Easter already…

I’m really pleased that Kent Autism Education Service is well and truly up and running. It’s been a busy couple of months with lots of enquiries from families and schools.

The long awaited Easter holiday has arrived; I know the relief that the school holidays can bring for autistic children and young people and their families - and also, that often this relief doesn’t last long as worrying about the start of term can begin almost as soon as school breaks up.

I have met with many parents whose children are struggling to manage the demands of attending school or college every day (or at all) and are in a constant state of high anxiety as a result.

I have really enjoyed working directly with children and young people to explore their experience of education and supported them to be able to think about what might help in the future; understandably, thinking about this can be frightening if your previous experience has been largely negative. The fears and worries that autistic children and young people have about school (and other social situations and busy environments) are of course unique to each person, however, there are common themes:

• Feeling ‘out of step’ and confused about what’s expected.

• Fear of '‘getting it wrong’’, being told off or being singled out.

• Fear about particular subjects, teachers or activities.

• Struggling with the sensory environment.

• Feeling intimidated by or frightened of peers - individuals or groups.

This list could go on, so it’s not at all surprising that attending and worrying about school becomes overwhelming for some children and young people - sometimes to the point where they can no longer go to school.

It doesn’t have to be like this; there are a number of schools and education providers who do create an environment that enables their autistic pupils flourish and make good progress - unfortunately, we know that this isn’t the case across the board.

The reality is, that for some autistic children and young people, however hard their school works to make adjustments and support them, a ‘formal’ school environment remains completely overwhelming. Some children and young people need an individualised programme, either in the short term to support their return to ‘formal’ education, or a longer term bespoke education package.

I feel very lucky to have the opportunity over recent months to work with families to secure suitable education provision for their children. This has often involved working collaboratively with their child’s current or previous school, tapping in to their knowledge and understanding of what has worked well and what hasn’t.

If you would like to discuss your child’s situation, please do get in touch.

With warmest wishes,

Louise