Case study - Summer Lego Club Signpost's summer Lego club for socially isolated children with autism, and the difference it made for them Expand Summer Lego Club Our summer Lego Club was designed to give 10 autistic children who had no statutory support, and who struggled with social situations, a chance to make friends. We also employed a teenager with autism, in his first volunteering role, as one of the facilitators, and he was adept at engaging the younger children and quietly enforcing the club rules while clearly enjoying his ‘staff’ responsibilities. We knew the club was succeeding when a mum told us that while shopping in Asda, her son shouted “Look, mum, there’s my friend from Lego club!”, when previously he had said he had no friends. Another family had to break their summer holiday in Ayr for a day to come to Lego club, as their son refused to miss it – a round trip of 140 miles! A third child eventually felt confident enough to give up the ear defenders that he always wore when away from home. Some children have continued their friendship after the club finished, as their parents also made friends while they waited for their children, and arranged play dates, even if the children lived in different areas.
Case study - support for my daughter a Signpost parent describes how we successfully supported her whole family to deal with the challenges of autism Expand “My daughter C has autism. Signpost has supported us to recognise what we know already and what we still need, and to voice our emotions and worries in difficult situations. In the early days they gave us books so my daughter could understand how autism affected her. Later it was about making sure her little sister got support – Signpost suggested a siblings club, and now she knows she’s not alone, and gets so many opportunities that I couldn’t provide (my health isn’t good). Both of them have clubs, which has really boosted their confidence. I joined a carers group, and that has helped me to speak up better. Recently we attended the transition course, which led to us getting social work involved (we’d never have known to ask them otherwise) – and it also led to C getting a place at college, another thing we didn’t think was possible” (mum of C, age 16)
Case study - my two boys A Signpost parent describes the difference we made for her two sons, who have very different support needs Expand I have 2 sons on the Autistic spectrum. One who has just turned 18!! And the other is 8 years old. B (age 8) was diagnosed in his last year of nursery and J was diagnosed last year. Two very different boys with different amazing outlooks on life. Both boys have had difficulties at school and Signpost has helped us address these in such an amazing way that has transformed their learning. My older son was failing his exams but is now a grade A student, and my younger one, who was running out of the room and hitting his head on things, has now settled down and is able to learn. We were able to access the ILF fund for J to do driving lessons thanks to Signpost making me aware of this grant. This will allow his independence for the next chapter in his life where he plans to go to college and study music. J adores music and has used this gift to become a grade A student doing advanced higher music, music technology, physics, maths and chemistry and plays in 3 bands. I have also accessed information for their sibling that is 5 years old and not autistic, and the strategies allow him to thrive in what can be challenging situations at times. The staff in Signpost were the first people I saw after my younger son’s diagnosis and were like a breath of fresh air. They helped me calm down and process the information just received about his Autism diagnosis. Signpost helped me access information to understand what autism was and develop my knowledge in order to support my children. Signpost helped me be aware of benefits I would be entitled to and how to access these. I have developed support networks with other parents of autistic children through taking part in the 'Getting Through the Day with Autism' course. Our family have accessed days out thanks to Signpost, which not only allowed precious memories it also took the pressure off of finances and allowed us to enjoy the days without worry if the financial cost of the day was overwhelming and we needed to leave. My boys have been able to access information on their autism thanks to Signpost which developed their knowledge and embrace their autism. We have accessed information to help family members and friends become aware of the condition that we would not have known about without Signpost. Without Signpost our family would not have known where to begin after diagnosis. Signpost is everything to families like mine and I will always be forever grateful to the amazing team for everything they have done and continue to do for my family and other families like mine.
Case study - a new wheelchair A father describes the benefits of having a new wheelchair for his daughter. Signpost supported the family to find funding for the wheelchair Expand A new wheelchair for my daughter My daughter R was born with a rare genetic disorder which causes both learning disabilities and mobility issues. Due to her lack of safety awareness, we had to get her a wheelchair from the NHS for school, which could only be pushed by another person, not by R. She has wanted her own self-propelled wheelchair for a while now and thanks to advice from Signpost, who directed us towards the Challenger's Children's fund (who helped to fund the wheelchair), she now has one and can use it safely under our supervision. This will really help with her upper body and core strength which will help her move around the house more easily too. Update (one year later) R loves her self-propelled wheelchair and we've noticed a massive improvement in her upper body and core strength as we'd hoped, which has had the additional benefit of reducing the number of falls R has around the house e.g. when getting in/out of the shower as she is better able to support her weight using grab rails. As a result of learning how to safely use the self-propelled wheelchair at home, we have also been able to switch R to a self-propelled NHS wheelchair for school which is great for her independence and wouldn't have been possible without the "proof of concept" of using one at home thanks to Signpost and the Challenger's Children's Fund. Now she's a teenager, she has more freedom to enjoy time with her friends, without relying on an adult to push her everywhere.
Case study - a day out to relax A parent describes the difference that using Signpost's family passes makes for her whole family Expand A day out to relax L is developmentally delayed, and has vision problems, so he sometimes finds new experiences and places difficult & frightening. Signpost loaned family passes for local attractions to his family so that he could get used to new places and enjoy some family time together with his brother, without the expense and uncertainty of having to leave quickly if he became distressed. L's mum says: "I think this is an incredible, invaluable, benefit to offer families. My son is developmentally delayed and has a heightened sensitivity to sound and busy environments, reacting with great fear, and the only way to calm him is to remove him. Our family have benefited hugely from the passes, as before we would not have gone because we know how he reacts, and we would not spend the huge admission prices to potentially have to leave after 5 mins. We have gone on quiet days and he has been able to have a lovely day with his brother. We are very lucky to be able to experience these lovely outings thanks to Signpost!!!"