As a local area partnership, we have created this series of videos to provide information, strategies and support for families with autism as well as those with a child on the autism assessment pathway.
The videos are produced with Royal Borough of Greenwich, the Greenwich Parent Carer Participation Forum, SEL ICB Greenwich, Oxleas NHS Trust and CAMHS.
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The Local Offer
All local authorities must publish a 'local offer' which sets out what provision they expect to be available for children and young people with SEN or disabilities, including those who don't have Education, Health and Care plans.
This video introduces the purpose of the Local Offer, what you can expect to find in terms of information available and highlights some of the features available on the website.
Families have told us that they need more support whilst they wait for diagnosis and immediately after. The purpose of the video series is to provide families accessible information to help parents/carers understand autism and develop tools and strategies to support their children at home. We are ambitious for our families and want to ensure they have access to the right information, at the right time.
Select a video from one of the drop down boxes below
Find out more about autism and how it is diagnosed
This video explains the diagnostic process for autism in Greenwich helping parents and professionals understand what to expect. This video also includes a brief introduction into neurodiversity and autism.
Find out more about ASD myth busting
This video explores a number of myths about autism and provides information on the facts of autism.
This video also provides a number of general tips for supporting an autistic child or young person, including specific tips for parents.
Find out more about Neurodiversity and Identity first language
This video briefly explores the different perspectives on the language used to describe neurodiversity, such as ‘autistic people’ or ‘people with autism’. The purpose is to ensure we are all aware and respectful of how a person or family identifies.
The Purpose of this series is provide trusted information to help families understand more about autism. It is not about ‘changing’ a person who has autism but to support them and others to manage challenges that might be encountered in a world where most other people are neurotypical.
Find out more about Communication
Autistic children and young people might experience difficulties with:
• understanding what communication is about
• understanding the verbal and non-verbal communication used by others
• developing speech or using this flexibly
• Understanding things like irony or sarcasm.
This video explores some of the ways in which an autistic child or young person may require support with communication and provides some tips to consider when communicating with an autistic child or young person.
Find out more about Interaction
An autistic child or young person with autism might experience difficulties with interactions including:
• recognising why interacting with others might be rewarding
• ‘reading’ other people and / or understanding the feelings of themselves or others
• understanding the impact of their words or actions on others and accommodating the needs or wishes of others
This video explores some of the support an autistic child or young person may require with interactions and provides some tips for supporting them.
Find out more about changes and flexibility
Autistic children and young people sometimes find it difficult to use ‘flexible thinking’, meaning they might find it hard to adapt the way they think or act in different settings. An autistic young person might find it hard to adapt to unknown or last minute changes, because they can get set in their everyday routines. This provides comfort and any change can create major upset.
This video will explore some of the challenges for autistic children and young people in relation to their experience of changes and flexible thinking and will provide you with some tips on how best to support them with this.
Find out more about Neurodiversity and adolescence
An autistic young person might experience difficulties with all the challenges mentioned in previous videos, and these difficulties might intensify during adolescence because their life becomes more complicated and harder to predict or understand.
Often, difficulties are encountered with understanding the subtleties of social situations. With adolescence comes a level of pressure to ‘fit in’ and autistic young people might not understand the impact of their words or actions on others – so making it hard to ‘fit in’.
This video will explore some of the ways in which an autistic young person may require support and some tips for supporting them.
Find out more about special interests or fears
An autistic child or young person might develop exclusive areas of interest in specific topics. These interests might be lifelong or might change over time. An autistic child or young person may also develop fears , the reasons for which may not always be obvious.
This video will explore some of the reasons an autistic child or young person may engage in special interests or experience fears and provide some tips for supporting them when their special interests or fears in day to day life.
Find out more about sensory issues
The sensory experiences of autistic children may be extensive and include one or all of these 8 senses - sights, sounds, tastes, touch, smell, proprioception (awareness of body position and movement), balance / vestibular, and interoception (awareness of internal body cues and sensations).
This video will explore some of the support an autistic child or young person may require in relation to their sensory needs.
Find out more about physical bodies
An autistic child or young person might experience challenges in relation to their physical bodies and how they experience them.
This could include challenges with eating a healthy, balanced diet,including:
- Eating a wide range of foods because sensory issues may encourage them to seek or avoid certain foods
- Eating non-food items linked to the need for sensory feedback
- The inability to decipher between food and non-food items
- Or possible nutrient’s deficiencies
