What was the situation?
12 year old Theo is one of three children, and both his siblings are autistic and have ADHD. Theo is autistic and has Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, as well as waiting for an ADHD diagnosis. He can feel very anxious and gets overwhelmed and upset very quickly. At school, Theo gets particularly anxious about PE lessons, as he has sensory issues which make getting changed into his PE kit very stressful.
Theo had an experience with a teacher telling him he was not autistic, which caused him to lose trust in his school, and he has since found it difficult to open up to other school staff. As a result of his worries at school, Theo would regularly stay at home, particularly on the days he had PE, and his attendance fell to 59%.
How did School-Home Support help?
Theo was referred to practitioner Casey, who began building up a trusting relationship with him. At first, he was reluctant to speak to Casey and became very overwhelmed. Casey was able to explain that she wasn’t a teacher but that she was there to help him. Casey also explained that she had been speaking to his mum, and knew that his parents ran a pub, which reassured him and helped to build up trust.
Casey began checking in with Theo each day. When Theo gets overwhelmed at school, he now comes to see Casey himself, to help him calm down and regulate his emotions. For Theo’s mum, she feels reassured that there is someone at school who has the time to help him in these moments.
On the days when he has PE, Theo now has a pass that means he does not have to take part, and will spend time with Casey in the school hub or going for a walk and a chat. Every Friday Casey will meet with Theo and look at his school attendance. He is excited to watch it go up and is now more motivated to come in each day.
After just 5 weeks of support, Theo’s attendance increased by 4%. Although there have since been some fluctuations in his attendance as he continued to find it difficult to attend every day, it has been a great help knowing he can go to Casey for support in school if he needs it.
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