Autism
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and how they experience the world around them.
How does it affect my child?
Pupils with autism are more likely to need support in various areas of school life including:
- Understanding social interaction
- Understanding verbal and non-verbal clues
- Strategies and adaptations to support individual sensory differences
- Help with emotional regulation and anxiety
- Help to think flexibly and cope with changes
How do I know if my child has autism?
There is no medical test for autism. If you think your child has autism you will need to contact your health visitor, GP or the SENCO in your child's school. If you need help getting a diagnosis for your child more information on how to do this can be found on the National Autistic Society diagnosis pages and NHS website
Where can I go to get help for my child?
Speak to your child’s SENCO to see what help or support school can offer you. There is a lot of support available online:
- National Autistic Society is a great place to start
- Ambitious about Autism has a great website to help guide you through everything from Understanding autism, coping with different behaviours, right through education to preparing for adulthood.
- Sensory Processing Pack for Schools is useful for individual sensory differences.
What support is there for schools?
- Learning, Communication and Interaction (LCI) have a dedicated team work to support pupils with autism in primary, secondary and special schools.
- School Support for children with SEND offers information about your school’s responsibilities to all SEND learners.
- Inclusive Provision for SEND children in mainstream schools offers advice on how teachers can identify and adapt teaching to learners with autism.