EarlyBird Plus is for parents whose child has received a later diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is aged 4-8 and in Early Years or Key Stage One provision.
The programme addresses the needs of both home and school settings by training parents/carers together with a professional who is working regularly with their child, the aim being that a child will be given consistent support. We work to build both parents' and professionals' confidence and encourage them to problem solve together.
EarlyBird Plus is an absolute must to help you begin to learn and understand how your child's mind works.
Parent
We use the established EarlyBird framework of teaching about autism before considering how to develop communication or manage behaviour. The programme consists of eight group sessions, and two home visit weeks. A follow-up session is held six months after the programme.
We work with between three and five teams (parents and a local professional) at a time. Two places are allocated to each family with a third available for their local professional.
Having the opportunity to discuss things with both his parents and other school staff was invaluable.
Professional
The NAS EarlyBird Centre is based in South Yorkshire. However, many areas of the UK now run the programme for local families.