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AUTISM AWARENESS

Hillingdon Manor School first opened its doors in September 1999 as aspecialist primary school for children with an autistic spectrum disor-der. By 2003, the school had expanded to open a middle and upperschool, and now provides specialist education with access to theNational Curriculum for 130 children with autistic spectrum conditionaged between three and nineteen.

Hillingdon Manor has the philosophy thatan emotionally healthy school communitypromotes the development of emotionalintelligence, the foundation for anenvironment where optimum learning cantake place. There is a real feeling ofcommunity in the school, which is built onthe philosophy of treating the pupils withrespect and dignity.

Being a person with autism means that, tovarying degrees it is difficult to understandwhat is expected by other human beingsand by society in general. A ‘No Blame’culture within the school enhances personaland social development, which improves thepupils’ ability to relate effectively with otherpupils and teaching staff. A combination ofclear and consistent rules, boundaries andexpectations provide a framework forsecurity and understanding.

There are approximately 70 staff at theschool, which offers a wide range ofTherapies including Speech and LanguageTherapy, Occupational Therapy, MusicTherapy, Drama & Movement Therapy,Counselling and Cranial Sacral Therapy.

Pupils at the school have various needsacross the autistic spectrum and, over its 10-year history, the school has implemented anumber of learning tools, introduced tosupport the pupils’ educationaldevelopment.

� Visual tools are used for the pupils whoare mute or selective mute, to aid incommunication.

� Pupils with food anxieties are introducedvoluntarily, to a variety of foods and canget involved with food preparation,cooking and fun tasting sessions. Healthyeating events are part of the enrichedcurriculum, which promotes thedevelopment of human resources andcapabilities.

� There is a one-to-one snug area forpupils who are experiencing anxiety orfrustration, allowing space for individualsupport. This is vital for those who havesensory challenges and react badly tosound and other environmental factors.

Hillingdon Manor maintains contact with alocal mainstream primary school andpromotes a whole range of out of schoolactivities linked with the local community.Whether it is a trip to the local shops orarchery classes, all are designed to equippupils with an understanding of theenvironment around them and the socialskills to interact with others.

The Lawns

The Lawns is yet another site that nowextends Hillingdon Manor School. Thisbuilding was acquired in September of thisyear and is being used for 16 plus provision.This will now enable us to educate 150pupils, making us the largest school forchildren with autism in the UK and Europe

For more information about HillingdonManor School, visit

www.hillingdonmanorschool.org.uk

Telephone: 01895 813679

YIEWSLEY GRANGE Wednesday 20th October saw theofficial opening of Yiewsley Grangefor 50 primary age pupils withAutistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Situated in large grounds inYiewsley, West Drayton, Middlesexthe school has nine classes, a hall,therapy room, offices and a pleas-ant outdoor area and garden forchildren to play.

Using a visually biased range of strategies,including highly structured work-systemsand learning environments the schoolprovides an effective, specialist educationthat includes the National Curriculum. Byfocusing on the barriers to learning thatpupils on the Autism Spectrum encounterand working closely with their parents/carers, Yiewsley Grange enables pupils toachieve their full potential in education andlife outside school.

Specialist Education forChildren on the Autistic SpectrumHILLINGDON MANOR

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AUTISM AWARENESS

West London Community Collegeis a well-established IndependentLiving Skills provision for adultswith an Autistic SpectrumCondition or Asperger Syndrome.

Located in Uxbridge this small collegeprovides a high quality, holistic approachwith individual programmes includingbudgeting, social practice, vocational skills,independence, emotional literacy and criticalthinking. A multi-disciplinary team offer thesupport and encouragement required forstudents to reach their goals.

OUR MISSION

Is to enable adults with AutisticSpectrum Condition to develop theskills, knowledge and understandingwhich will afford them the opportunityto achieve as fulfilled, meaningful andindependent a life as possible throughthe provision of a high quality,personalised life skills programme thatmeets their needs and interests.

Growth within our service at Colne Lodge inUxbridge has arisen in the need to open asecond site at The Stables Courtyard onChurch Road in Hayes, Middlesex. ColneLodge will now be able to offer a provisionfor adults with more complex needs andwho require a higher level of support. WestLondon Community College is currentlywelcoming all new applications for bothservices with viewings of the new site byappointment.

Autistic Spectrum ConditionAwareness Training

Set up by local people with Asperger’sSyndrome and West London CommunityCollege, ASCAT (Autistic SpectrumCondition Awareness Training) wasestablished to spread awareness of thecondition for the benefit of the community.Creating a sense of pride, ASCAT benefitsnot only the individual but also thosearound them, allowing workplaces, localauthorities and colleges to utilise the hiddencapabilities within their workforce andstudents.

Empowering Adults on the Autistic Spectrum…Parental Support

Working closely with parents and carers hasalways been a priority for the college, whichoffers a fantastic support group that meetsat West London Community Collegemonthly. To further this support the collegelaunched its new respite service in March,available 44 weeks of the year on Saturdaysbetween 9.00am and 4.00pm.

Free Time Fun!

The West London Community CollegeFootball Club training sessions are a funmethod to participate in Football. The teamare competing in the first ‘InternationalFootball Friendship Festival’ for people withdisabilities in Balon, Gran Canaria inNovember. The 8-member team willcompete against athletes from all overEurope and enjoy socialising in the warmwinter sunshine.

The team will be competing in a competitiveleague from next season organised by theMiddlesex County Football Association.League winners receive medals and theopportunity to play in a cup competition.

The club are currently looking for players tojoin the team, all kit and equipment isprovided, and players have the opportunityif they wish to, study for a FA level onecoaching badge.

For ASCAT and enquiries relating to WestLondon Community College Football Club,email craig.appleton@wlcc-uk.com

To find out about funding and admissionsvisit www.autismconsultants.org ortelephone 01895 619700.

West London Community CollegeColne Lodge • Longbridge way • UxbridgeMiddlesex UB8 2YG

The Speech & Language team, along withother specialists, support the developmentof pupils’ communication and interactionskills as they experience a broad curriculum.Positive reinforcement will includeindividually meaningful reward systems thatmotivate pupils to participate in activitiesand to begin to take responsibility for theirown learning.

Yiewsley Grange was recently acquired byaward winning school Hillingdon Manor toexpand its specialised facilities for childrenwith ASD. Hillingdon Manor has earned anoutstanding reputation for teaching childrenwith Autistic Spectrum Conditions and thenew building will provide much neededspace for new pupils. The school has reallycaptured the imagination of many peoplewho are concerned with autism and itspatron is Esther Rantzen.

For more information about YiewsleyGrange school admissions emailstacey.moore@hillingdonmanorschool.org.uk or call01895 813679

www.hillingdonmanorschool.org.uk

43myfamily

AUTISM AWARENESS

The new government seems to be pressing ahead withimplementing its plans to change the process that leadsto the opening of a new school.

Essentially, it is intended that that existingacademies programme be expanded thusresulting in more academies. As someonewho has opened a school, I am interested inwhat are being called ‘free schools’. Thegovernment identifies these as all-ability,state-funded schools, set up in response toparental demand. Under the new planscharities, universities, businesses, educationalgroups, teachers and groups of parents willbe able to start new schools.

Enthusiastic support for the free school policyis balanced by an equally articulate group ofopponents. I don’t see it as my place to comedown on one side or another. What I wouldlike to do is share with you my experience ofopening a school in order that the reader canget some idea of the challenges facinganyone opening a free school.

Firstly, one thing anyone involved in openinga school must be prepared to do is devotehuge amount of time to the process. Theamount of work to be done is prodigious! Ican say without fear of criticism that openinga school a full time job, and indeed it is notone that can be done over a short amount oftime either. In short, be prepared for somemembers of the project team to have to giveup their jobs.

Secondly, there is a very steep learning curve.Fortunately, when I first opened a school, Icould draw on the expertise of people like myhusband who has multiple universitydegrees. To be clear, I am not suggesting thatpeople should be intimidated by thischallenge rather I am alerting potentialfounders that new skills will have to beacquired and used quickly.

Lastly, anyone opening a new school needsto have suitable levels of finance. Whilst it isnot clear how much financial support, if any,will be offered as part of the new initiative, itis almost certain that at some points in theproject, potential founders will have to usesome of their financial resources to oil thewheels of the project.

As you can see, opening a school is not a jobfor the faint-hearted. Perhaps the best adviceI can give as someone who has done itbefore is to go into it with your eyes openand be prepared to stick at it, however long ittakes.

For more information about the initiative forfree schools visit www.education.gov.ukor newschoolsnetwork.org.

With mainstream school completelyunsuitable for the needs of my two sons –Angelo diagnosed with autism and Patrickdiagnosed with having Asperger Syndrome,things had turned from bad to worse.Twenty-six special schools within an hour’sdrive of where my family and I lived turneddown applications for my boys' placements.Doors were being shut in our faces on aregular basis and my family hardly knewwhere to turn.

With a friend, I began a support group forfamilies in a similar situation, which soonbecame fully subscribed. Faced with thedifficulties of finding anywhere that wouldprovide educational support for my boysand the lack of finding suitable childcare forchildren on the autistic spectrum in ourlocality, I took drastic measures.

Having discovered a derelict school inHillingdon, we approached the local counciland asked if we could purchase it and turn itinto a centre of excellence for children onthe autistic spectrum. Hillingdon BoroughCouncil eventually agreed they could leasethe school, but at an asking price of£627,000! Obviously, we did not have sucha sum of money in our bank account buteven then, I refused to accept defeat,remortgaging our small home and rallyingthe support of local councillors, localcompanies, charities and the media to getthis venture off the ground.

After much hard work, endlesscampaigning, tears and frustrations, weeventually found ourselves in a position torecruit an experienced head teacher andsuitably qualified staff who would assist usto open Hillingdon Manor School.

Initially providing education and life skills to19 pupils between three and nineteen yearsof age, Hillingdon Manor School has gonefrom strength to strength and has helpedhundreds of children on the autisticspectrum to get the education they deserveand which, quite frankly, is their right.

ANNA KENNEDYshares her thoughts on theINITIATIVE FOR FREE SCHOOLS

Anna Kennedy’s Story

myfamily

AUTISM AWARENESS

myfamily

AUTISM AWARENESS

Back in February we featuredaward winning mum, wife, autismcampaigner and businesswomanAnna Kennedy. Working withAnna for the last year has givenMy Family magazine a glimpseinto the life and work of thisamazing woman. Her dedicatedcampaigning to raise awareness ofautism has resulted in new hopefor the future of people touchedby Autism and their families.

ACT Now!Determined to protect the future of familieswith Autism in the UK they launched theirown Impact Assessment Report on 18thOctober 2010 at the De Vere Hotel, PortlandPlace, London. The 33 page thorough anddetailed report takes first hand accounts tohighlight the needs of families with autism.

The report focuses strongly on the impact ofcuts on families with autism – the evidence isclear that autism drives families into povertyand this report explains the difficulties facingfamilies and the need for financial support.The guest list included Members ofParliament, Lords, the National AutisticSociety, other service providers, parents andyoung people with Autism and Asperger’sSyndrome. The message that was deliveredon the day was loud and clear with the hopeof decision makers taking note and listeningto the voice of autism.

The ACT NOW Campaign has gained anenormous amount of national supportthrough the strength, commitment andtireless efforts of its founders.

Anna and AutismCoalition ACT Now!

Following an extremely successful launch,the six founders of “ACT NOW” headed offto Downing Street at 3pm to present themuch-valued Impact Assessment Report andto deliver 6000 signatures on a petition.

Anna Kennedy can be found on Facebookwhere her network reaches out to those whofeel frightened, isolated and frustrated by thecondition. Anna has received a constantsteam of emails, phone calls and letters fromparents, family and carers of children on theautistic spectrum, which inspired her tocreate the online resourcewww.annakennedyonline.com

Recently Anna joined forces with five otherleading autism campaigners: CaroleRutherford – Co-founder (Autism In Mind),Ivan Corea (UK Autism Foundation), RichardExley (Autism Consultancy Services), AlisonWiles (Founder, Autism – United Kingdom)and Sandy Howarth (author of “No MatterWhat”) – to form Autism CampaignersTogether.

The group details their concerns on the ACTNOW website. If you would like to offer yourvalued support to this autism coalition or findout how the proposed cuts will affect youvisit:www.actnow01.web.officelive.com/default.aspx

Autism Campaigners Together – (from left to right) Ivan Corea, Carole Rutherford, William McKenzie,Richard Exley, Sandy Howarth, Anna Kennedy and Alison Wiles.

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AUTISM AWARENESS

West London Specialist Support Services is asupported living and outreach service that isprimarily aimed at individuals affected by AutisticSpectrum Conditions, Learning Difficulties, AcquiredBrain Injuries and Physical Support Needs.

A Person CentredApproach in the Supportof People with LearningDisability or Autism

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission as adomiciliary care agency, this may not mean much to a layperson butlegally we have to be registered to provide care and support topeople in their own homes. This is where the comparison with anormal domiciliary care agency (which some people might refer to ashome help) and West London Specialist Support Services ends.

WLSS has built a reputation of providing Person Centred support topeople with a learning disability or autism; this means that oursupport is centred around how the individual wants to be supportedwith everyday tasks. If you think about your daily morning routine,little things like whether you have a bath or shower, tea or coffee atbreakfast, radio on or off, are things we don’t even think about butcan have a significant impact on our mood. It is our attention to detailin finding out about these personal preferences in every single dailyactivity, which has led to our success in supporting people withcomplex needs and autism.

We have also found that people like to be able to chose their carersand feel in control of their support package. By carefully matchingsupport staff to the customer- for example matching people withsimilar hobbies and interests, has helped to improve the outcomes forour customers. Lauren and her team work closely with the individual,their families and social workers, ensuring that our staff is committed

and enthusiastic when offering to support someone to go to the localfootball match or the long country walk on a damp winter’s day.When you have to rely on a paid carer to support you in every aspectof your life, it is essential that the carer’s preferences do not influencewhat you do.

There has been a growing awareness of the service that we offer andwe have been approached by services supporting people withAcquired Brain Injury (ABI) to provide support staff. ABI can affectpeople in many different ways and the affects are often hidden forexample comprehension of complex sentences, memory andfluctuating emotions, each person is very different in how the ABImanifests itself.

We have found the training that we give our staff in communication,de-escalating conflict and working in a person centred way can betransferred to help meets the needs of this client group. Whateverdiagnosis a person might have, does not change the fact that they areunique, having different preferences that are important to them. Wework hard to ensure our support meets their physical and healthneeds but consider that it is equally important to consider preference,emotional and cultural needs. Repeat referrals are evidencing that weare getting it right for our customers.

Luckily, many of us willnever need the support ofa carer but if you did, thinkabout what would beimportant in your dailyroutine. How important itwould be that someonetook the time to find outabout this and ensured

that it happened. This is how we like to treat our customers,supporting them to choose how they live their lives and enablingthem to reach their full potential regardless of their disability.

For more information contact:

Lauren Whittingham (Registered Manager)Vine House • Harlington Road • Hillingdon •Middlesex UB8 3HDTel: 01895 619930 • Fax: 01895619931Email: lauren.whittingham@summacare.co.uk