Webinars for parent carer groups
Below are all of the sessions I am currently running for parent/carer forums, autism support charities and other groups. (last updated March 2023)
To book a session, click here for my booking form or email me on hello@autismwheredoistart.com
Terms and conditions:
- Each session is 90 minutes long, with about an hour for a presentation and then time for questions and answers.
- The ideal number of attendees is c 30; I recommend offering c 80 places to get this number of attendees on the day.
- All sessions are £250, inclusive of VAT. If I am delivering the session in person, travel will be charged at 45p/mile to and from the venue.
- Sessions are invoiced at the time of booking and are payable ahead of the session date.
- Sessions may be cancelled or rearranged up to 7 calendar days before the booking date. Sessions cancelled or rearranged within less than 7 days of the booking date will incur a 50% cancellation fee.
- All sessions are delivered virtually unless your organisation is within 20 miles of Bristol, in which case I can deliver sessions in person, if you prefer.
- For each session, I send a list of links and resources for further reading on the session’s topic, to broaden and embed attendee knowledge.
- I can set up and run the Zoom session, or you may do this if you prefer.
- Sessions can be recorded, but only if the Zoom session is set up by me. Session recordings are available for one month after the session date.
My current training sessions (click each to see description):
How to feel about your child’s autism diagnosis
Finding the ‘new normal’ after your child’s autism diagnosis
How to get the help you need for your autistic child
Benefits, grants and funding for families with autistic children
How to be an assertive autism parent
How to navigate the SEND system
Introduction to executive functioning for autistic children
How to teach your autistic child emotional regulation
Building self-esteem and confidence in autistic children
Supporting autistic young people with puberty, hygiene and appearance
Supporting your autistic child with distress behaviours
Supporting your autistic child with sensory processing issues and distress behaviours
Anxiety and distress behaviours
Supporting your autistic child with anxiety and masking
Introduction to autism
This is a gentle, general overview of autism for parents who are new to this journey.We’ll cover:
- What is autism?
- What causes autism?
- Sensory processing differences
- Communication issues
- Anxiety
- Distress behaviours
- Executive functioning
- How to find support
How to feel about your child’s autism diagnosis
Parents and carers of autistic children don’t come into the world as enlightened beings with a full understanding of autism. Society tells us that autism is a bad thing, so most parents worry when they begin to realise their child is autistic.This presentation intends to help parents and carers to make sense of how you are feeling about your child’s diagnosis (or future, potential diagnosis) and to understand the positive aspects of the condition. The information given will apply to children of all ages.
Finding the ‘new normal’ after your child’s diagnosis
This session is for parents and carers who are new to autism and trying to work out how it fits into family life.We will discuss:
- Planning for success
- Dining out
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Family fun
- Relationships
- Self care and how to look after yourself
How to get the help you need for your autistic child
It can be difficult for parents and carers of autistic children to find the help and support they need to navigate the autism journey.In this session, we’ll cover:
- What support is available
- How to find local support
- Why support groups are important
- How to use the internet to support your child
Benefits, grants and funding for families with autistic children
There’s a lot more than you realise!
During this valuable session, we’ll cover:
- Government benefits you are eligible for
- Overcoming the emotional stigma of applying for benefits
- Where to get help with benefits
- How to appeal if you don’t get the answer you want
- Grants and funding available to support your child
- Discounts and other financial help available to you
- Other non-financial benefits to consider
How to be an assertive autism parent
Raising an autistic child requires parents and carers to work with a wide range of professionals. It’s important for parents to know how engage with these people in the most effective way.This session covers:
- Who to talk to
- What to say
- How to say it
- Getting organised
- Working with education professionals
- Working with health professionals
- An overview of the SEND Code of Practice and the Equality Act and how to use them
How to navigate the SEND system
At some point, every parent of an autistic child will have some difficulty with education. This can be very stressful as the SEND system can feel very confusing and mysterious.This session covers:
- A general overview of SEND
- When to ask for help
- An overview of the SEND Code of Practice, the Equality Act and the Children and Families Act and how they can help parents get what they need for their children
- What is an EHCP
- The EHCP process
- How to appeal education issues
- Education Other Than At School (EOTAS)
- Where to go for SEND help
Introduction to executive functioning
Executive functioning is to do with organising, planning and carrying out tasks. Autistic children and young people can struggle a great deal with executive functioning. This can impact on their ability to organise themselves and complete tasks such as getting ready for school, doing household chores and homework.This presentation gives a solid introduction to what executive functioning is and how parents and carers can help their children. The information given will apply to children of all ages.
How to teach your child emotional regulation
Autistic children don’t learn in the same way as typical children. Instead of picking up new skills by watching their peers and family members, they must be taught most things. Emotional regulation is an incredibly valuable skill to teach your child. But how do you do it?During this session, we will cover:
- What is emotional regulation?
- How to teach your child about emotions
- How to help your child develop healthy emotional habits
- How to support a child with chronic anger
Building self-esteem and confidence in autistic children
Autistic children struggle with low self-esteem and poor confidence to a far greater extent than their typical peers. Social challenges, sensory issues and communication difficulties all add to this struggle. Self-esteem and confidence are like muscles; you can build them!During this session, we will cover:
- The impact of low self-esteem on behaviour
- The causes of low self-esteem
- How to help your child build their self-esteem and confidence
- How to fall in love with your child again after a difficult period
Supporting your autistic daughter
What’s different about autistic girls? Parents and carers of autistic girls have several additional things to consider in order to provide appropriate support and care.This session covers:
- How are autistic girls different to autistic boys?
- How are autistic girls different to neurotypical girls?
- Hygiene, puberty and appearance
- Emotional regulation and managing conflict
- Encouraging safety and security
Supporting autistic young people with puberty, hygiene and appearance
As our autistic children get older, it’s very important that we talk honestly and openly about puberty. But how do we know when is the right time? Alongside this, personal hygiene can become an issue as sensory difficulties and personal preferences can interfere with good hygiene.
This session covers:
- When and how to talk about puberty
- Teaching your child about body awareness, and the concepts of ‘public’ v ‘private’
- Managing masturbation
- Dealing with inappropriate sexualised behaviour
- Issues that can impact on hygiene
- How to support your child with a good hygiene and appearance routine
Please note that due to the nature of this session, there is some graphic content and very candid talk about puberty.
Supporting your child with distress behaviours
Distress behaviours (sometimes called challenging behaviours) are anything a child does to self regulate and bring themselves back to a calm state. These behaviours include things like aggression, physical behaviours, sleep issues, eating issues, repetitive behaviours and inappropriate sexualised behaviours. They can also include things that are just simply annoying! What one parent finds challenging, another parent may not.This session covers:
- What are distress behaviours?
- What causes these behaviours?
- How can we support our children when they are distressed?
- How to manage and recover from meltdowns and shutdowns
- How to keep siblings and other family members safe
Sensory processing and distress behaviours
Sensory processing difficulties are a major cause of anxiety in autistic children. This can lead to ‘distress behaviours’ – behaviour the child displays as a way to self-regulate and calm themselves. Aggression, anger, rigid or inflexible mindset and self-harm are all examples of distress behaviours. Understanding the sensory aspects of behaviour is crucial as it will help you put in place strategies to reduce anxiety and distress.During this session, we will cover:
- What are distress behaviours?
- How sensory processing difficulties factor into distress behaviours
- Strategies for supporting your child’s sensory needs
- How to cope with distress behaviours
Anxiety and distress behaviours
Anxiety is the number one cause of distress for autistic individuals. It’s crucial for parents and carers to understand how to support children in reducing anxiety in day to day life.In this session we will discuss:
- What causes anxiety
- Why anxiety is more prevalent in autistic individuals
- What are distress behaviours?
- How to help reduce anxiety
Anxiety and masking
Masking is a defence mechanism used by autistic individuals when they are under stress. While it does have some beneficial uses, masking can be exhausting and lead to shutdowns and burnout.This session covers:
- What is masking?
- Why do people mask?
- What’s wrong with masking?
- How do you know if your child is masking?
- How to support them to stop masking (when appropriate)
How to help your child with social anxiety
Social anxiety can be crippling for autistic children. It can prevent them from trying new things and even doing things that they enjoy.In this session, we’ll cover:
- What is social anxiety?
- What causes social anxiety?
- What specific strategies can you use to support your child with social anxiety?
How to teach your autistic child to self-advocate
In order to successfully navigate the world, our children need to advocate for themselves. This is important in every area of life: school, social situations, with friends and even at home.This session covers what self-advocacy is, why it’s important and specific strategies parents and carers can use to teach it.