Autism Berkshire is delighted to be launching a new course in 2020 for parents and carers of teenagers and school staff who work with their children, called Teen Life.
The Teen Life course runs over six weekly sessions and aims to help parents and education professionals to understand more about autistic young people aged 10 to 16, discussing strategies and sharing ideas about how to communicate with and support these children.
Developed by the National Autistic Society, with input from parents and autistic young people, the course covers topics including self-esteem, spending time with other people, stress and anxiety, understanding an autism diagnosis, puberty, independence, special interests and education and planning for the future.
Autism Berkshire’s chief executive officer, Jane Stanford-Beale, said: “We have had many requests from parents for a course offering targeted advice to help them support autistic teenagers.
“We believe that Teen Life will be an invaluable follow-on to the autism workshops we already offer and provide vital advice to parents – and school staff who work with their children – about this key period in young people’s lives.”
The first courses will be run in Thatcham for parents and carers who are residents of the West Berkshire Council area, as follows:
- January 27 to March 9 (no session on Monday, February 17, due to half-term holiday.
- April 20 to June 1 (no session on Monday, May 25, due to bank holiday.
The courses will take place at the Swings & Smiles special needs playcentre, in Lower Way, Thatcham.
Click here for more information about Teen Life and details of how to register an interest in taking part.
If you have any questions about the course, please contact the Autism Berkshire family support team on 01189 594 594 (option 1) or email contact@autismberkshire.org.uk.
The initial courses are funded by a grant from West Berkshire Council’s Community Education Fund and the Education & Skills Funding Agency.
We are seeking additional funding so we can also run the course in other parts of Berkshire.
