Paediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Service Paediatric ASD Service INTERVENTION INFORMATION LEAFLET 1
There is a range of help and support available across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, which is provided by a range of services Examples of these services may include: Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy Community Paediatric Medical Service Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Multi Agency Support for Schools (MASTS) Health Visiting Service Social Services Support is also provided by education boards for children and young persons with ASD across all stages of the code of practice within schools. The Paediatric ASD Service aims to provide additional support to individuals with ASD, their families and carers and professionals working with children / young people with ASD as outlined in this leaflet. Professionals in the Paediatric ASD Team: Speech and Language Therapists Consultant Clinical Psychologist Occupational Therapists Community Paediatrics Intervention Therapists Social Worker 2
Post-diagnostic Support 3
Family Support Visit Parents and carers only. The visit will take place in your home. The visit will last 45 minutes 1 hour. A professional from Autism NI will conduct the home visit. As this visit normally occurs soon after a child/young person receives a diagnosis, you will have time to discuss the diagnosis further and ask any questions you may have. You will be provided with information on any activities, relating to ASD, happening in your local area e.g. support groups, voluntary sector events. Your name will be added to the waiting list for the Level 1 PACE programme. 4
Parents and Carers Education (PACE) Programme LEVEL 1 Parents and carers only. At present, the PACE programme runs in the Antrim area. Information sessions usually start at 10am and finish at lunch time. Professionals from the Paediatric ASD Service Northern Trust Level 1 PACE Programme What is ASD? This information session will provide you with a good knowledge of ASD and lots of useful strategies to get you started. In the majority of cases, the PACE programme will meet your needs. However, if you require further support, you can contact the service directly and you may be offered further intervention. You can also apply for the PACE Level 2 programmes. 5
Further Intervention and Support 6
Initial Advice Clinic This is a telephone appointment for parents/carers. Once a child or young person is referred to the Paediatric ASD Service for further support and intervention, parents/carers will choose an appointment time which suits for a telephone call for initial discussion and advice. The telephone call will last approximately 20 minutes. Professionals from the Paediatric ASD Service. Parents/carers will be asked to describe the current difficulties the child/young person is experiencing in relation to their ASD and their concerns at this time. Initial ASD-specific advice will be provided to help parents/carers to manage the difficulties discussed. Following this telephone call, a report with the advice and further actions discussed will be sent to parents/carers, the person who referred your child to the service, the GP, and any other professionals involved (with parental consent). There are several possible outcomes: Advice given via the initial advice clinic may conclude the assessment and your child/young person will be discharged. Further support may be provided for parents/carers and this will be discussed. Support may be provided for the individual with ASD. An onward referral may be made to another service (with parental consent). 7
Support for Parents and Carers 8
Parents and Carers Education (PACE) Programme LEVEL 2 Parents and carers only. At present, the PACE programme runs in the Antrim area. Information sessions usually start at 10am and finish at lunch time. Professionals from the Paediatric ASD Service Northern Trust Professionals from the ASD Advisory Service North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) Professionals from the National Autistic Society (NAS) Level 2 PACE Programme this is a series of information sessions covering a range of specific topics e.g. Visual Strategies Teen Life or Encouraging Social Behaviour. You choose which courses you would like to attend to suit the needs of your child. A PACE Programme menu is available on request or on the website www.northerntrust.hscni.net and search for Autism services. In the majority of cases, the PACE programme will meet your needs. However, if you require further support, you can contact the service directly and you may be offered further intervention. 9
Parent Consultation Parents and carers only. It will most likely be in a clinical setting near to your home e.g. Newtownabbey Family Centre, Cookstown Community Services Centre, Ballymoney Health Centre. If you cannot attend a clinic, a home visit may be carried out. 1 1½ hours. You will meet with one or more of the professionals from the Paediatric ASD team. You will be asked questions regarding all aspects of your child s development and how they are functioning with the focus being on their diagnosis of ASD. You will have the opportunity to talk your concerns regarding your child. You will be given advice or strategies at the parent consultation to help manage concerns. Following the parent consultation, a tailored care plan with advice and strategies discussed will be sent to you and to the person who referred your child to the service. There are several possible outcomes: Advice given at the parent consultation may conclude the assessment and your child will be discharged. You may require a follow-up appointment to provide you with resources and further strategies. You may be offered to attend the Parent and Carers Education (PACE) Programme (level 1 or level 2). An onward referral may be made to another service (with your consent). A review appointment may be made to monitor progress. A timed individual intervention programme may be offered to your child/young person. 10
Carers Support Parents and carers only. The meeting will most likely take place in your home, although occasionally it may occur at a clinical setting near to your home e.g. Newtownabbey Family Centre, Cookstown Community Services Centre, Ballymoney Health Centre. The appointment will last 1-1½ hours. The Social Worker from the Paediatric ASD team. The Social Worker will discuss your family needs to support the child/young person with ASD. This may involve asking questions to establish family support, other services currently involved with your family, current family situation and financial benefits you are receiving at present. There are several possible outcomes: Advice given at the initial appointment may conclude input and your child/young person will be discharged. You may require one or more follow-up appointment to provide you with further support. You may be offered to attend the Parent and Carers Education (PACE) Programme (level 1 or level 2) An onward referral may be made to another service (with your consent). Parents/carers may be referred to another member of the Paediatric ASD team for further support and intervention. 11
Support for the Individual with ASD 12
Spectrum Star Assessment The young person aged 12-18 years and parents. The young person will come in by themselves for first part of session and parents will be asked to join the appointment towards the end. The young person must be aware of their diagnosis. It will most likely be in a clinical setting near to your home e.g. Newtownabbey Family Centre, Cookstown Community Services Centre, Ballymoney Health Centre. If you cannot attend a clinic, a home visit may be carried out. The appointment will last 1-1½ hours. You will meet with one or more of the professionals from the Paediatric ASD team. The Spectrum Star assessment looks at different areas of the young person s life including areas of physical health, communication, social skills and self-esteem, with the focus of how the ASD is impacting in each area. The young person will rate how they feel they are doing in each area on a simple scale. Following the assessment, an action plan will be drawn up jointly between the young person, parents and professionals to help in areas that the young person identified as more difficult. There are several possible outcomes: The action plan given at the assessment may conclude the assessment and the young person will be discharged. A follow-up appointment may be required to review the action plan and Star. Parents may be offered to attend the PACE Programme (level 1 or level 2). Parents may be offered an appointment to discuss needs further. An onward referral may be made to another service (with parental consent). A timed individual intervention programme may be offered to the young person. 13
ASD Bootcamp Young people aged 12-18 years who have a diagnosis of Autism/Asperger s Syndrome and are aware of this diagnosis. There will be 6-8 people in the group. It will most likely be in a health or education facility in the Antrim or Ballymena areas. There are 6 group sessions and each one will last 1½ hours. The young person will attend one group session per week. The group will be run by professionals from the Paediatric ASD Service and the National Autistic Society. The group sessions will be fun! Games and activities will be carried out and there will be time for the young people to socialise with each other. Group sessions will focus on the following topics through the activities: Asperger s Syndrome (AS) exploring and understanding the diagnosis and looking at the positive aspects of having AS. Communication discussing what is communication, how the young person communicates and strategies to improve communication. Self-esteem what self-esteem means, self-identity, how to improve self-esteem and problem-solving when selfesteem is reduced. Social Media how to use technology and social media in an appropriate and safe manner. There are several possible outcomes: Intervention is complete and the young person will be discharged. Parents may be offered to attend the Parents and Carers Education (PACE) Programme (level 1 or level 2). An onward referral may be made to another service (with your consent). 14
About Me The young person aged 12-18 years who have a diagnosis of Autism/Asperger s Syndrome and are aware of this diagnosis. The young person may attend by themselves for the session or they may wish their parents to be present also. The session will most likely take place in the young person s home, although occasionally it may occur in their school setting or at a clinical setting near to their home. The appointment will last 45mins 1 hour, with a maximum of 4 weekly sessions A professional from the National Autistic Society (NAS) will deliver the session/s. The sessions will be fun! Activities and worksheets will be carried out with the focus on the following topics: Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exploring and understanding the diagnosis. Looking further at how ASD affects the young person. Exploring further the positive aspects of having ASD. There are several possible outcomes: Intervention is complete and the young person will be discharged. The young person may be offered further group based intervention. Parents may be offered to attend the Parents and Carers Education (PACE) Programme (level 1 or level 2). An onward referral may be made to another service (with your consent). 15
Support for Health Professionals 16
Joint Planning Meeting The professional who requested the meeting e.g. Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, Social Worker etc who is currently working with the child/young person. The person requesting the meeting may ask other professionals involved with the child to attend. Parents are not required to attend these meetings but parental consent will be sought. The meeting will take place in a health facility agreed between professionals. The meeting will last 1-1½ hours. One or more professionals from the Paediatric ASD team will attend and chair the meeting. The professionals involved will discuss current intervention your child is receiving and jointly agree therapy goals, taking ASD considerations into account. The professional involved with your child (who requested meeting) will carry out the intervention using strategies and advice provided from the Paediatric ASD service and working on the jointly agreed therapy goals. 17
If you would like further information on anything in this leaflet or on intervention services provided by the Paediatric ASD Service, please do not hesitate to contact us. Contact Details Paediatric ASD Service The Cottage 5 Greenmount Avenue Ballymena Co. Antrim BT43 6DA Tel: 028 2563 3777 18