centre website .

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Autism support services - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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Upcoming events Take a look at some of the events coming up soon across the local area. Autism support groups There are a number of local autism support groups available. Discover more details about time, venues and who to contact to attend by clicking on the name of the support group below Sports and leisure [...]

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Children | Reading Well booklists | Books | Reading Well

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Reading Well for children provides quality-assured information, stories and advice to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Books have been chosen and recommended by leading health professionals and co-produced with children and families.

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If you’re in distress or feel unable to cope or keep yourself safe, there are organisations that can support you right now.

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Little Parachutes: Picture books to help children

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Little Parachutes helps you to find children’s picture books about your child’s worries, experiences and milestones. Our children’s book reviews library contains hundreds of picture books about sharing, moving house, starting school, potty training and the arrival of a new baby. There are also children’s books about more challenging situations: bereavement, adoption, divorce and serious illness.

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We provide support for people living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We are a registered charity and sometimes our funders ask us to focus on helping people in specific geographical areas…

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Some autistic children find the demands of school, and the school environment, almost unbearable, leading to absence or 'school refusal'. It's a term that some people feel unfairly implies the child or young person has a choice, when in fact they may not be simply unwilling, but actually unable to tolerate school.

School absence or refusal can be ongoing until the reasons behind it have been identified and addressed. Here we look at reasons that could be behind this. We also suggest strategies to try at home and school to help maintain school attendance or reintegrate your child back into school.

What are the added pressures of the school environment?

Autistic children and young people can face additional pressure at school. For example, they may:

lack the complex social skills that come naturally to others, struggle to make and keep friends or might experience bullying

have difficulty coping with the curriculum. This could be because they have difficulty processing information and understanding questions and text

struggle to cope with the demands of a school timetable because they have difficulty organising and prioritising

experience sensory differences which can make it hard to tolerate some aspects of the school environment, like noises, smells and lighting

strive for perfection in their work and see anything less as a failure

get into trouble with teachers for unintentionally being rude, inappropriate or not respecting authority

take things literally, which might mean that they misunderstand a teacher's instructions, or aren't able to join in with classroom jokes

find sudden changes to their routine difficult

find transitions difficult, like moving classroom or changing teacher

find that unstructured time, like breaks and lunchtime, cause anxiety at school

experience difficulty with a particular subject or member of staff

struggle with anxiety and find it hard to be apart from family, or away from the familiar routines of home.

Parents have a legal duty to make sure that their children have a suitable education by regular attendance at school, or otherwise. If your child is unwell due to stress or any other condition that means they'll be absent for longer than a few days, you should get a medical certificate from a health professional. If your GP can't provide this, you may need to approach another health professional, like someone from  Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). You should also let the school and the local/education authority know and discuss arrangements for alternative education.

How can I find out why my child's refusing school?

Explore what your child thinks about their experiences at school. For example, rather than ask how their day has been, which could be answered by an ambiguous 'OK', ask what their favourite lesson was that day. You could also ask them to score parts of their day. For example, 'how much did you enjoy playtime today with a score of one of ten'. And follow up, 'that's a lower score than yesterday. What made you enjoy it less? Visual supports may help.

Consider whether there could be a pattern to their absences. Are they trying to avoid a particular situation, lesson or person that makes them anxious?

Speak to a member of staff at school who knows your child well, and ask for their help. Your child may be showing signs of anxiety in school at particular times.

Alternatively, your child may display different behaviour at home than in school. They might bottle up their emotions until the end of the school day and release them when they're at home, where they feel fully loved and accepted.

Understanding your child's behaviour may be difficult. You may find our information on behaviour helps.

Consider whether your child is being bullied, or if they could be misinterpreting the actions and intentions of others as hostile when they're not.

Consider gender issues. For example, autism may present differently in girls. For children who don't use verbal or written communication, schools should consider:

the views of parents, carers and others who know them well

a behaviour diary

a home/school communication book.

Strategies you could try at home

If your child becomes reluctant to go to school, it's important to take action early. Some of these strategies may help:

Encourage them to communicate with you about the problem. Using visual supports may help. Ask your child to rate events or places at school on a scale from 'not scary' to 'very scary'. This may help you to see when and where the problems occur and help build your child's resilience.

If you have an understanding of the reasons behind their reluctance, share it with school staff.

Create a 'worry book' for your child to record their anxiety during the school day. If appropriate, read the book together as part of their evening routine. You can then help them deal with any worries by suggesting how to cope with them in the future.

Identify strategies to regulate, reduce and monitor emotions and reduce stress, for example exercise, visual stress scales such as a stress thermometer or traffic light system.

Reward and praise any progress on specific tasks, like completing something they find difficult, putting on their school uniform or walking past school.

Provide structure at home by using visual supports.

Try to help them develop their social skills.

Help your child to understand the benefits of education.

Strategies to discuss with the school

The help your child needs will depend upon the causes of their anxiety. For example, there may be a specific problem which requires immediate action from school, like bullying.

Here are some other triggers and strategies to consider:

School environment. Many autistic children and young people have sensory differences. There are specific strategies that can help with this, like providing a calm and quiet place, a suitable workspace or wearing ear defenders. They may need support from an occupational therapist to help identify and manage sensory issues.

Does your child need more, or different support at school? They may need help with transitioning between lessons, or might benefit from specialist input from a speech and language therapist to help them understand social situations.

Use the understanding you have of your child to identify coping strategies that can be used in school. Discuss these with the person responsible for special educational needs (SEN) or additional support needs (ASN). This could be something like time out cards, stress scales or other interventions.

Ask the school to make reasonable adjustments at the start and end of the school day. For example, your child could be met at the school entrance by a member of staff they feel comfortable with, be given time to engage in hobbies/interests, or be allowed to leave before other pupils.

Ask the school to consider extra breaks for your child during the school day. Perhaps they could be redirected to a different activity, have a quick run outside, or retreat to a quieter area of the school.

Your child might like the opportunity to discuss their feelings at the end of each school day. Ask your child's teacher or support assistant to go through the timetable with them and ask them to mark each lesson out of ten. For those lessons they score low, ask them why.

Suggest to school that they use your child's interest to help them learn. For example, if your child is interested in dinosaurs perhaps a lesson to count could involve counting dinosaurs. Talking about their interest can help to bring them into conversations and build positive relationships with staff.

Ask the school if there are ways they can reward your child for small improvements in achievement.

When supporting your child in going back to school after a period of absence, it may help to start off on a part-time timetable and build up gradually. This can be better than your child feeling pressured to complete a whole day, and then not coping.

Increasing the school's autism awareness

Ask the school if they'll consider organising autism awareness training for all staff, including break and lunchtime support supervisors.

It could also help if the school creates opportunities for all pupils to develop an understanding of medical conditions, SEN or ASN and disabilities. This could be a school assembly where information on many additional needs, including autism, can be presented without highlighting any particular pupil. This will help others to view autism in a positive way and is likely to benefit everyone in the school community. It might help not only your child, but also other autistic children and young people at the school.

Teachers working with autistic children and young people may find it helpful to sign up for our Autism practice - education: a monthly newsletter for teachers and education professionals (both mainstream and specialist).

Returning to school

Schools should try to identify and address sources of stress and reduce anxiety levels. This will help your child re-engage with their education by feeling safe in the classroom and accepted by those who support them.

Any period of transition, including returning to school, can cause anxiety so careful preparation will be needed to help your child manage this change.

Involve them in the process and arrangements, including details that might seem trivial, such as:

which room they'll go to first

what time they'll go there

how long they'll be there

why they'll be there

what will happen next.

A visual timetable may help

Before your child can access learning, work may need to be done on their emotional wellbeing, reducing stress and increasing self-confidence.
What if this doesn't resolve the problem?
If you feel your child needs more support to help them return to school and progress, you should consider getting extra help for them in school.

If anxiety or other mental health conditions are contributing to your child's difficulty with attending school, ask your GP to make a referral to CAMHS. They have a team that can advise you on psychiatry, clinical psychology, counselling and other therapies.

The school could involve the Education Welfare Officer. It's their job to work with schools, pupils and families to support regular school attendance.

If your child continues to struggle to attend school, you may decide to choose a different school or consider home education.

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

If your child has a profile of pathological demand avoidance (PDA) then talk to school about appropriate interventions. The standard ones used for autistic children and young people will need to be adapted to take your child's PDA into account.

The PDA Society has useful information (see our useful resources below). You could also suggest that school staff read more about helping children with PDA at school.

Useful resources

You might find this PDF, from the Autism Education Trust, useful:  School stress and anxiety - how it can lead to school refusal and impact on family life.

You may like to suggest to your child's school that to help other pupils learn about autism, the school could use the National Autistic Society's learning resources for schools and the Autism Education Trust's guide Promoting autism inclusive attitudes.

The PDA Society has useful information for  families and carers, along with educational and handling guidelines for  education settings.

If you need to find local autism services (schools, counsellors, local groups, diagnostic services) in your area, you can search on our Autism Services Directory - please browse by categories and refine by your local area.

Our online community is a place for autistic people and their families to meet like-minded people and share their thoughts and experiences.
Find your local branch
We have 117 local branches led by amazing volunteers. They are places to meet other autistic people and their families and to find out what's going on in your area

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A guide for parents or carers of autistic children with advice on how to help your child go to school.