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Suitable for children and adults

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NCMH (National Centre for Mental Health)

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By definition, a young carer is someone under the age of 18 who looks after a family member or friend who has a physical or mental health condition, or misuses drugs or alcohol. They may also look after brothers, sisters or elderly relatives too

What is a Sibling Young Carer?

A sibling young carer is someone under the age of 18 who either:

helps care for a disabled sibling or

is impacted by the caring responsibilities of parents towards a disabled sibling. Although the child may not always provide care to the sibling, they may be disadvantaged if their sibling’s needs have to come before their own.

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

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Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

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Poole Hospital have a good range of exercises on their website that can be used at home with kids to strengthen key muscles. Have a look at the leaflets.

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The Children's Physiotherapy team based at Poole Hospital provides a physiotherapy service to children from birth to the age of 16. We are a team of paediatric physiotherapists offering tailored individualised treatment. This may be on the children's ward, in outpatient clinics or on the children's unit. We have a varied staff skill mix with a wide range of specialisms within the field of paediatric physiotherapy and rehabilitation. We are based in the Child Development Centre but work across Poole Hospital.

Our aim is to help with the restoration of movement and function when a child is affected by injury, illness or disability in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Our musculoskeletal physiotherapy service offers quality care that fits around you. Your child can be referred to our service by a GP, Consultant of any Specialist Health Professional or consultant. We treat babies with hip dysplasia, obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP), plagiocephaly, and torticollis and young children with developmental presentations and gait concerns, such as in-toeing. Our physiotherapists treat older children and teenagers following injuries such as fractures, as well as biomechanical conditions like knee pain, back pain and hypermobility. Our Specialist Physio's also have expert skills in the management of the following conditions;

Persistent/complex pain

Juveline Arthritis and Rheumatology Conditions

Haemophilia

Oncology Rehab

Cystic Fibrosis

Asthma

Respiratory issues

To find out more about our services or advice on your condition, please click on the links below:
Patient information leaflets Exercise classes Local children's activities Hydrotherapy
Respiratory/Cystic Fibrosis Information

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages which we update weekly check it out and give us a like for up to date information in the world of children's physiotherapy!!

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The Children's Physiotherapy team based at Poole Hospital provides a physiotherapy service to children from birth to the age of 16. We are a team of paediatric physiotherapists offering tailored individualised treatment. This may be on the children's ward, in outpatient clinics or on the children's unit.

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Please see our resources for parents on supporting your child's health needs.

This page includes information about common issues, including:

Social Communication (including Autism)

Speech and Language

Attention Difficulties (including ADHD)

Sleep

Incontinence

Disability Support

Young Carers

If you have concerns about your child's development or health needs, please speak to your child's GP.

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Find out the difference between the two

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A wonderful video about Autism

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Amazing Things Happen - by Alexander Amelines

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

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my autism book: a child's guide to their autism spectrum diagnosis

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asperger syndrome; children; parent; picture books; asd; positivity

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autism in children - juvenile literature

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personal & social issues: disability & special needs (children's / teenage)

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My Autism Book: A Child's Guide to their Autism Spectrum Diagnosis

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Buy My Autism Book: A Child's Guide to their Autism Spectrum Diagnosis by Glòria Durà-Vilà and Tamar Levi (ISBN: 9781849054386) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

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survival guide for kids with autism spectrum disorders

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autistic children - family relationships

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children’s / teenage personal and social topics: body and health

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personal & social issues: body & health (children's / teenage)

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Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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If you think you or your child may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speak to a GP. You can also speak to your child's teacher or their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO).
The GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD, but they can discuss your concerns with you and refer you for a specialist assessment, if necessary. Your school may also be able to arrange a specialist referral for your child.

When you see a GP, they may ask you:

about your symptoms or those of your child

when these symptoms started

where the symptoms occur - for example, at home, in school, college or university, or at work

whether the symptoms affect your or your child's day-to-day life - for example, if they make socialising difficult

if there have been any recent significant events in your or your child's life, such as a death or divorce in the family

if there's a family history of ADHD

about any other problems or symptoms of different health conditions you or your child may have

Next steps

Children and teenagers

If the GP thinks your child may have ADHD, they may first suggest a period of "watchful waiting" - lasting around 10 weeks - to see if your child's symptoms improve, stay the same or get worse.

They may also suggest starting a group-based, ADHD-focused parent training or education programme. Being offered a parent training and education programme does not mean you have been a bad parent - it aims to teach you ways of helping yourself and your child.

See treating ADHD for more information.

If your child's behaviour does not improve, and both you and the GP believe it's affecting their day-to-day life, the GP should refer you and your child to a specialist for a formal assessment.

Adults

For adults with possible ADHD, the GP will assess your symptoms and may refer you for an assessment if:

you were not diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but your symptoms began during childhood and have been ongoing since

your symptoms cannot be explained by a mental health condition

your symptoms significantly affect your day-to-day life - for example, if you're underachieving at work or find intimate relationships difficult

You may also be referred to a specialist if you had ADHD as a child or young person and your symptoms are now causing moderate or severe functional impairment.

Assessment

You or your child may be referred to 1 of the following types of specialist for a formal assessment:

a specialist child or adult psychiatrist

a paediatrician - a specialist in children's health

an appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in the diagnosis of ADHD

Who you're referred to depends on your age and what's available in your local area.

There's no simple test to determine whether you or your child has ADHD, but your specialist can make an accurate diagnosis after a detailed assessment. The assessment may include:

a physical examination, which can help rule out other possible causes for the symptoms

a series of interviews with you or your child

interviews or reports from other significant people, such as partners, parents and teachers

Diagnosis in children and teenagers

Diagnosing ADHD in children depends on a set of strict criteria. To be diagnosed with ADHD, your child must have 6 or more symptoms of inattentiveness, or 6 or more symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Read more about the symptoms of ADHD
To be diagnosed with ADHD, your child must also have:

been displaying symptoms continuously for at least 6 months

started to show symptoms before the age of 12

been showing symptoms in at least 2 different settings - for example, at home and at school, to rule out the possibility that the behaviour is just a reaction to certain teachers or to parental control

symptoms that make their lives considerably more difficult on a social, academic or occupational level

symptoms that are not just part of a developmental disorder or difficult phase, and are not better accounted for by another condition

Diagnosis in adults

Diagnosing ADHD in adults is more difficult because there's some disagreement about whether the list of symptoms used to diagnose children and teenagers also applies to adults.

In some cases, an adult may be diagnosed with ADHD if they have 5 or more of the symptoms of inattentiveness, or 5 or more of hyperactivity and impulsiveness, listed in diagnostic criteria for children with ADHD.

As part of your assessment, the specialist will ask about your present symptoms. However, under current diagnostic guidelines, a diagnosis of ADHD in adults cannot be confirmed unless your symptoms have been present from childhood.

If you find it difficult to remember whether you had problems as a child, your specialist may wish to see your old school records, or talk to your parents, teachers or anyone else who knew you well when you were a child.

For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, their symptoms should also have a moderate effect on different areas of their life, such as:

underachieving at work or in education

driving dangerously

difficulty making or keeping friends

difficulty in relationships with partners

If your problems are recent and did not occur regularly in the past, you're not considered to have ADHD. This is because it's currently thought that ADHD cannot develop for the first time in adults.

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

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Diagnosis

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Read about diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including when you might want to consider speaking to a GP about it.

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Advice and information for parents

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Welcome to the Parent Portal, our award-winning speech and language support website for parents, carers and families.

At Speech and Language Link, we understand that supporting your child's language learning, alongside everything else that life demands from you, can be challenging. The Parent Portal provides ideas and advice, information and activities for developing your child's understanding, talking and listening in a way that works for all of your family.

How to use the site? Visit the development tab to help you work out what the next steps are for your child's learning and then go to the stage-appropriate activities section. You don't always need to create a special time for working on listening and talking, use our everyday activities turn many routine tasks into support activities.

Our speech and language therapists have devised support videos for you. Check out the 'Can I have your attention please?' series to help get your child in the right frame of mind for learning and access super fun games and ideas to encourage a range of language skills.

Our activities are designed to fit around normal family life and by implementing some of them every day you can make a real difference to your child's language development.

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Supporting Parents and Carers who support children with SLCN - Speech and Language resources, information and activities

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National charity supporting and promoting speech and language in children

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Skip to content

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

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

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

Share your experience

We want to know what life is like for the 1.9 million children and young people who face challenges with talking and understanding words.

Take our survey

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

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

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

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National charity supporting speech and language difficulties

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SLCN & DLD SLCN Speech, Language and Communication Needs Events There are many ways that you can help to raise funds Afasic Helpline

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Children's bowel and bladder charity

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

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Routine

Lizzie falls asleep quickly, so she could try going to bed a little earlier. Many parents opt for later bedtimes to maximise on their quiet evening time, however this can then lead to sleep deprivation.

Lizzie's pre-sleep routine should be less stimulating. She spends a lot of time on blue screen devices, which interrupts her body's production of melatonin, which tricks her brain into thinking it's still daylight. She should not exercise in the two hours before bed, as this adrenaline can impact on her ability to sleep soundly.

During the day, Lizzie needs to stop drinking caffeine after 3pm. She should also ensure she is drinking enough water to stay hydrated, and should have her evening meal early enough for digestion to not impact on sleep.

Relaxation

If Lizzie's children have sleep problems, this must be addressed as soon as possible. This will prevent their own issues from affecting their mum. Before bed, Lizzie could write down a list of all of her worries, which will help her mind to switch off. When she wakes during the night, she should accept that she is awake, and that this is not a big problem. This mindful approach often helps people to fall back to sleep, as they have accepted their situation and can therefore relax. Lizzie should avoid clock watching and would be advised to remove the clock from her bedroom, or hide it.

Sleep Programme

Lizzie's programme allows her to wake at 6-6.30am during the week, however, she should try to follow this routine at weekends too.

8.30pm: Any exercise or meals should be finished by this time. Lizzie should stop drinking caffeine at about 3pm.

9.30pm- The Golden Hour: Lizzie should commence her wind down routine by writing down her worries, switching off her tablet and smartphone, and then taking a warm bath. If she wants to watch television, she should choose something funny or light hearted. If she is hungry, she should have a light snack of peanut butter on wholemeal toast or oatcakes and cheese.

10.30pm - Bedtime: If Lizzie goes to bed and doesn't fall asleep within half an hour, she should get up and begin the process again. If she really struggles to fall asleep at 10.30pm, she should move the bedtime back gradually by 15 minutes. If Lizzie wakes during the night, she needs to accept that she is awake and realise it's not a huge problem.

6-6.30am - Wake Up: Lizzie should aim to wake up at between 6 and 6.30am. Within half an hour of waking, she should have breakfast. Throughout the day, Lizzie needs to keep hydrated and ensure her body is well fuelled.

As with all sleep programmes, things may get worse before they get better, and it may take around three to four weeks for this routine to become embedded.

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Sleep Advice for Parents - The Sleep Council

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Lizzie falls asleep quickly, so she could try going to bed a little earlier. Many parents opt for later bedtimes to maximise on their quiet evening time, however this can then lead to sleep deprivation. Lizzie's pre-sleep routine should be less stimulating.

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From Action for Children

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Support for Parents from Action For Children

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Sleep - Support for Parents from Action For Children

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Bedtime, naps, and the questions that keep us awake at night. Get sleep advice from our parenting coaches.

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Good sleep is important for your child's physical and mental wellbeing.
A relaxing bedtime routine is an important way to help your child get a good night's sleep.

Relaxation tips to help sleep

Doing the same relaxing things in the same order and at the same time each night helps promote good sleep:

A warm (not hot) bath will help your child relax and get ready for sleep.

Keeping lights dim encourages your child's body to produce the sleep hormone, melatonin.

Once they're in bed, encourage your child to read quietly or listen to some relaxing music, or read a story together.

You could also suggest your child tries this relaxing breathing exercise before bed.

Know how much sleep your child needs

The amount of sleep your child needs changes as they get older.

A 5-year-old needs about 11 hours a night, for example, while a 9-year-old needs roughly 10 hours.
See how much sleep your child needs

Avoid screens in the bedroom

Tablets, smartphones, TVs and other electronic gadgets can affect how easily children get to sleep.

Older children may also stay up late or even wake in the middle of the night to use social media.

Try to keep your child's bedroom a screen-free zone, and get them to charge their phones in another room.

Encourage your child to stop using screens an hour before bedtime.

Your child's bedroom

Your child's bedroom should ideally be dark, quiet and tidy. It should be well ventilated and kept at a temperature of about 16 to 20C.

Fit some thick curtains to block out any daylight. If there's noise outside, consider investing in double glazing or, for a cheaper option, offer your child earplugs.

Get help with sleep problems

If you've tried these tips but your child keeps having problems getting to sleep or sleeping through the night, you may feel you want more support.

You can speak to a GP or health visitor to begin with. They may refer you to a child psychologist or another expert.

Teens and sleep

Your child's sleep may change when they become a teenager. Find out about sleep tips for teenagers.

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Good sleep is important for your child's physical and mental wellbeing. A relaxing bedtime routine is an important way to help your child get a good night's sleep. Doing the same relaxing things in the same order and at the same time each night helps promote good sleep: A warm (not hot) bath will help your child relax and get ready for sleep.

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In this guide we look at the reasons why autistic children can have difficulty sleeping and suggest what you as a parent can do to help.

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Saint Louis University Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

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Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy

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OT Problems, OT Rap about Occupational Therapy

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This is a rap about the profession of Occupational Therapy. This video is dedicated to the class of 2013. WE DEED IT!

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Understanding what it's like to live with Tourettes

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A child or adult is disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities

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Parents can apply for DLA if their child has a long term health or medical need

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

is under 16

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

They will need to meet all the eligibility requirements.

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

If your child lives in Scotland

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

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

If your child moves from Scotland to England or Wales

If your child gets Child Disability Payment, you must:

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

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Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children

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

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Charity supporting children with medical needs and their siblings

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Residential Camps Online Camps Welcome to Over The Wall! Over The Wall is a UK based charity for children and young people with health challenges and disabilities to discover a … Home Read More »

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Charity supporting young carers

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At Honeypot, we receive no government funding and rely entirely on donations and support from individuals, businesses, foundations and organisations to provide our services; completely free for every child we support.

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Honeypot is the only charity in the UK that provides continuous support for young carers groups (aged 5-12). Help us be here for some of the most overlooked children in the country.

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Carer’s assessments - Social care and support guide

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See if you can get support from your council, such as extra money or a break from caring.

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Sibling Young Carers

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Sibling groups

Many siblings will benefit from attending a sibling group to feel less isolated and to learning coping strategies for difficult sibling situations. Sibs charity does not run sibling groups. We train professionals to set up and run sibling groups within their own services, schools and local authorities. You will need to find out about any local sibling groups in your area through the Local Offer for families of children with SEND. If nothing is available locally consider setting up a sibling group within your service.

Young carers' projects

If a sibling is taking on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be done by an adult, they are a young carer. Sibling young carers can be supported by young carer projects. Some run specific support groups and one to one support for siblings. Some young carer projects recognise the emotional impact on siblings. Most have a high demand for their services and siblings often need to meet strict eligibility criteria around providing substantial care for their disabled brother or sister. Your local authority will have the contact details for their young carers' project.

Short breaks

If a sibling is spending a lot of time at home with their disabled brother or sister, or their family is not able to go out together, help the sibling to have a short break e.g. access to youth services, facilitating access to after school activities, or utilising some of a disabled child's personal budget for the sibling to join a club. The sibling may benefit from their disabled brother or sister having a short break. Short breaks for both disabled children and for siblings help improve family dynamics and have a positive benefit for both children. Short breaks for both children can prevent family breakdown.

One to one support

If a sibling is having problems with emotional and behavioural wellbeing they need to have support with this as soon as possible. Some siblings will need to be referred to specialist support services such as CAMHS; others may be supported through counselling and mentoring provision in school. A sibling may need specialist support such as bereavement counselling or help with anger management. If a sibling has a brother or sister with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition, help their family access a children's hospice for sibling support.

Teaching on specific topics

Some siblings need more in depth information about a specific condition or related disability issues, such as a session with an epilepsy nurse, attending a workshop on challenging behaviour, or learning to use a communication aid with their brother or sister.

Online support for siblings

The YoungSibs service offers support to siblings aged 7-17 years old from across the UK. Signpost siblings to the service to help reduce their isolation, improve their understanding of conditions and develop their ability to understand and cope with sibling issues. Parents can look through the website with younger children, and children at secondary school will find it easy to access the service themselves.

'I just needed to talk about it to people who know and understand what im going through not just the NORMAL people like my friends - it has made me see im not the only one.'

Direct support

Siblings can contact the YoungSibs team via the sibling letters page and receive an email reply with acknowledgement of their situation and tips for dealing with it. The team can also help siblings get support from their parent or school. Messages and replies are private unless siblings want to have it published for others to read on the website.

Information for siblings

Siblings can access information about family life, different conditions, feelings and difficult situations on the information pages. The pages are written in a way to help children understand complex information more easily.

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Sibling groups Many siblings will benefit from attending a sibling group to feel less isolated and to learning coping strategies for difficult sibling situations. Sibs charity does not run sibling groups. We train professionals to set up and run sibling groups within their own services, schools and local authorities.

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Personal perspective of a sibling young carer

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Information about ADHD

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ADHD symptom tests, ADD medication & treatment, behavior & discipline, school & learning essentials, organization and more information for families and individuals living with attention...

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Just how much of an effect does technology have on your sleep? ...

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If you would like your child to be seen by a health professional, you will need to ask the GP for a referral to the specialists. If you child has a Speech and Language NHS therapist, they can also refer to paediatricians where necessary.