FAQ & Support for Parents

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

Being Autistic
Autism is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses. Below is a list of difficulties autistic people may share, including the two key difficulties required for a diagnosis.

To find out more information, please click here.

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It's a specific learning difficulty, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing.

Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn't affected.

It's estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a lifelong problem that can present challenges on a daily basis, but support is available to improve reading and writing skills and help those with the problem be successful at school and work.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.

Most cases are diagnosed when children are 3 to 7 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood.

Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child, and they are diagnosed later as an adult.

The symptoms of ADHD usually improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.

People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.

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Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) is a term that has long been associated with children who are both troubled and troubling. Indeed, this initialism is the basis on which the name of our association is founded (SEBDA). However, following the publication of the new SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (DfE/DfH 2015), we find that SEBD has been superseded by the term Social Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH). But while the initialisms may change, the fundamental needs of the children experiencing emotional neglect or trauma do not.

SEBDA works closely with a range of linked organisations to help professionals meet the needs of children and young people with SEMH. Exploring their websites might be of interest to you.

These include:

Nurture Group Network https://www.nurturegroups.org/

Engage in their Future http://www.engageintheirfuture.org/

Place2 Be www.place2be.org.uk

Oxford 1/80 http://one-eighty.org.uk/

Nasen http://www.nasen.org.uk/

Council for Disabled Children http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk

Young Minds http://www.youngminds.org.uk/

To visit the SEBDA website click here.