https://www.autismeye.com/ Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:49:51 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.7 The Wingate Centre https://www.autismeye.com/the-wingate-centre/ Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:18:54 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1531340 The Wingate Centre provides subsidised school residential breaks and holidays for schools and groups, with a speciality in accommodating individuals with special educational needs and disabilities.

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The Wingate Centre is an independent charity based in the heart of the Cheshire countryside.

The Wingate Centre

Residential breaks and holidays, specialising in SEND

The Centre provides subsidised school residential breaks and holidays for schools and groups, with a speciality in accommodating individuals with special educational needs and disabilities.

The Wingate CentreOpen from February to December,  our residential accommodation offers excellent facilities for all needs and abilities, including several changing spaces, profile beds, adapted wet rooms, a sensory room and much more.

What customers say

“A superb experience in lovely surroundings, clean and everything we needed was here. Plus, very safe.  Staff couldn’t have been more helpful.”
– Pikemere School 2023

“Wingate and all staff are outstanding! Couldn’t be more accommodating.  Thank you so much!”
– Tor View School 2023

Day activities

The Wingate Centre also offers day activities for individuals and groups with SEND, including Rebound Therapy, Fun Fitness and Arts and Crafts.

Get in touch

If you would like more information, please visit www.thewingatecentre.co.uk or contact ian@thewingatecentre.co.uk.

01270 780456

The Wingate Centre

Our location

The Wingate Special Children’s Trust CIO
The Wingate Centre, Wrenbury Hall Drive
Wrenbury
Cheshire CW5 8ES

 

The Wingate Centre The Wingate Centre

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TG Escapes buildings designed with natural materials https://www.autismeye.com/tg-escapes-buildings/ Thu, 21 Mar 2024 13:08:24 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1531329 TG Escapes modular eco-buildings use modern construction methods, traditional materials and sophisticated technology, to create a standalone timber frame space that is net-zero in operation.

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TG Escapes buildings designed with natural materials make excellent learning spaces for autistic students.

TG Escapes modular eco-buildings use modern construction methods, traditional materials and sophisticated technology, to create a standalone timber frame space that is net-zero in operation.

They have provided over 800 buildings UK-wide and were awarded Contractor of the Year at the 2021 Education Estates Awards.

TG Escapes

Biophilic classrooms for SEN at Rabbsfarm School in Middlesex

Well suited to special needs settings

The use of biophilic design principles, natural materials, easy access to the outdoors and natural light from floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows, as well as sun pipes, make the buildings particularly well suited to special needs settings.

The heightened senses of autistic children can make it difficult for them to focus in traditional educational settings.

TG Escapes

A net-zero timber-frame building for SEND at Sir Charles Parsons School in Newcastle upon Tyne

Benefits of natural materials

Natural materials can help create a more calming and stimulating environment for these children, leading to improved learning outcomes.

In addition to reducing sensory overload, studies have shown that natural materials can also help to improve focus and concentration in autistic children.

For example, one study found that children on the autism spectrum who were exposed to natural light were able to pay attention for longer periods than those who were not.

Natural materials can also help to promote creativity and imagination. Autistic children often have vivid imaginations, and natural materials can provide a stimulating environment for them to explore.

For example, one study found that autistic children who were given access to natural materials were more likely to engage in imaginative play than children who were not.

TG Escapes

A building for SEN at The Shires at Oakham in Rutland

‘The design opens up our classrooms to the outdoors so wonderfully, the opportunities are endless’

One TG Escapes customer is The Shires at Oakham, part of the Acorn Care Group, a residential special school for young people with an autism diagnosis. Their Head of School said of their TG Escapes Eco-Building: “We wanted to embrace learning without walls, and the design of our new school building opens up our classrooms to the outdoors so wonderfully, the opportunities are endless!”

Video featuring The Shires at Oakham

Video featuring the Performing Arts Studio by TG Escapes at Swalcliffe Park School in Oxfordshire

Find out more

For more information call 0800 917 7726 or email info@tgescapes.co.uk.

www.tgescapes.co.uk

 

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McGowan devastated by another death https://www.autismeye.com/antipsychotic-medication-matheus-vieira/ Sun, 17 Mar 2024 17:27:37 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1531260 A campaigning mum who lost her autistic son after he was given antipsychotic medication in hospital says she is “devastated” over the death of another child in the NHS.

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A campaigning mum who lost her autistic son after he was given antipsychotic medication in hospital says she is “devastated” over the death of another child in the NHS.

Paula McGowan described the death of 11-year-old Mattheus Vieira as “wholly preventable”. The boy died from sepsis at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

A campaigning mum who lost her autistic son after he was given antipsychotic medication in hospital says she is “devastated” over the death of another disabled child in the NHS

Paula McGowan says some NHS health boards have been too slow to roll out autism and learning disability training

McGowan lost her own son, Oliver, after he suffered an allergic reaction to an antipsychotic at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital. The 18-year-old had epilepsy and a mild learning disability, as well as autism.

‘Very difficult to examine’

Staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital spoke at an inquest into Mattheus’s death. They said he was “uncooperative” and “very difficult to examine”.

Mattheus, from Norfolk, found communication a struggle and did not like people touching him. He died in April 2022.

Yvonne Blake, area coroner for Norfolk, ruled that the hospital did not recognise the boy’s sepsis in a “timely fashion”. She said his death was “contributed to by neglect”.

McGowan said Mattheus paid the “ultimate price” for “prejudice, bias and diagnostic overshadowing” (this is where medics attribute everything to the person’s autism and fail to consider other explanations).

Some health boards taking ‘far too long’

antipsychotic

Mattheus, pictured with his parents Vitor and Maria

Campaigner McGowan, from Bristol, fought for mandatory autism and learning disabilities training for NHS staff after her son died in 2016. The training programme can be found by clicking here.

But she said while many NHS health boards have worked hard to roll out the training, others are taking “far too long”.

After the inquest, Mattheus’ father, Vitor Vieira, said his son “deserved the same standard of care as any other little boy but was denied this due to being autistic”.

‘Very sorry’

In a statement, Alice Webster, the chief executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said Mattheus’ treatment fell “below” their standards and they were “very sorry”.

Webster added that the hospital was “committed to learning” to “prevent such a tragedy from happening again”.

Autism Eye contacted NHS England, but it did not respond.

 

Related:

 

Published: 17 March 2024

 

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EHC plans in crisis, warns Ombudsman https://www.autismeye.com/ehc-plans-delays-crisis/ Mon, 11 Mar 2024 11:51:21 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1531043 A UK Government body has warned of a ‘crisis’ over delays in issuing education, health and care (EHC) plans.

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A UK Government body has warned of a ‘crisis’ over delays in issuing education, health and care (EHC) plans.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman criticised councils and the Government over the delays.

A UK Government body has warned of a ‘crisis’ over delays in issuing education, health and care (EHC) plans.

Nigel Ellis, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman chief executive, blamed a lack of planning for the crisis

It said the holdups were because too few educational psychologists were undergoing training. It also said there was a shortage of speech therapists and occupational therapists.

Significant impact

The Ombudsman said the shortage of educational psychologists was having a significant impact. It was harming councils’ ability to set out the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

That’s because EHC plans are legally binding documents that describe a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs.

Nigel Ellis is the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Chief Executive.

Crisis 10 years in the making

He said: “This crisis has been 10 years in the making. Both councils and the government could have anticipated the issues and planned for the future, when the Children and Families Act was brought in and demand for EHC Plans started to increase.”

He continued: “Educational psychologists cannot be trained overnight and so this situation will not be resolved without significant input on a national scale.

“The focus on educational psychologist training in the Government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Plan of March 2023 is important, but needs to be implemented at pace and supported by the funding needed to make a difference to young people.”

Clear obligation

He added: “Councils have a clear obligation to complete the EHC Plan process within the statutory timescales, and while we do have some sympathy for their recruitment and retention problems, we will find fault where cases are outside those timescales.”

The Ombudsman was highlighting the recruitment difficulties councils face in a report on a complaint from a Surrey family.

There were significant delays when the family tried to get an EHC Plan put in place for their autistic daughter.

During the Ombudsman’s investigation, Surrey County Council said it had a backlog of around 1,000 EHC needs assessments awaiting input from an educational psychologist.

The council blamed a national shortage of qualified psychologists and other key professionals who informed the EHC Plan process.

Nine-month delay for final plan

In the Surrey family’s case, there was a delay of 37 weeks to produce an educational psychologist report for the girl. It should have only taken six weeks.

There was a nine-month delay to issue the girl’s final plan.

The girl was left attending taster day sessions at schools she felt were not suitable for her, which she found distressing. The family as a whole felt frustrated.

Nigel Ellis said: “Sadly, the situation in Surrey is far from unique. We are increasingly seeing cases where, despite best efforts, councils do not have the specialist advisors they need to keep on top of caseloads”.

In this case, the council agreed to apologise to the mother and pay her £1,000 for the injustice caused by its failings.

Related:

 

Published: 11 March 2024

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Charity suggests duty of employment idea https://www.autismeye.com/employment-health-and-care-plans-ehcps/ Fri, 08 Mar 2024 17:48:04 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1531028 The UK Government should extend education health and care plans (EHCPs) to provide a legal duty to support autistic young people in work.

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The UK Government should extend education health and care plans (EHCPs) to provide a legal duty to support autistic young people in work.

EHCPs would then become employment health and care plans.

The UK Government should extend education health and care plans (EHCPs) to provide a legal duty to support autistic young people in work.

Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of Ambitious about Autism, wants to see the introduction of employment health and care plans

That’s the view of charity Ambitious about Autism.

It says the idea is needed to boost the employment of autistic young people.

Legal duty

At present, EHCPs impose a legal duty to support autistic young people in school. The same responsibility should apply in the workplace, the charity says.

Jolanta Lasota is the charity’s chief executive. She said: “We believe the same is needed for the world of work, as the requirement for support does not end when a young person leaves school or college.”

19 recommendations

Her comments follow a UK Government review that made 19 recommendations to support more autistic people to start, stay and succeed in work.

The Buckland Review of Autism Employment, published on 28 February, found most autistic people want to work. However, just three in ten are in jobs due to stigma and lack of understanding.

Department for Work and Pensions figures show this compares to half of all disabled people and eight in 10 neurotypical people.

The UK Government should extend education health and care plans (EHCPs) to provide a legal duty to support autistic young people in work.

Sir Robert Buckland KC has urged the Government and employers to make his review’s recommendations a reality

Views of hundreds of employers and autistic people

The Review’s recommendations include guidance for employers on inclusive procedures, training for autistic staff, equipping career advisers to give better support, and guides for appropriate premises and furnishings.

Led by Sir Robert Buckland KC, the review was supported by the charity Autistica. It took in the views of hundreds of employers and autistic people.

Buckland, the Tory MP for South Swindon, called on the Government and employers to make his “recommendations a reality”.

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the Government would back the review with its £2.5bn back-to-work plan.

Related:

 

Published: 8 March 2024

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Campaigners win against care threat https://www.autismeye.com/bristol-city-council-care-policy/ Fri, 08 Mar 2024 15:36:11 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1531010 Autistic people and those with learning disabilities have won their battle against a proposed Bristol City Council policy that could have forced them into residential care.

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Autistic people and those with learning disabilities have won their battle against a proposed Bristol City Council policy that could have forced them into residential care.

The council has now withdrawn the proposed policy after it carried out a consultation up to 31 January.

Autistic people and people with learning disabilities are under threat from a new Bristol City Council policy that could force them into residential care.

Disability Rights UK’s Michael Erhardt claimed the policy would have punished disabled people

‘Forced’ out of their homes

One of the main concerns was that the policy could have resulted in people currently supported by the council to live in their homes being offered a place in residential care if this was cheaper than a home-based care package.

Many disabled people in Bristol could have found themselves having to choose between living at home with unmet care needs, or moving out of their home into residential care against their wishes. It could have sparked court proceedings.

High support needs

One of the campaigners against the policy was Mark Williams, of the disabled people’s group Bristol Reclaiming Independent Living.

Williams had told ITV West Country that because autistic people and those with severe learning disabilities have high support needs, they “risk having their support cut and being moved to care homes”.

Focus on being ‘cost-effective’

Bristol City Council had argued that its proposed Fair and Affordable Care Policy focused on meeting people’s needs in the most “cost-effective way”.

The council said it needed to make sure there was enough money for everyone who needed care.

Where packages designed to enable the person to remain at home “substantially exceed” the cost of residential care, it had said it may consider alternatives.

Policy would have ‘punished’ disabled

Michael Erhardt, of Disability Rights UK, claimed the policy would have punished disabled people and it was a “brazen” attempt to remove their independent living. But he also said councils were getting “less than they need” from government.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said the UK Government had made £8.1bn available this year and next for adult social care.

Related:

 

Published: 8 March 2024

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Continuing healthcare fails families https://www.autismeye.com/disabled-adults-and-children-denied-care/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:15:18 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1530961 Disabled adults and children are being denied the care they need from the NHS.

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Disabled adults and children are being denied the care they need from the NHS.

BBC reports suggest that NHS continuing healthcare has failed numerous families.

The system makes funding available to those with life-limiting conditions or people at risk of severe harm who live outside of a hospital.

More than 100 families come forward

The BBC reports that it has heard from more than 100 families caring for severely disabled adults and children who are not getting enough help from continuing healthcare.

Last year Alex Spencer, whose son Declan, 24, died of a muscle-wasting condition, told how she struggled to obtain the support she needed through continuing healthcare.

Disabled adults and children are being denied the care they need from the NHS.

People with disabilities are not getting the support they need from the NHS. Image by Kevin Phillips

Spencer, from Leicestershire, told how at one point she had to stay awake for up to 60 hours to care for her son due to gaps in his support.

Fighting for years

Jeremy is an expert by experience on NHS independent care and treatment review (CTR) panels.

These are meetings for people with learning disabilities and autism who are either in a hospital or at risk of being sectioned.

Jeremy, from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, fought for several years to get his autistic daughter Bethany, 24, out of hospital and living in the community again.

He said families who are given budgets to buy their care, either through continuing healthcare or via direct payments from a local authority, often end up struggling to get the support they need.

Staff shortages lead to struggle

Jeremy, 57, said staff shortages across the sector mean families often have to struggle alone.

He said decisions take place about funding someone’s ongoing health needs without checking if the support is available.

He added: “You can say, ‘This person needs X, Y and Z,’ but if that doesn’t actually exist as a provision, there seems to be no way of securing that provision.”

‘Robust process’

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care released a statement. It said local care boards determine who qualifies for continuing healthcare.

And there is a “robust process” for appealing against continuing healthcare decisions, the spokesperson added.

Related:

 

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Call for autism mental health service https://www.autismeye.com/specialist-autism-mental-health-service-norther-ireland/ Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:41:36 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1530920 The resumed Northern Ireland Assembly needs to set up a specialist autism mental health service to cope with the severe needs of its population.

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The resumed Northern Ireland Assembly needs to set up a specialist autism mental health service to cope with the severe needs of its population.

That’s the message from Kerry Boyd, head of the charity Autism NI.

The resumed Northern Ireland Assembly needs to set up a specialist autism health service to cope with the severe needs of its population.

Kerry Boyd, head of Autism NI, says her charity will “guide and influence” Northern Ireland’s newly-formed assembly

Boyd said autism assessment waiting times had reached an all-time high.

She added that the lack of a functioning government after Stormont collapsed had severely affected services.

She said her charity’s helpline took “an unprecedented 15,000 calls“ after the power-sharing assembly collapsed in early 2022 over Brexit.

Assessment wait of up to six years

Waiting times for an autism diagnosis reached as high as five years for children and six years for adults in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust’s area, she said.

Boyd said Northern Ireland’s Autism Amendment Act was passed in March 2022. However, the province’s autism strategy was not finalised until December 2023 because of the stalemate at Stormont.

The Act intended to strengthen support services for autistic adults and children.

Last December, the strategy agreed on improving care, education, work and housing, and building more inclusive environments.

Pressures forcing call for autism mental health service

Boyd said additional pressures caused by the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and a high suicide rate among autistic adults had led her charity to call for a specialist autism mental health service.

She said this area needs to be prioritised alongside autism teacher training, as more children are on reduced timetables “than ever before”.

The Northern Ireland Assembly recently resumed work when Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill became the new first minister.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said it recognised the need “for improvement in support for autistic people”.  The spokesperson added that the Department “remains committed” to the autism strategy.

Autism Eye contacted Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party, the two groups who together run Stormont, but neither responded.

Related:

 

Published: 14 February 2024

 

 

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Reseachers want better dual diagnosis https://www.autismeye.com/dual-diagnosis-autism-and-epilepsy/ Sat, 03 Feb 2024 18:49:40 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1530734 A research team is calling for better ways of carrying out a dual diagnosis of autism and epilepsy. 

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A research team is calling for better ways of carrying out a dual diagnosis of autism and epilepsy. 

Studies have suggested anywhere between 2 per cent and 46 per cent of autistic people suffer from epilepsy.

A research team is calling for better ways of carrying out a dual diagnosis of autism and epilepsy. The research team’s call followed their investigation of a case involving a seven-year-old boy.

The boy saw a decline in his language and thinking skills after a seizure.

Diagnosed with dual conditions

Led by Professor Alejandro Cano-Villagrasa, of the International University of Valencia, the research team investigated the boy’s case and diagnosed him with the dual conditions of autism and epilepsy.

The scientists said future research should focus on developing evaluation tools for children who have both conditions.

The boy’s family told Cano-Villagrasa’s team that he developed ‘normally’ until he was five.

He liked to stack toys and would get upset if the arrangement was altered, but the family attributed his solitary play to his personality.

Seizure harmed boy’s skills

The boy had his first recorded seizure when he was six. This had a detrimental impact on his language and thinking skills.

The family also noticed that the boy showed more impulsivity and rigidity. In addition, he had problems with paying attention, which caused difficulties at home.

Cano-Villagrasa and his team said the case highlights “the difficulty in detecting ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and epilepsy, establishing an accurate early diagnosis for proper language competency intervention”.

His work calls for investment and research to improve diagnostic tools. He says this would improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD and epilepsy.

‘Disoriented and confused’

Tom Shillito is the research manager at the charity Epilepsy Action.

He said people often feel “disoriented and confused” after a seizure, as well as having “memory problems”.

Shillito said it can be difficult to establish whether a seizure or other conditions were causing problems.

The research appeared in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Related:

 

Published: 3 February 2024

 

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New home joy after ‘horrific’ care https://www.autismeye.com/bethany-autistic-woman-new-home/ Sun, 21 Jan 2024 07:36:35 +0000 https://www.autismeye.com/?p=1530595 An autistic woman who was held in seclusion by a “horrific Victorian care package” has made a start in a new home.

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An autistic woman who was held in seclusion by a “horrific Victorian care package” has made a start in a new home.

Bethany was left “utterly institutionalised” following her 22-month stay at Northampton hospital St Andrew’s Healthcare, says dad Jeremy.

An autistic woman who was held in seclusion by a “horrific Victorian care package” has made a start in a new home

Bethany going into her new home after seven years in a hospital

But after seven years in hospital care, Bethany, 24, moved into her own home last weekend with round-the-clock support.

Excitement and nervousness

Jeremy, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, says he and his daughter are feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Before her lengthy hospital stay, Bethany saw 17 educational and community placements fail in six years.

Jeremy, who does not want to reveal his surname, said his daughter’s experience of community living had always “let her down”.

But he said the detailed planning that has gone into her latest move gives him “a lot of confidence that it will work”.

260-mile trip to see daughter

Before this move, the father spent years travelling up to 260 miles to see his daughter. Before her new start, she lived in a hospital run by Mersey Care in Whalley, Lancashire.

Her new bungalow is just a couple of miles from her father’s home.

Jeremy said his daughter’s quality of life at Mersey Care was exemplary and the organisation had made every effort to ensure the transition was successful.

Kept in a ‘cell’ and fed through a hatch

He began campaigning for his daughter when she was sent to St Andrew’s.

Bethany, who also has a mild learning disability, spent long periods in segregation at the hospital. The institution kept her in a “cell” and fed her through a hatch.

Jeremy has admitted that sometimes Bethany lashed out at staff before the hospital secluded her. However, he insists she was denied therapy to help regulate her emotions.

He said trauma is still “evident“ in Bethany and she is having to adjust to the autonomy she has in her new home.

Related:

 

Published: 21 January 2024

 

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