Type of service: Outreach - education

Website: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs-and-disability/education-and-childcare/educational-specialist-services/specialist-teaching-service/autism-support-in-schools

The Autism Outreach Team (AOT) is part of Leicestershire’s Children & Family Services’ Specialist Teaching Service.  The Autism Outreach Team (AOT) are specialist teachers and practitioners who support education staff in Leicestershire’s maintained schools and academies to develop improved understanding of Autism and to identify and implement strategies to support autistic children and young people. This includes:

·       Providing a wide range of training packages to schools

·       Promoting and sharing good autism practice

·       Offering pupil-specific advice and recommendations

Where pupil-specific support is required, Leicestershire maintained schools and academies can make a referral to Autism Outreach for more focused support. 

Parents will be asked to contribute their views and consent to this referral.  Once a referral is received, and it is felt that the criteria for AOT involvement has been met, a referral meeting is held between the Autism Outreach teacher, school staff and parents/carers to discuss the pupil’s needs in greater detail and to decide on next steps.  Not all pupils with a diagnosis of autism will need to be referred to Autism Outreach.  The needs of the pupil may be met by quality first teaching approaches and other reasonable adjustments and/or the school may have a high level of confidence and experience in meeting autistic children’s needs. It is the school’s responsibility to consider whether a referral to AOT is appropriate and necessary.

Aimed at: Adolescent , Child

Gender: All genders

Specialisms: Has autism-specific elements