Parents are then offered post diagnostic support to help them understand more about how autism affects their child’s communication and to teach them strategies that they can implement at home.
We visit playgroups and nurseries in Newcastle to work with the team around the child, to provide the best language and communication environment.
You can find out more about the importance of the communication environment in this short video.
Getting the environment right
First steps appointments
Depending on your child’s communication needs, their age and your availability we may offer you a range of different support pathways. In order to decide what support would be best for you and your child, we will invite you to a ‘First Steps’ appointment. This will usually take place in a clinic or family centre near you.
This appointment enables a specialist speech and language therapist from the autism team to meet you and your child, conduct some observational play-based assessment of their communication skills and to chat to you about the support available from our service. We will agree on the next steps in supporting your child at this appointment.
The following support pathways may be offered following your ‘First Steps’ appointment:
- Parent/care giver training sessions using the Hanen ‘More than Words’ approach.
- Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT)
- Invitation to attend a ‘Building Communication’ clinic.
- Further speech and language assessment and/or support in school.
What support might we offer?
We will discuss with you what support you would like for yourself or your child to support their speech, language or communication skills. We will also take into consideration your child’s current stage of communication development and the support which would be most effective at this time.
Strategies will only be effective in developing your child’s communication if parent/carers and nursery/school staff are aware of the recommended strategies, and that these are embedded into your child’s day across communication partners and environments.
The recommendation when supporting autistic children with their communication, is that parents and carers are best placed to support this. This is because you know your child best and you can implement strategies across their day in meaningful and real-life situations.
Information and support
You may find the following leaflets from The Hanen Centre useful in supporting your child’s communication at home:
- When a Child Has a Language Delay, Research Shows That Parents Can Make a Big Difference!
- Include Your Child’s Interests: Building Communication with Children on the Autism Spectrum
- Communication-Building Tips: For Parents of Children on the Autism Spectrum
Many autistic children do not require specialist speech and language therapy intervention. If we feel that your child is making progress with their speech, language and communication skills and that they do not require specialist input from our service, we will discuss this with you and we may agree to discharge your child from our service.
If you have any questions about our pathways or the support available, please contact us on 0191 282 3085
