Our team support autistic children and young people aged 4 to 16 who are on roll at a school in Cornwall. We support schools to include autistic children and young people in all activities. We want autistic children to be able to join in, learn, and thrive.
We mostly work in schools. We sometimes work in the home. We work alongside other teams to encourage joint problem-solving. We promote support and strategies that are neuro-affirming and evidence-based.
About the team
The Autism in Schools Team (AST) includes:
- Five Autism Advisors
- A highly-specialist Speech and Language Therapist
- Eight autism workers and senior autism workers
The team is line-managed by a Senior Educational Psychologist.
We are a neurodiverse team and celebrate the strengths this brings. We have a mixture of professional experience, academic experience, and lived experience.
We are all passionate about supporting autistic children in Cornwall’s schools. We will always try to work in a neuro-affirming way. This means we will support and champion autistic strengths and differences. We will not try to change autistic ways of being.
We believe that autism + environment = outcome (Luke Beardon). Changing aspects of the environment can help autistic people to thrive. We help schools adapt the sensory environment, teaching styles, strategies, and policies. We also offer training on lots of different topics. Our training is co-created by autistic people. It is also often delivered by neurodivergent trainers.
Goals should always be child-centred and linked to things that are important to the child. We will not set goals that encourage masking. Masking is trying to appear ‘less autistic’ to fit in. Masking has long-term negative consequences for mental health and wellbeing.
We use identity-first language as standard (‘autistic person’ rather than ‘person with autism’). Research shows most autistic people prefer this. If you or your child would prefer something different, let us know and we will use your preferences.
How we work
We work with schools, Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) and other teams in Cornwall. This includes:
- Annual Autism Champions training. This includes follow-up mentoring sessions and a Community of Practice for Autism Champions. This empowers schools to support autistic and neurodivergent children in their school community
- Training for schools and for other teams. Please contact us to discuss your training needs. We offer training on a wide range of topics and can create bespoke training to suit your needs. Our training is co-created by autistic people. It is also often delivered by neurodivergent trainers.
- Parent cafes – working alongside school staff to support parents and carers.
- Teacher surgeries – discussing tricky situations anonymously without the need for a full referral.
- Group work with children / young people on a range of topics such as:
- Preparing for secondary school
- Developing independence skills / preparing for adulthood
- Exploring autistic identity
- Understanding social interaction. This includes autistic and neurotypical social interaction, and the double empathy problem. It is not about teaching autistic children neurotypical social skills.
- The ‘Overcoming your child’s fears and worries’ intervention. This is a CBT-based programme for parents and carers. Our highly-skilled workers will adapt this to your child’s specific needs. Please see this leaflet for more information.
- Autism information sessions for parents and carers. You can find out more about these below.
Request for casework
Please note we only accept casework requests from schools in Cornwall
- If you are a professional in another service eg as social worker, youth worker, etc, you can buy some traded work. Please contact us on autismteam@cornwall.gov.uk
- If you are a parent, please talk to your child’s SENCO about making a referral to the team. We can work with children who are on roll at a school but not attending (eg due to anxiety) if they would like support to return to school
Children being referred for individual work must have a diagnosis of autism. Schools can support children without a diagnosis in other ways. This could be group work, support from the Autism Champion, case discussion, etc.
School staff can make a referral online through the Services for Schools portal www.schools.cornwall.gov.uk. Please note you will need an account to access the referral form. We can only accept referrals with signed consent from parents/carers, and from the child if aged 13+.
Autism information sessions for parents and carers
These sessions are for parents and carers of autistic children and young people. They are group-based and offer opportunities for discussion with other parents. We are not here to tell you how to parent your child. We acknowledge that you are the expert on your child. Raising an autistic child in a neurotypical world can be challenging. We would like to help you to navigate this. We will always try to work in a neuro-affirming way. This means we will support and champion autistic strengths and differences. We will not try to change autistic ways of being.
Our sessions are for parents and carers of all autistic children. Some autistic children also have significant communication and learning needs. We run some specific sessions for parents and carers of these children. If you would like to come to these specific sessions, please tick the box in the application form below. All parents/carers are welcome at all sessions - it is your choice.
If you have any access requirements, please let us know. We will do what we can to make the sessions accessible for you.
Please note these sessions are for parents/carers. They are not designed for children or young people to attend. Please make alternative arrangements for your children during the sessions.
The sessions have three sections:
- An introduction to autism Workshops about different aspects of autistic life, for example:
- Puberty and adolescence Masking Sleep Challenges with eating Anxiety and emotional wellbeing Sensory processing Communication and visuals Executive functioning Friendships and relationships
Register your interest in attending our information sessions
Autism in Schools Team Term-Time Advice Line
We offer a weekly advice line service on Tuesday afternoons in school term time. It is available to anyone supporting autistic children and young people in Cornwall. This includes parents/carers, school staff, and other professionals. Each session will last for around 25 minutes.
Please note our professional expertise is with school-aged children (4-16).
Contacting the advice line is not the same as making a referral. The advisor will listen to your concerns and offer a space to explore the situation together. You can agree some next steps together. They may also signpost to other services and organisations. The team will not keep or store any notes or information about the child. The caller will be responsible for taking notes and completing follow-up actions.
If you would like to use this service, please fill in the booking form. When you book a slot, you will be sent a confirmation email, with a link to the Teams meeting if you chose this option. You will also be sent a link to give us some feedback afterwards (this is optional but would be appreciated).