We offer specialist therapeutic and support services for children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism whose behaviour is impacting negatively on their wellbeing, community participation and quality of life. We work in partnership with Local Authorities, schools and other providers to support the development of children’s emotional resilience, everyday living skills and educational progress.
Assessment
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We offer a range of assessments related to children’s needs and developmental profile. Assessment can take a number of forms including:
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Functional Behaviour Analysis
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Interviews with an individual child
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Family interviews
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Psychometric assessments of ability or functioning e.g. IQ, memory etc
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Observational assessments school, home or work-based observations
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Collection of information from other professionals and carers
Intervention
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Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) is a framework for the delivery of person centred, evidence-based interventions leading to improvements in an individual’s quality of life. It is a way of supporting individuals whose behaviours are impacting negatively on them and the world around them and thereby limits their opportunities. PBS seeks to support people to stay in their local communities, their homes, schools and work environments.
For further information about PBS see - http://pbsacademy.org.uk/
Communication is key
Children with learning disabilities and/or autism often find it harder to learn everyday living skills and effective forms of communication. This can have a big impact on their ability to understand the world and wellbeing, and this in turn can increase the demands on those caring for them.
The research literature shows that less able we are to communicate our needs effectively, the more likely we are to express ourselves with behaviours of distress that challenge other people. As a consequence a major focus of our work focuses is on supporting communication and everyday life skills with fun and engaging evidence based programmes.
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This might sound straightforward, but it usually involves supporting change across a range of settings and systems for a sustained period of time. However, the evidence shows that when we do this we can improve a person’s quality of life, independence and decrease levels of challenging behaviour.
Training
We deliver a range of training events on child learning and development, attachment, emotional literacy, autistic spectrum conditions, sexuality and disability in childhood. In addition, wellbeing and stress management courses are available based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model for parents/carers, teachers, support staff and other professionals.