Author: Rebecca Barker

Transitions within or from education can be difficult for any child or young person, but particularly those who are autistic. Here are some helpful resources we have come across recently that should give you some tips on how to handle transitions. Autism Awareness Centre's Transition Tips: https://autismawarenesscentre.com/new-school-easing-transition/ NAS Transitions Helpline: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/help-and-support/transition-support-service Yvonne Newbold's webinar on Change: https://yvonnenewbold.com/product/16-9-21-reducing-the-impact-of-change-on-a-send-childs-extreme-behaviour-copy/ YoungMinds transition resources: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/supporting-school-transitions Bradford Council's help for transitions: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/public/images/cke/Transition%20Planning%20Guidance%20-%20Bradford.pdf Witherslack has a whole Back to School campaign you can register to get access to: https://tinyurl.com/ncj948fe

You can watch our support group session focusing on ARFID - Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder - via the link below. https://aware-uk.org/food-issues/ Note: only a fraction of autistic children will meet the diagnosis criteria for ARFID. However, lots of the strategies to help children with ARFID could be equally as useful for other children who struggle with the sensory side of eating, or struggle with food in another way.

We at AWARE have been SO excited to be able to welcome back more children and young people to our different groups! Currently, we are able to run the following groups and sessions: Moving-On Club Holiday Stay & Play Sessions Saturday Club Youth Club Cycling Sessions For details of each session - including what age range each event is suitable for - please check the List of Events included in every monthly newsletter article.

AWARE has been running Zoom support sessions since we first had to stay at home due to COVID and these have proven massively popular! All AWARE members are welcome to join in - your child does NOT need to have a diagnosis and it doesn't matter if you have never attended an AWARE event before. We have a different topic every week and have lots of external visitors, who talk to us about issues such as education, behavioural help, finance, sleep, parent/carer wellbeing and much, much, more! There is always time at the end of the presentation for questions, answers and general chatting. The sessions are relaxed and friendly - do not worry if you can't make the whole session or if you get disrupted - simply mute yourself and/or…

AWARE is continuing to offer lots of support for its members despite the current restrictions! We are holding weekly Zoom support sessions that cover a wide range of topics such as challenging behaviour, mental health issues, sensory issues and speech and language. We are also running some in-person activity sessions for children and young people as well as our Moving-on Club for young adults on Zoom. Not only this, our monthly newsletter and e-update, plus our closed Facebook group and member-only website section, are packed full of useful information and advice for parents and carers of autistic children and young people. Our members continue to offer lots of support to each other and our staff are always on hand too, if you need extra help. Becoming an AWARE member offers…

AWARE is currently holding weekly support groups via Zoom covering a wide range of topics such as speech and language; visuals; behaviour; mental health and much, much, more! If you have missed a session you can access it via this page: https://aware-uk.org/videos/

Here at AWARE, we are always thinking of new ways to help and support our members. To this end, we have produced a new set of comprehensive help guides. These cover areas such as behaviour, sensory issues and communication. You can access them, and many other resources, in our Members Area by clicking here.

Are you looking for somewhere to go this Christmas with your autistic child or young person? AWARE has written a guide to some of the best local attractions and events for this festive season in our latest newsletter. Please click here to access the newsletter in full.

Here at AWARE we are delighted that we are still able to offer activities and support to our members at this time. We have restarted face-to-face Youth Club, Saturday Club and Stay & Play Holiday sessions (all are limited to four families per session) and continue to run some Zoom sessions, including our fantastic Thursday Support Group, where members can gain support for a wide range of issues such as behaviour, speech and language, information on local support available and much, more more! Do you just want some peer-to-peer support and help for challenges you are facing? Our closed Facebook group is a great place to discuss issues you are dealing with as an autism parent. For more information on what we offer, please refer to the list of events…

AWARE has drawn together a help sheet with local private therapists, diagnostic services and tutors. Many have been recommended by members; others are from contacts we at AWARE have made. Please note, however, that AWARE cannot personally endorse any services and we highly recommend that you do your own research when considering using a service. Please click here to see the help sheet.