At the heart of everything we do is a passion to support autistic children and teens, as well as their family members. Our services seek to promote a positive autistic identity and wellbeing for the whole family.
Would you benefit from the opportunity to talk through your autistic child's needs with a practitioner with lived experience? Karen has a wealth of personal and professional experience. She really cares and understands what it is like to have a family with diverse needs. Karen works sensitively with parents to identify areas that may need more support. All appointments include a thorough report, identifying gaps in support and the recommendation of positive steps using an autism lens. They take place in the relaxing, informal environment of our premises in Chester.
Families are supported and guided through LEGO therapy activities in a relaxing environment. Sessions can either be booked individually or at a reduced rate for block bookings. These sessions are for you if you would welcome the opportunity for quality time with your autistic child, based on their interests, using a strengths based approach. Perhaps siblings would benefit from a fun, shared activity? Research has shown that LEGO therapy can help promote:
"joint play, shared interests and appreciation between siblings". (Pecket, Mac Callun and Knibbs, 2016, p. 15).
For further information on the benefits of LEGO therapy, please see below.
LEGO-therapy designed by LeGoff (2004), normally used in the school setting naturally lends itself to a relaxed family activity that benefits everyone. LEGO therapy has been shown in research to improve:
"Family communication, new perspectives and understanding of each other (Peckett, Mac Callun and Knibbs, 2016, p. 12).
Facilitated by our staff in our comfortable and informal premises in Chester, autistic children aged 6 plus are guided through the activities along with a sibling and parent. LEGO is appealing and interesting to both children and adults alike. Therefore, the time spent together is based on shared interests and positive interactions, supporting relationships.
Each of the family members takes on 1 of 3 roles being the planner, searcher or builder. Throughout the sessions, working together towards shared goals is promoted. At it's heart is a:
"collaborative process, with an intrinsic interdependence, which creates an environment in which attention to the group sharing of objectives, turn taking, group results, interpersonal relationships and mutual respect, positive moods and appreciation are necessary". (Narzisi et al. (2021).
We will support you to utilise a strengths based approach, framed with autism understanding. We will help you to implement a variety of strategies that will promote mental well-being. These will vary depending on the age and needs of your child. As uncertainty can be difficult, we can help you create structure, visuals and timetables where required. Maybe you would welcome advice on how to implement a low demand environment or explore sensory/environmental triggers? We can recommend strategies to promote self-regulation and increase interoceptive awareness, as well as helping you to create an emotional tool-box and sensory self-care. Underpinning all of our sessions is the desire to promote a positive autistic self-identity in your child as this is central to developing good mental-wellbeing. This package involves appointments with Karen and Elaine, as well as dedicated support from our family practitioner Laura. All appointments include appointment reports and signposting to beneficial resources.
We want to know your needs exactly so that we can provide the perfect solution. Let us know what you want and we’ll do our best to help.
contact us as:
asctraining@outlook.com