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A person holding a heart-shaped decoration with lights, highlighting the unseen beauty associated with autism.

Autism

At Blackpool and The Fylde College we have a specialist team who can provide advice, information, support and guidance to students that have Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger Syndrome.

What is autism? 

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a generic term used to describe people who have a common set of difficulties that affect communication, relationships and imagination.

According to the Department for Education, individuals with ASD range from those with severe learning difficulties to those with above average intelligence or high intelligence.

 

How we support students with autism spectrum disorder or Asperger syndrome

Our specialist team are trained to assess sensory, social and learning needs and identify self-help strategies and sources of information to help students to understand their unique autism profile.

One-to-one specialist support sessions help students to:

  • Cope with anxiety and stressful situations
  • Improve social communication skills in and out of College
  • Improve their self-esteem and confidence
  • Manage their time, prioritise their workload and create a suitable work-life balance
  • Find solutions for their specific difficulties such as insomnia, anxiety, IBS, low moods and feelings of isolation
  • Identify other issues impacting on College attendance and progress 

 

More generally, we offer the following support for all students with additional needs:

  • Individual and/or group specialist support sessions
  • Advice and guidance on the use of the latest assistive technologies and equipment, if appropriate
  • Use of specialist software such as TextHelp Read & Write Gold which is available throughout the College network
  • Liaison with tutors and raising awareness about students' needs
  • Exam access arrangements, eg extra time, reader/scribe and assistive technology
  • Coloured overlays and reading rulers for students who suffer from visual disturbance
  • Dyslexia screening
  • Support with applications for the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)
  • Development of strategies for improving social and communication skills
  • Library book loan extensions by special arrangement

 

Recognition from the Autism groups

On behalf of the Department for Education, The National Autistic Society (NAS) and Ambitious about Autism we provide a full face to face training programme for professionals in post-16 education and related environments. This has enabled us to ensure our own specialists and staff are well trained and have the appropriate experience to support students’ needs.

Staff work together with parents, carers, local authorities and other external organisations to fully support students with autism and overcome any related challenges to learning.

 

External agencies

In addition to the above, we are proud of our links with the following external organisations that specialise in support for people with autism:

 

Contact us

For more information, contact the Student Support and Wellbeing Team:

Call: 01253 504356
Email: learningsupport@blackpool.ac.uk

Local Offers

Local Offers provide access to organisations and services that support or provide information, advice and activities for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND) and their families.

Blackpool Council Local Offer
Lancashire Council Local Offer
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