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Autism Central - England's Peer Education Programme

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

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Wellbeing is important to us all. We want to feel good about ourselves, to get the most out of our lives and feel connected to other people. 'Wellbeing' means feeling more than just happy and confident, it means feeling able to cope when things get tough in our lives or when our physical health suffers.

Norfolk and Waveney Talking Therapies provide a range of support for people with common mental health and emotional issues, such as low mood, depression, or stress. We work with you to help you make the necessary changes to improve your wellbeing and quality of life.

Our services are free and are available to people aged 16 and over living in Norfolk & Waveney.

If you are aged 16 and over you can access our support through your GP or any other health or social care professional, or you can self-refer using the form on this website or by calling us:
0300 123 1503

Our phone lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday-Friday.

If you are aged 15 or under, talk to your GP about what other services are available to you.

Services we provide include:
Support available in your area

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Wellbeing is important to us all. We want to feel good about ourselves, to get the most out of our lives and feel connected to other people. 'Wellbeing' means feeling more than just happy and confident, it means feeling able to cope when things get tough in our lives or when our physical health suffers.

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Steps For School Song  |  @BestStartinLife + @MCGrammarTV  🎤 | Educational Rap Songs for Kids 🎵

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The Children’s Toothbrushing Guide - Starting Reception

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Baby teeth aren’t just practice teeth. They help children bite and chew, support speech development, guide adult teeth into place and boost confidence when smiling. When teeth aren’t cared for, it leads to tooth decay which can cause pain, infection and long-term oral health problems.

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The Potty Training Guide - Starting Reception

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Potty training is an important milestone in your child’s development. We understand that all children develop at their own pace, but research shows it’s best for your child’s bowel and bladder health to stop using nappies, including reusable nappies, pull ups and training pants, between 18 and 30 months.

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What should I do if I have concerns about my child's development?

If you're worried about your child's progress, talk to your childminder/nursery/pre-school team, health visitor, local children's centre or Family Hub.

If your child has developmental delays or SEND (suspected or confirmed), speak to their nursery, childminder, or health visitor/nursery/pre-school team well before they start Reception and discuss their needs when you are selecting schools.

You can work with your child's early years setting to help your child with self-care, managing emotions, social skills and communication in a way that suits their stage of development.

​You might want to share details about: their development, needs, what motivates them, what might trigger difficulties, how they learn best, and what strategies work well.

Make sure you share important information with everyone supporting your child, including their new Reception teacher.

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

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Autism is a lifelong neurological difference, which means that autistic individuals interact and experience the world in a different way to non-autistic people. The concept of neurodiversity teaches us that there is natural diversity in the way the human brain works. Autism is an example of neurodivergence, and as such should be viewed as a natural difference to be supported, rather than a deficit or disorder to be treated.

Autism is a spectrum - every autistic individual will have their own unique strengths and challenges. Although the autistic experience is different for each individual, there are shared areas of difference. The main areas of difference relate to:

Communication and language differences.

Social interaction differences.

Rigid and repetitive behaviours, activities, and interests.

Sensory differences.

Autistic masking refers to the suppression of elements of a person's autistic experience or identity. In this article, we will look at what is meant by autistic masking, and provide some examples of how masking might manifest. As someone supporting autistic children in an educational setting (or at home), it is essential that you have an understanding of why some children may mask their needs. At the end of the article, we will discuss some strategies to help support them.

What Does Autistic Masking Mean?

Research is in its infancy with regards to autistic masking, but it is thought that 94% of autistic adults have masked at some point in their lives (Sedgewick et al, 2022).

Autistic masking refers to the conscious or unconscious suppression or hiding of elements of a person's autistic identity. This is often referred to as a social survival strategy - used to conform to expected 'norms', cope with situations or environments, or avoid expressing anxiety.

Autistic author, Helen Ellis, uses the example of Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, to illustrate masking. Superman knows that he is different and that in order to 'fit in' with society, he has to suppress his differences and invent an unassuming role - someone that nobody will notice.

Autistic masking can be considered a response to stigma and trauma ( Pearson and Rose, 2021). The fact that autistic people may need a social survival strategy suggests that society is currently not meeting their needs.

Kieran Rose, Autistic Advocate

Whilst awareness of autism is growing, understanding and acceptance needs to improve. Research by the National Autistic Society found that 79% of autistic people felt socially isolated because of a lack of public understanding of autism.

Masking takes an exhausting amount of effort. Whilst occasional masking can help autistic people in the moment, sustained masking can have a detrimental effect on mental health and wellbeing, as recognised in ICD-11 (the current international diagnostic criteria for a medical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder). We will look further at the potential effects of masking later in this article.

Our Autism Awareness in Education Training teaches those working in education settings how to effectively support autistic children and young people in their care. You could also take a look at our SEND in the Classroom course which is designed to help you understand how to provide individualised, effective support to children and young people with special educational needs.

Autistic Masking Examples

Masking can take many different forms. These can be conscious or unconscious strategies that an individual uses in different situations. It must be remembered that autistic masking is not the same as a non-autistic person employing short-term social strategies in situations that are challenging - for example, acting more confidently than they feel for an important presentation.

Autistic masking can involve a person denying large parts of their identity - for example not allowing intense anxiety surrounding certain sensory experiences to show - sometimes on a long-term basis.

Examples of masking can include, but are not limited to:

Mimicking the social behaviour of others, including gestures or facial expressions.

Deliberately forcing or faking eye contact during conversations.

Hiding or underplaying their own intense interests.

Scripting or rehearsing conversations, or preparing a bank of 'stock phrases' for conversations.

Suppressing stimming (self-stimulating) behaviours.These are repetitive behaviours, such as whistling, jumping, finger-clicking, etc., which are used by autistic people to help self-regulate and for fun.

Internalising sensory discomfort.

Masking is not specific to any gender, but it is suggested that one of the reasons that less females are currently diagnosed may be due to particularly high levels of masking in those who have a more internal presentation of autism - of which those raised as girls make up a high proportion. (More information can be found in the Autistic Girls' Network report, Keeping it all inside.

Why Might Children and Young People Mask?

Currently most research regarding masking has focussed on autistic adults, although a need has been highlighted for more research into how masking starts in children.

Chris Bonello, autistic advocate, writer, and speaker, and ex-primary school teacher

Thinking back to the key areas of difference mentioned earlier, it is easy to see why education settings can present challenges for autistic children and young people. For example, there are a multitude of social conventions and expectations, a wealth of different sensory environments, and many situations grounded in non-autistic expectations of communication.

Children may internalise the anxiety this can generate and mask in order to get through the school day. Unfortunately, this means that their true needs may not be recognised, and that they do not receive support that could help to meet those needs. This can happen even after diagnosis, especially if children are meeting expected academic standards, as professionals do not necessarily observe difficulties.

Children may also mask due to fears for their safety or worries that they will be victimised for being 'different' if they do not try to conform. Shockingly, 75% of autistic young people have experienced bullying and only half of young people said that they felt safe at school (Ambitious About Autism).

How to Support Children Who Mask Their Needs

It is essential that we are able to support autistic learners effectively, and put in place adjustments to the learning environment that can allow them to be their true selves, without needing to mask.

Effects of Masking

The detrimental long-term effects of having to mask include:

Autistic fatigue or autistic burnout (severe exhaustion accompanied by other difficulties, including increased meltdowns or shutdowns).

Rejection of their own identity, impacting self-esteem.

Mental ill-health, including anxiety and depression.

Increased risk of suicidal thoughts (Kassidy et al, 2021).

Needs not being recognised or met.

Delayed diagnosis or lack of diagnosis.

Support Strategies

The following key strategies can help you to support autistic children who may be masking.

1. Develop Your Own Understanding of Autism

In 2021, the government published the latest autism strategy, which, for the first time, now includes children and young people. This strategy recognises that autistic children are currently not receiving the positive educational experiences that they are entitled to, and states that by 2026 the government wants:

Education settings to provide better and more inclusive support, [..] so that autistic people are better able to achieve their potential.

More teachers and educational staff to understand the specific needs of their autistic pupils, ensuring that more school placements can be sustained.

More autistic children to have their needs identified early on and to have positive experiences in education settings.

As education professionals, developing your own understanding of autism and what it means to be autistic (including awareness of the fact that children may mask their needs), will help you to work towards these aims. Our recently updated Autism Awareness in Education training can help you build your own knowledge and confidence in providing effective, individualised support for autistic learners, in addition to offering practical supportive strategies that can inform your practice.

For children to be less likely to mask, they need to feel that their autistic identities are respected and supported. Rather than expecting autistic people to change to 'fit in' to the environment, the environment needs to be changed to support neurodiversity.

Schools and other settings should aim to do this at a whole-school level, increasing understanding of autism within the school community (staff, pupils, and parents - including parents of non-autistic children). The whole school community should embrace the concept of neurodiversity, where they see autism as a difference, not a deficit.

Bullying of autistic children and young people is something that schools need to tackle. By law, a school's behaviour policy must set out measures to tackle any bullying that occurs, and staff should be trained to be vigilant to the signs of bullying. Work should also be done to encourage peers to be 'upstanders' rather than bystanders to bullying - to stand up and advocate for their peers.

Fintan J O'Regan, neurodiversity and education expert

3. Provide Individualised Support

Your support of children and young people with SEND should always be driven by their actual strengths and needs, and in line with the Graduated Approach. By making adjustments to effectively support individuals' differences, the impetus to mask should lessen.

Care should be taken to support autistic learners' social, emotional, and mental health. Figures show that 70% of autistic children have a mental health problem. Masking can both contribute to mental ill-health and camouflage the signs of mental-ill health. Therefore, it is doubly important to both understand masking and to support children's mental health to hopefully minimise the need to mask. Our articles How to Support SEMH in Schools and How to Help a Child with Anxiety in the Classroom offer some practical strategies that could be useful in your setting.

Building effective relationships with, and getting to know, the autistic learners that you support will be key in providing them with support that meets their individual needs. For example, knowing what makes them anxious, even if they mask their anxiety response, will allow you to remove that barrier, and therefore reduce the need to mask.

4. Listen to Parents and Carers

Parents are the experts on their own children. However, parents of autistic children who mask often report feeling unheard, shut down, or even judged as a bad parent when they report a picture of their child that is different to the one seen in school.

Many autistic children will present differently at home. This is often due to feeling safe, that they can fully be their true self at home, as well as experiencing less pressure to mask. (For example, they may stim more than at school because they don't fear judgement).

Often parents report what is sometimes called, 'the Coke bottle effect' - the pressure of coping with anxiety during the school day builds, and is only released when they get home.

This can be one reason why sometimes school staff report seeing no signs of difficulty but at home parents report distressed behaviour.

In order to properly support learners, teachers need to get a picture of their strengths and challenges at home. Conversations with parents can provide you with valuable insight, and help to establish successful home-school collaboration.

It is imperative that parents and carers are listened to. If they report concerns, do not dismiss them simply because you have not observed them. In fact, the difference between the two presentations should be a sign to alert you to the possibility that the child or young person is masking.
In conclusion, if you are working with autistic children and young people, it is likely that you are working with individuals that will, at points, be using autistic masking. By understanding autism and autistic masking, you can better respond to their needs and potentially remove some of the reasons that may lead to them masking in the first place.
Further Resources:

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Autism is a lifelong neurological difference, which means that autistic individuals interact and experience the world in a different way to non-autistic people. The concept of neurodiversity teaches us that there is natural diversity in the way the human brain works.

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The strategy of masking shows how clever young minds are at finding ways of coping. This is whether they know they are doing it or not. Yet masking is exhausting.

You do not have to have a special educational need or disability to mask. Masking can be used as a way to cope by everyone in some areas of their lives.

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The strategy of masking shows how clever young minds are at finding ways of coping. This is whether they know they are doing it or not. Yet masking is exhausting. You do not have to have a special educational need or disability to mask.

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Masking autism can cause a person to lose their sense of self and cause a lot of distress. Find out how to unmask in this guide.

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Dr Hannah Belcher is a lecturer, researcher, speaker and author. Here Hannah discusses masking in autistic people, based on research and her own personal experience.
To 'mask' or to 'camouflage' means to hide or disguise parts of oneself in order to better fit in with those around you. It is an unconscious strategy all humans develop whilst growing up in order to connect with those around us.

However, for us autistic folk the strategy is often much more ingrained and harmful to our wellbeing and health. Because our social norms are different to others around us, we often experience greater pressure to hide our true selves and to fit into that non-autistic culture. More often than not, we have to spend our entire lives hiding our traits and trying to fit in, even though the odds of appearing 'non-autistic' are against us.

Masking may involve suppressing certain behaviours we find soothing but that others think are 'weird', such as stimming or intense interests. It can also mean mimicking the behaviour of those around us, such as copying non-verbal behaviours, and developing complex social scripts to get by in social situations. With this comes a great need to be like others, and to avoid the prejudice and judgement that comes with being 'different'.

Over time we may become more aware of our own masking, but it often begins as an unconscious response to social trauma before we even grasp our differences. I was 23 when I received my autism diagnosis, and it was only through learning more about masking that I realised how my diagnosis had been hidden for so long. It wasn't that my autistic traits weren't there, they'd just been in disguise for so long.

The strategy of masking shows just how clever and resourceful our young minds are at finding ways of coping. At some points in our lives, like during job interviews, it may have even be useful.

Effects of masking

However, just because a coping strategy was once useful, it doesn't mean it always will be. Studies are now beginning to find how detrimental to our mental health masking can be (Bradley et al., 2021; Hull et al., 2019). Autistic people who mask more show more signs of anxiety and depression, and the strategy may even been linked to an increase in suicidal behaviours (Cassidy et al. 2018).

There are several reasons why this could be. Firstly, masking uses up vital resources that we can't use in other areas of our lives. To put it simply, it is exhausting. I still find myself regularly battling autistic 'burnt out' and periods of mental health crisis from the strain of trying to adapt myself to live in a world that just isn't adjusted for my way of thinking.

Also, it stops us developing our true identities. The pressure to fit in means we rarely have time or energy to do the things we want to do, or to behave like our true selves. In my late 20s I realised how little I knew about myself. As I went into a deeper and deeper mental health crisis I came to the realisation that I had no idea who I was, or even what I liked. Everything I knew was in some way connected to how I thought I should be.

Ironically, a study I recently conducted with colleagues found that masking didn't change the judgements that non-autistic peers made towards autistic people's social behaviours. Even when an autistic person is masking, non-autistic people will still rate them more harshly than non-autistic peers if they don't know they are autistic. This unconscious bias is evident throughout society for anyone deemed to behave or think atypically by neurotypical standards.

Awareness and understanding

The best solution to reducing the need for autistic people to mask is to spread awareness to non-autistic people of different neurodiverse behaviours and thinking patterns. When non-autistic people know someone is autistic, they seem to judge them less harshly. However, this strategy is not an easy one and will take years of effort before it is fully ingrained in our society.

Our only other option for the time being is to focus on protecting ourselves and improving our own mental health and wellbeing. This doesn't mean stopping masking altogether, it just means becoming more aware of how we use the strategy to cope, and what effect it has on us.

Self-awareness is the first key, from that follows self-compassion and kindness to rid ourselves of all the stigma we have internalised. The worse we feel about ourselves the more we mask, and the more we mask the worse we feel. By learning how to change the negative thoughts and feelings we have of ourselves from masking, we may even find the need to mask less.

I have been embarking on this journey for over a decade and it has involved plenty of ups and downs. In my book, 'Taking off the Mask', I have described some of the techniques I have found useful. I also included the lived experience of other autistic people to create a collection of resources that help improve the mental health and wellbeing of those who mask.

For example, the method I found most useful was recording in my journal those situations in which I masked, and how that made me feel. I then set about doing some behavioural experiments where I would consciously unmask myself in safe environments, and record whether my worst fears were met and how it made me feel. More often than not my worst fears of being judged or embarrassing myself were not met. Autistic people may find it helpful to speak to a therapist or professional for support if thinking about using these types of behavioural experiments.

Further information
Belcher, H (2022) Taking off the mask. Practical exercises to help understand and minimise the effects of autistic camouflaging. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

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Dr Hannah Belcher discusses masking, based on personal experience and research

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Masking when you’re autistic | Autism Space | Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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Due to this, autistic people can feel on high alert – anxious and keen to avoid further micro-traumas. Many autistic individuals (even young children) can be aware that others sometimes judge people negatively, for any behaviours that are not the norm. What is Masking? Masking is where autistic people try to hide their differences, suppressing […]

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Adapted Cycling Club in King’s Lynn | Ride United

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Join weekly adapted cycling sessions in King’s Lynn. Suitable for all ages, abilities & disabilities!

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"We were limited to where we could go because of his behaviour. He would accuse me of lying to him. He would wear me down and he would tell lies about me. If I asked him to brush his teeth, one day it would be ok, the next he would swear at me and refuse. He would spit at me, he punched holes in doors"

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Capa First Response | You are not alone - Capa First Response

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We support families and professionals impacted by child or adolescent on parent abuse.

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This website will offer limited functionality in this browser. We only support the recent versions of major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

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To apply for a grant from the Boparan Charitable Trust, you will need to follow their application process, which typically includes providing detailed information about your situation and the support you require. Below is a general guide based on their focus areas and typical grant application requirements.

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College of West Anglia Inclusive Learning Guide (1)

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Molehill Mountain is an app to help autistic people understand and self-manage anxiety.

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Families Together – Whole-Family Autism Support

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Autism Central for Parents and Carers | Autism Central

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

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CBeebies Bedtime Stories - New and Trending: Cat Burns - Cloud Boy

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Singer and Celebrity Traitor Cat Burns reads the story of a young boy whose head is always in the clouds.

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Advice and support for families of young autistic children to care for their teeth and gums.

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Easy read and communication support for healthcare and medical professionals

My Health | A&E and Hospital | Blood pressure | Diabetes | Eyes | Healthy living | Kidneys | Operations | Skin | Teeth | Tests

A collection of free PDF's for patients using Widgit Symbols.

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Easy read and communication support for healthcare and medical professionals My Health | A&E and Hospital | Blood pressure | Diabetes | Eyes | Healthy living | Kidneys | Operations | Skin | Teeth | Tests Copyright notice Widgit resources, whether bought or free of charge, are protected by copyright.

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Support and self help guide - Children_Young People Mental Health

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Creating a safe space at home which is sensory friendly can reduce anxiety and make a big difference to a neurodivergent child. Learn more from Just One Norfolk about sensory activities and spaces for your home.

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All of us have our own unique response to sensory stimuli that can vary from time to time. This might affect our participation in daily activities. A sensory enriched and adapted environment and opportunities for engagement in a variety of sensory activities supports children and young people's sensory regulation, self-esteem and well-being.

These video sessions are suitable for both parent/carers, school staff or other professionals with no previous knowledge or understanding of Sensory Processing / Sensory Integration issues.

The video session below is part three of a three part video series introducing sensory processing and sensory circuits in the home.

This session will cover

Sensory-Motor Circuits for home

What is a sensory-motor circuit?

What do you want to achieve through using a sensory circuit?

Selecting the right activities

Finding the right space

Equipment and materials needed

An example of a sensory circuit at home.

Lynda Niles is an Independent Occupational Therapist providing highly specialist occupational therapy services for children, young people, and some adults.

Lynda qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1987 and has worked in a variety of clinical and managerial roles within health, social care and community settings, moving to Norfolk in 1999 to work in a Child and Adult Mental Health service. From 2010 she set up an independent practice specialising in working with children and young people who have neurodevelopmental difficulties (such as ADHD, Dyspraxia, ASD and some learning difficulties etc.) and started her formal sensory Integration training in 2011.

Children's Occupational Therapists work with children from birth to 18 (or 19 if attending Complex Need schools). If your child or young person is under the Occupational Therapy teams, you can speak to them about any questions you may have.

If you think your child requires specialist support, please speak to their GP.

If you have any questions about your child or young person's general health or development, you can contact the Healthy Child Programme by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

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Find support from occupational therapists covering sensory circuits at home, and how parents can support their children's sensory needs at Just One Norfolk.

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All of us have our own unique response to sensory stimuli that can vary from time to time. This might affect our participation in daily activities. A sensory enriched and adapted environment and opportunities for engagement in a variety of sensory activities supports children and young people's sensory regulation, self-esteem and well-being.

These video sessions are suitable for both parent/carers, school staff or other professionals with no previous knowledge or understanding of Sensory Processing / Sensory Integration issues.

The video session below is part three of a three part video series introducing sensory processing and sensory circuits in the home.

This session will cover

Sensory-Motor Circuits for home

What is a sensory-motor circuit?

What do you want to achieve through using a sensory circuit?

Selecting the right activities

Finding the right space

Equipment and materials needed

An example of a sensory circuit at home.

Lynda Niles is an Independent Occupational Therapist providing highly specialist occupational therapy services for children, young people, and some adults.

Lynda qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1987 and has worked in a variety of clinical and managerial roles within health, social care and community settings, moving to Norfolk in 1999 to work in a Child and Adult Mental Health service. From 2010 she set up an independent practice specialising in working with children and young people who have neurodevelopmental difficulties (such as ADHD, Dyspraxia, ASD and some learning difficulties etc.) and started her formal sensory Integration training in 2011.

Children's Occupational Therapists work with children from birth to 18 (or 19 if attending Complex Need schools). If your child or young person is under the Occupational Therapy teams, you can speak to them about any questions you may have.

If you think your child requires specialist support, please speak to their GP.

If you have any questions about your child or young person's general health or development, you can contact the Healthy Child Programme by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

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Find support from occupational therapists covering sensory circuits at home, and how parents can support their children's sensory needs at Just One Norfolk.

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We have a great selection of events and challenges on offer for all ages and abilities, right across the UK.

There are many similarities in the eating patterns of autistic people with ARFID and those who have ARFID but no additional autism. These include: Sensory sensitivities, high anxiety around foods/eating situations and lack of interest in food. However, in autistic individuals (both children and adults) these issues can be more severe and more resistant to treatment. This is simply due to the additional difficulties and differences having autism places on the person. For example, sensory issues can be heightened and more complex; routines and rituals around foods can be more inflexible and rigid due to additional anxiety about change and the autistic person often has more problems recognising and responding to internal body states such as hunger or being full (known as 'interoception').

Autistic people also have extra difficulties communicating and interacting with others (often called 'social-communication' difficulties). This means it can be harder for them to explain their difficulties with food, it can be harder for family and friends to understand and manage the issues and harder for the individual to participate in treatment, particularly if this is offered in a group or is a 'talking therapy'.

In addition to having an ARFID style pattern of eating it is increasingly recognised that autistic individuals are at risk of developing other eating problems or disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Typically these eating disorders often appear for the first time in adolescence or early adulthood (whereas ARFID is often more obvious in earlier childhood) and often lead to serious weight loss and other physical and mental health problems. For more information about these types of eating problems and where to find support see:

Given that these type of eating disorders are generally more common in females; autistic girls and women appear to be more at risk. In addition, for some autistic girls and women controlling eating is a way of managing overwhelming feelings of anxiety. This can be particularly true during adolescence where physical changes such as puberty and social and academic pressures can cause anxiety to spiral out of control. As a result, it is very important that such anxiety and associated eating problems are recognised early and given the right support. For more information about these types of eating problems and where to find support see:

In addition to having ARFID some autistic people display 'Pica' which is the medical term for eating non-foods. Commonly eaten items include: Paper, cloth, wood, plastic, stones, earth, metal and faeces. Pica carries serious health risks with only 1 episode having the potential to lead to significant harm. For more information about these types of eating problems and where to find support see:

We don't know what causes pica and there may even be different types of pica behaviour. For autistic people managing sensory needs and supporting anxiety appear to be important as is controlling access, wherever possible, to potentially dangerous pica items. Doing so can help keep the individual safe and possibly even reduce the individual engaging in pica. For more information about these types of eating problems and where to find support see:

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Feeding and eating problems are common autistic individuals. Difficulties such as only eating a very few foods, going a long time without eating and extreme anxiety about foods and mealtimes are frequently reported.

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Just One Norfolk has been created by Norfolk & Waveney Children & Young People's Services which is provided by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust. This service is commissioned by Norfolk County Council.

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Here at Just One Norfolk, we are dedicated to providing children and young people's health services to the community. Find out more about our services

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Just One Norfolk has been created by Norfolk & Waveney Children & Young People's Services which is provided by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust. This service is commissioned by Norfolk County Council.

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Learn more from Just One Norfolk about the process of getting a diagnosis for your child, how to support them and where to get help.

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The Norfolk Area Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision Strategy 2024-2029 has a focus on 'my friends and activities'. It sets out our commitment to increasing the choice of things to do for children and young people with SEND. We will:

Publish things to do on our calendar of SEND events in Norfolk

Promote options through Norfolk SEND Facebook and the Norfolk SEND bulletin

Sign up for the Norfolk SEND bulletin.
We've added a list of related webpages and useful links for you to explore to this page.

Add your SEND event to our calendar

If you have an activity or event for children and young people with SEND, we'd love to hear about it:

Please send us your event details using the 'Submit Event' button within the calendar below

When filling out the form, please remember to include information about accessibility, inclusion, age range and cost

Our calendar of SEND events in Norfolk

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Things to do for children and young people with SEND - Norfolk County Council

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Activities, things to do and a calendar of SEND events in Norfolk

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Children showing abusive behaviour - Norfolk County Council

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Advice for parents if your child is displaying abusive behaviour towards you or someone else