Sparkle and Chatterbox
Receiving a diagnosis
How might you feel? Following months or perhaps years of feeling that your child is not developing as he should, you are finally given a diagnosis. He has an autistic spectrum disorder. You go home and try to come to terms with the news. But what happens now?
No so long ago, the answer was nothing. Parents were simply left to cope as best they could.
New project to support parents
Fortunately, one person felt that this was not how things should be. Margaret Cummings, a pre-school home visiting teacher, felt very strongly that what parents needed was practical support and advice. Sparkle and Chatterbox are the result of her inspirational ideas, hard work and unrelenting enthusiasm.
With funding secured from Angus Council, the project began in a small hut in the grounds of Whitehills Hospital in Forfar. Margaret began to develop support activities, advice and information for children and families affected by autistic spectrum disorder in the Angus area. Very soon after, speech and language therapist, Liz Hodgson, was persuaded to join her, enabling them to offer team support.
What happens first?
Once a diagnosis has been made, the Sparkle team are advised. Parents are then contacted, initially by telephone. A friendly, flexible approach is Margaret’s signature, as she offers to visit families in their own homes. Some are keen to get help straight away while others may take some time before they feel ready to take the next step.
'Angus is a large rural community. No matter where they live everyone would have a fairly big journey to get to a central group and we have found that, at this stage, parents prefer individual support,' Margaret explained. 'We can give parents and carers much needed practical help by answering questions, suggesting different behaviour management strategies and helping with plans for achieving a child-friendly routine in their life at home.'
'What we offer - information, support, assessment and working with children in groups – will be adapted to the particular needs of the child and, of course, in agreement with the wishes of the parents and carers.'
Next steps
The next step is for parents to come along to the centre. A typical programme runs for four evening sessions with an optional, additional evening session for members of the extended family including grandparents, who often play a major part in childcare throughout society today. The support group sessions are relaxed and informal, covering the main areas of concern for parents:
- Session 1 – Autistic Spectrum Disorders – what are they and what impact do they have on the family?
- Session 2 – Approaches to Management I – play, behaviour and communication.
- Session 3 – Approaches to Management II.
- Session 4 – Information on support groups and voluntary services.
- Session 5 – Extended family and carers optional session.
The Sparkle programme runs in tandem with other health and education services that the child receives helping to provide a comprehensive programme of support for children and their families.
Developing skills and having fun
For children with autistic spectrum disorder it can be hard to make sense of the world around them. Two of the main developmental areas that are affected include difficulty forming social relationships and problems with verbal and non-verbal communication. The Chatterbox programme aims to develop these skills.
Families come along and have fun with different toys, play games, sing action songs, learn ball skills, and dress up. But the fun has a serious purpose with specific aims and targets for each child, for example, making eye contact, co-operative play, imaginative play, joint attention and improving gross motor skills.
The programme is both popular and successful. Groups now meet in Carnoustie, Arbroath and Forfar every fortnight for a block of four sessions. Parents are encouraged to join in with the children’s activities and this can help with ideas to work on with their child at home. When the four sessions have been completed, families attend an individual session where they are given a report on their child’s progress.
Benefits of the project
The Chatterbox team and the parents can see how these sessions have immense benefits for the children. They gain confidence from the small group. This encourages them to explore different activities and to start interacting with each other: a skill that we take for granted but is often very difficult for children with autistic spectrum disorder.
Jane, a parent, describes her experience at Chatterbox with her son who will soon be starting school.
'I felt it would be a good idea as he would be with other children who were the same. The group was small, five altogether, and I knew that the focus would be on the children, to help them develop their social skills before they start school… It definitely worked. And he really likes going along. I don’t know what we would have done without it.'
The team’s support continues through the early years in education. Margaret and Liz liaise with playgroup leaders, pre-school teachers and with primary teachers to ensure as smooth a transition as possible into the busy life of the school.
Autism is a lifelong disability affecting over half a million children and adults throughout the UK. The degree of severity varies greatly but with specialised education and the right support children can be helped to reach their full potential. Sparkle and Chatterbox are making a remarkable contribution towards this goal.
Contact information
Pre-school home visiting teacher
Tel: 07944 993607
The Department of Speech & Language Therapy
Tel: 01356 665049