Making a difference: the impact of parent support programmes
Published on 18 October 2026
Author: Julia Lunn
In this professional article Julia Lunn, Senior Training Consultant at the National Autistic Society, discusses the importance of support programmes for parents and her experience as a trainer with more than 20 years’ experience.
20 years ago – I was working for a local authority supporting pre-school children and their families – and I trained to be an EarlyBird facilitator. I was feeling a bit out of my depth in the role, but it soon became my favourite part of the job. Seeing families come to their first group session and then seeing them start to relax, to openly and honestly share how they were feeling and to go away each week feeling more and more confident and empowered – and seeing the difference this made to their children. I never imagined that, 20 years later, I would be the person leading a team to re-develop the programmes and being the licensed user training lead for the National Autistic Society.
EarlyBird, EarlyBird Plus and Teen Life are parent support programmes, co-produced by a team of autistic people, including some who are parents of autistic children. The programmes take a collaborative approach, using a mix of information, peer support and empowering parents to be the best possible advocates and support for their autistic children. We train approximately 600 new licensed users every year and have a total of approximately 2000 licensed users spread across the UK (and beyond!).
“The course was incredibly informative and importantly created by autistic people which really showed in how thoughtful, respectful and practical the content was.”
If you become a licensed user... what really happens after the training when you deliver the programmes direct to families?
We have been closely tracking the outcomes for families over the last few years – the information in this article is based on feedback from 538 individuals who attended a programme in 2025/26 and completed both the pre and post programme evaluation forms.
The biggest impact is an increase in confidence when explaining autism to their child and to other family members. This outcome has the lowest rating pre-programme (42%) and sees the biggest increase post-programme (88%).
Throughout the programmes families are encouraged to take a strengths-based approach so that they can develop their understanding of how being autistic impacts their child and their strengths and challenges. Post programme 97% of families give a positive rating of their understanding, compared to 56% pre-programme.
“It really felt like a safe space to be able to discuss different topics and I never felt anything was off the table.”
We also acknowledge that parents already bring a lot of knowledge and expertise to the programmes and we aim to build upon that – we encourage families to take a ‘next steps approach’ so they look at where they are now and then decide on their next steps – it’s different for every family. We don’t claim to have all the answers or to tell parents what they should do – we empower them to take their knowledge and understanding and to apply this to their own child and own situation, going away with their own individual plans for the next steps.
The programmes give families the time and space to explore topics such as communication, stress and anxiety, managing energy, sensory differences, connections and education. We aim to create a safe, non-judgemental space, where families can share their experiences and support each other.
“The sense of togetherness I felt from the EarlyBird Plus group was lovely. Having a group of parents who are going through similar experiences is a huge support.”
We empower our licensed users to facilitate the sessions so that families are supported not only by them, but also by each other – collaboration is key!
“I gained so many valuable tips, strategies and links to additional support throughout this course! The course really opened my eyes to new ways of doing things at home with my family and is already having a positive impact on us all!”
How does it feel to be the person delivering the programme?
I asked Lisa, who is a licensed user for all three programmes, to tell me how she feels about being a licensed user – this is what she said:
“EarlyBird actually changed my life. After trying to support parents in many different ways for so long, finally I have everything clearly presented in one place. It is the most impactful course I’ve ever delivered. Parents feedback that they feel heard, seen and not judged. I feel I am making a difference to a child’s life, through empowering their parents.”
Final thoughts and reflections
Knowledge and information about autism is constantly evolving. We provide regular updates to our programmes, based on up-to-date evidence and research alongside lived experience. We also consult our licensed users via an annual survey to gather views and opinions on our existing resources as well as any future developments – and we are currently developing some very exciting plans to further support autistic children/teens.
Reflecting back to 20 years ago, a lot has changed since then, but the one thing that hasn’t changed for me, is my passion for supporting autistic children/teens, and their families, so that they grow up understanding themselves, their strengths, their challenges and their support needs. Being the licensed user training lead allows me to play a small part in making that happen, knowing there is a team of 2000 licensed users sharing the passion and making it a reality for all the families they deliver the programmes to.