Background

• Alex* has a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. He joined Southlands School on a residential placement just before turning eight.

• Alex had previously attended a local mainstream infants’ school but struggled with anxieties when transitioning to the associated Junior School.

Other challenges included social communication, change and transition, anxiety, understanding emotions, sensory sensitivities, encopresis, and fine motor difficulties.

Alex had difficulty in managing changes in environment, routines, and relationships resulted in outbursts and disengagement from activities and education

Provision and Support at Southlands

Alex received a direct care package, including:

- Speech and Language therapy

- Holistic Therapy

- Clinical Psychology

Positive Impact of Provision and Support

• After two years as a residential student and having made positive progress, Alex attended Southlands School as a day student.

• At the end of Year 10, Alex successfully engaged in a series of CBT based psychoeducation anxiety sessions with our Clinical Psychologist to help prepare him for his final GCSE year

Key Milestones

Between the integrated therapy and educational support, Alex’s self-esteem grew to a point that allowed him to engage in the following:

• Taster days at local colleges.

• Completing an Engineering QPEO1 qualification.

• Completing a two-year Media course at a local college.

• Extensive career guidance and work-related learning whereby he had a day’s experience at a local hospice and an extended placement working in school ICT support.

Mock exams enabled Alex to see how much progress he had made and how much he still needed to do. These measures, along with Alex’s own self-motivation enabled him to achieve six good GCSE/BTEC passes and gain a place at an excellent college studying a highly sought-after course.

Successful Transition:

“Watching Alex grow into a well-rounded, mature and thoughtful young man has been a privilege for us at Southlands and we are excited to see what he achieves in this next chapter of his life.”

- Alison Priddle, Principal at Southlands School

*Name changed to protect identity