Off to Primary or Prep School: Tips to Support your Child (Webinar with Dr Kathy Weston)
In this webinar, Dr Weston shares her optimal summer tips to get children school-ready and prepared to hit the ground running come the autumn!
In this webinar, Dr Weston shares her optimal summer tips to get children school-ready and prepared to hit the ground running come the autumn!
Learn how to support autistic young people in your school with our autism conference, bursting at the seams with positive and practical tips. Over six hours of content included (we have also included each talk as individual videos on our website if you would rather watch them separately).
Whilst some children count down the days until their school residential, others worry. Being away from home, eating different foods, trying new activities and being in an unfamiliar place can be exciting, but some children find this change to the norm challenging, and they might even be reluctant to go. If your child is feeling a bit wobbly about an upcoming residential trip, take a look at our actionable tips, designed to equip you to work through their concerns together and help them to feel more prepared.
For many children, going away on a school trip is a really exciting experience. For others, it can be a big source of anxiety. This activity encourages children to consider what they are looking forward to and also anything that’s making them feel a bit wobbly, and provides an opportunity for parents and school staff to work with them and come up with a plan of what might make them feel better about it.
How can we celebrate neurodiversity and empower children in their early years? Join ADHD and autism early childhood specialist Kerry Murphy for a presentation on how we can identify our (usually unconscious) ableist assumptions and start to replace them with neurodivergent-led practices. For example, how to incorporate a child’s special interests or stimming to help them feel safe and happy.
Join educational and autism consultant/author Laura Kerbey for a presentation on PDA. Learn about the main characteristics of PDA, and crucially how young people often avoid things they love to do because of the anxiety triggered by the perceived demand or expectation. Laura talks us through some tools for support, including low-demand communication.
Watch this fascinating talk with Dr Felicity Sedgewick to understand how and why almost all autistic people use masking / social camouflage. Dr Sedgewick explains that this is exhausting and discusses how we can support children and young people to “drop the mask” by providing safe and comfortable environments.
Watch this demonstration of the helpful app “SOFA” (Stories Online for Autism) with Louis Camilleri. Learn how you can co-create stories with autistic children to reduce anxiety about upcoming events. For example, you will be able to create a story about a new school, introducing your child to their classroom and teacher and detailing what will happen the following day. Write a story about any activity to prepare your child and increase their confidence.
Join Tooled Up parent Judith Thomas as she shares her experience of parenting a child with a pervasive drive for autonomy (also known as Pathological Demand Avoidance or PDA), helps you to spot PDA and explains how much positive difference low-demand communication will make.
Listen to a heartwarming and inspirational story of how Tabitha Atieno’s experience of ADHD led her to build a school for neurodivergent children in Kenya. Tabitha also shares her journey as a mother advocating for her autistic son in the UK where they now live, and encourages us to nurture our communities.