Ensure a personalised approach that puts wellbeing first and ensures effective plans are in place to support young people to feel safe in the school environment. Please see this comprehensive guide, co-produced with neurodivergent young people: Trauma | Autism Barriers to Education

Provide a highly personalised curriculum allowing increased flexibility in the organisation of the learning environment and the school day (e.g. offering access to additional adult support to enable young people to participate in the less structured parts of the school day such as break time, and provide access to a quiet, distraction-free place in school if young person feel anxious.

Ensure systems are place to access additional sensory or regulation breaks as needed. Due to difficulties with interception, young people may need additional toilet breaks.

Ensure sensory needs are well understood and managed within the school environment (see the Sensory and/or Physical Needs section).

Additional support for transition points may also be required, (e.g. the young person coming into school slightly earlier when it is quieter, leaving lessons 5 minutes earlier to avoid crowded corridors).

If a young person has a personalised Visual Timetable they will need to be told as early as possible about any changes to their routine and supported to prepare for this.

Ensure regular staff briefings centred around the young person’s strengths and support needs (e.g. A One Page Profile, as well as the editable young person overviews, may help communicate this).

Provide Social Stories as needed; short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. Wherever possible and appropriate, you should include the young person in the creation of the social story.

Comic strip conversations can be used to help young person’s understand social interaction by visually showing them (using symbols, stick-figure drawings and colour) the different levels of communication – including thoughts, feelings, words and actions – that take place in a conversation.

Support may include augmented communication systems such as Signalong, Makaton  or PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) (language programmes that use symbols and signs alongside speech to enable people to communicate – see Expressive and Receptive Language [LR3] sections).

An individualised skills development programme should be informed by a holistic understanding of the young person’s development (e.g. using AET Progression Framework) and be informed by multi-agency advice, e.g. Inclusion Service, Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, First Point,).

Ensure the use of transition photo books and additional support to allow a smooth transition into a new class or year. Ensure there are additional opportunities to visit new classrooms and meet new teachers in advance to allow sharing of information and building of relationships.