Support in education
Identifying the most suitable school or educational setting for your child can often be a difficult decision. From the time they start nursery through to college or university, many parents struggle to know what setting would be most appropriate for their child.
Common questions include:
- Should my child go to a mainstream school or a special school?
- Is it possible to home educate?
- Does my child need an Education Health and Care Plan?
- What help can my child receive if they choose to go to college or university?
LP Autism Consultancy seeks to help parents and carers navigate their options and provides ongoing support and advice for your child’s educational journey.
Pre-school and nursery
One of the first things to consider when your child first starts preschool or nursery is to consider how a preschool or nursery can help prepare your child for the transition to school. Although that may seem a long way off when your child first starts nursery it is still worth thinking about how pre-school and nursery can prepare your child for the future. For example, pre-school and nursery are great places to help your child learn how to sit for short periods like story time, or transition from one activity to another. Nursery can also be a chance for your child to experience a busy playful environment. In addition, it is a chance to interact with other children. Furthermore, teaching staff are often able to help teach the basic social skills needed in preparation for school.
My child is having difficulty settling into nursery what can I do?
School
The school environment can often leave many children with autism feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Schools have the potential to cause sensory overload, difficulties with social interaction and emotional regulation. In addition, many children with autism often find it difficult to process information which if left unaddressed can impact their learning and behaviour.
LP Autism Consultancy recognises that even with the support and understanding of teachers, things can still be difficult and sometimes although it may feel like children are not being supported it can sometimes be the case that despite a teacher’s best efforts, they may not have had the relevant training to know how to help a child with autism. LP Autism Consultancy can help you understand why your child might be having such a difficult time at school and provide practical strategies and advice to help your child reach their full potential. In turn, parents can use this knowledge to share with their schools and build good relationships with the teaching staff. Indeed, it is quite often said that consistency both at home and school can go a long way in supporting someone with autism. Sometimes just a few minor adjustments in school can make a huge difference such as exploring ways to reduce sensory overload, coming into a school via a different entrance to avoid the busy and noisy playground or having a workstation in the classroom to block out distractions. LP Autism Consultancy can work with you to identify what difficulties your child may have and explore different ways to improve your child’s well-being at school.
Services include:
- Choosing the right school
- Support with Education, Health and Care Plans
- School refusal
- Your child’s educational rights
- How educational settings can best support your child
- Transitions
- Sensory difficulties
- Making friends, social skills, and interaction
- Emotional regulation
- Difficulties at break times and lunch times
- Homework advice
I offer an initial free telephone consultation to explore how I can help you – whether for yourself or whether you are a parent, a carer, in education or business.