Fostering children with autism – #WorldAutismAcceptanceMonth
April is World Autism Acceptance Month. This 30-day campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness of autism, while also working to increase society’s understanding and acceptance of autistic people of all ages
.
.
Statistics estimate one in every hundred people have autism in the UK, and approximately 70% of children in foster care have additional needs. With over 50,000 children currently in foster care, right now there are thousands of autistic children living with foster carers across the country.
Fostering children with autism is extremely rewarding, but caring for young people on the autistic spectrum can also be challenging. There are several neurodivergent children in the Focus community and our fostering team members work hard to provide autistic children with support, tailored to best suit their unique needs. At Focus Foster Care, we offer several training programs to increase our carers’ knowledge and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
What is autism?
Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental condition, influencing how a person experiences and interacts with the world around them. Autism is a lifelong condition and the severity of symptoms can vary significantly from person to person.
Some common traits of autism in children include:
- Sensory sensitivities – such as to sound, taste, lighting
- Verbal delays
- Difficulty understanding social cues
- Emotional dysregulation
- ‘Black and white’ and literal thinking
- Makes repetitive sounds/movements – known as ‘stimming’
- Communication challenges
A more detailed breakdown of the signs and symptoms of autism can be found on the NHS website.
Challenges faced by autistic children in care
Living away from home is understandably a difficult experience for all children. However, autism can intensify already challenging circumstances, leading to behavioural and emotional struggles. Autistic children typically have difficulty with transitions and can struggle significantly when a change is made to their regular routine. It can also be difficult for children on the autistic spectrum to communicate how they are feeling and fully understand complex situations.
Typically it takes foster carers time to understand an autistic child’s unique behaviours and ways of communicating. It is not uncommon for neurodivergent children to feel misunderstood and overwhelmed by their experiences. Despite the many challenges autistic children in care face, they are able to thrive within their fostering family providing they receive the appropriate support.
Help for foster carers of autistic children
At Focus Foster Care, we celebrate the individuality and unique strengths of all the children within our community. Along with our foster carers, we work hard to embrace the childhoods of all the children we look after. We make sure all young people are given the opportunity to thrive by getting to know their unique needs, and empowering our foster carers to meet these needs in the best possible way.
Focus foster carers looking after autistic children have access to training programs tailored towards caring for neurodivergent young people.
The following training courses are available in our training hub:
- ADHD and Autism Level 2
- Autistic Spectrum Level 2
- PICA Level 2
Autistic children may also be under the care of an occupational therapist, speech therapist or educational psychologist. We work with our foster carers to ensure all professional healthcare support is maintained during the child’s placement.
We are committed to always equipping our foster carers with the knowledge they need to help autistic children to thrive. Alongside our bespoke training courses, we also offer 24/7 telephone support; there is always a member of our team available to provide guidance and advice.
"Every child is different and as social workers we are always ready to do out best to support foster carers, in whichever way possible, to help our neurodivergent children to thrive and achieve. We ensure our carers have access to relevant services and agencies."
Fiona
Social worker
Celebrating autistic children in foster care
World Autism Acceptance Month is not only an opportunity to raise awareness of ASD. This April we also want to share some of the many achievements of the autistic children in the Focus community.
Our independent fostering agency is like a tight-knit family. We are proud of all the children in our fostering community, but would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the individual differences that make the autistic children we care for so unique.
We have supported neurodivergent children learn to swim, join the choir, start nursery, and have new experiences such as going to the seaside. One of our young people loves nothing more than going to the coffee shop with her male foster carer each week, on the same day at the same time, as part of her routine.
All that’s left to say is this – Happy World Autism Acceptance Month! Caring for children with autism is extremely rewarding and if this is something you are interested in, we want to hear from you!
Focus Foster Care is currently recruiting foster carers throughout the West Midlands. Contact our team today to find out more.
