1. Specialist Teaching Team for Autism Anne Mckelvey Denise Thomas

2. Who do we work with? Children and young people with a diagnosis of autism, their family and their nursery or school setting Currently there are just over 200 children and young people 3-19 with diagnosis Work mainly in mainstream schools and settings, with families and their children.

3. What do we do Meet/observe the child or young person in their setting Meet their parents/carers Meet their teachers and teaching assistants Liaise closely with colleagues in early years, transition team, health and social care Make recommendations to the setting about ways of supporting the child or young person Some 1:1 working for specific interventions Model approaches to staff Loan resources Attend reviews and meetings

4. Support families Listen to parents Discuss our visits and share reports with parents and other professionals Provide visual resources for home use Monthly Drop In groups for parents ( resources workshop & book loans) Send regular emails to parents about local and national events Keywork for families

5. How do we advise and support in schools and settings Raise awareness and understanding of autism in schools and settings- LA booklet, Inclusion Development Programme, staff training, staff drop in sessions Promote autism friendly practice, which is beneficial for many pupils Promote personalised approaches to learning for those young people who may find the school environment/curriculum challenging.

6. What do we offer advice and support about? PECS – workstations - Visual supports – Social stories – eg. ‘Why do children have to do home work’

7. Sensory preferences – strategies alternatives to writing and communication - Social groups, buddy systems and alternative activities at lunchtimes Peer awareness training

8. Training Termly training sessions on autism and related topics Termly support group for teachers and TA’s which specific focuses eg. transition, visual supports Bespoke training for schools and staff groups ASCEND programme for parents- work as a facilitator with colleagues from Limetrees, (Child and Adolescent Mental Heath –CAMHS) ELSA (Emotional Literacy & Social Awareness)- deliver autism session with Educational Psychology team