Summary
We delivered a full summer holiday programme for 99 individual autistic children and young people for 5 weeks in July/August 2022. Delivering 80 different activities offering a choice of fun, engaging options that included centre based activities and day trips.
What Summer Holiday Programme for Autistic Children and Young People did
Activities were offered in either half days or full days, depending on the age of the children and young people and what we knew they could cope with and many children attending more than one activity over multiple weeks offering routine and consistent support through the summer holidays, which can traditionally be a tricky time for families with a lack of routine of school and limited childcare options.
The activities took place over the school summer holidays of 2022 and were a mixture of centre based activities and day trips across Scotland.
Children and young people who accessed our holiday programme are all young people who are registered with us for our services or referred to us from Social Work colleagues where families are identified in needing respite support. All children and young people accessing are living in Perth & Kinross, and aged 20 and under.
The project allowed parents/carers of autistic children and young people to have respite time over the summer holidays which can traditionally be a tricky time for young people without the usual routine of school and where they are not able to access universal childcare opportunities.
The parents can use this time for a range of different self care activities, allowing them to carry on with general household activities, such as shopping where their young person struggles in these environments and also allows both parent carers and young carers the opportunity to do summer holiday activities together, where these may not be suitable or engaging for autistic young people.
The programme was well utilised and well received with excellent feedback from both parents/carers and from the young people themselves. One parent told us:
"Thank you so much for looking after my boy yesterday. He was so tired he napped on the way home, slept all night and didn't wake up till 8.30am. I think he absolutely had the best time, and is probably very excited to be coming back. I'm so excited that he has a safe space to just be and he will love the garden as we don't have one."
Our project met the following priority areas:
Complex Needs
Sports and active leisure
Independence and
Transition to adulthood
What Perth Autism Support has learned
Each year the holiday programme develops and changes as we consult with our young people and we continue to adopt this approach as we have learned this is the best way to ensure high capacity for activities, maximising the opportunities for children and young people.
We have also learned that when children are early years/primary, they are seeking centre based activities where they can just relax and have fun without the stress and overwhelm of day trips and new surroundings, but older young people are seeking more activities out with the centre and love to have a focussed trip.
How Perth Autism Support has benefitted from the funding
Better Breaks funding has allowed us to continue to develop regular activities that are well used by families in our area. It has increased our capacity for delivery and helped us to continue our reputation for high quality autism specific services, a unique offer in our area.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
95 children and young people accessing our services will enjoy 65 different summer time activities meaning they will not be socially isolated outside of school term time, gain valuable social opportunities and build strong peer relationships.
Results
99 children and young people accessing our services enjoyed a range of 60 different summer time activities, including half day and full day options depending on their individual requirements. Children and young people were able to maintain peer friendships they have made at Perth Autism Support over term time, and had access to autism specific opportunities to allow them to be in an fun, safe environment with children and young people who understand and have similar life experiences as each other.
Case study
Before our summer programme was arranged, we asked our young people what activities they would like to do in the summer holidays.
We took on board the suggestions and added these for example, outdoor activities at Willowgate Activity Centre. After the Willowgate session the young person said, ‘that was the best day ever’.
Another activity was called ‘Katakanu’ which involved the young people getting into teams. They had to work together doing this and subsequently some of the young people have forged a friendship which continues out with Perth Autism Support.
We also expanded the number of activities on offer from our previous summer and this allowed the young people more choice as well as more opportunities to join in and have fun.
Without our summer holiday programme, many children and young people are unable to access universal holiday provision as this is not flexible or supported enough to meet their needs, this can often lead to increased social isolation over the long summer period. Through our project the children and young people had a full summer with lots of laughter, friendship and memories made.
Outcome
237 Carers of the 95 children and young people accessing our services will be able to enjoy respite time during the summer months without worrying as their children will be enjoying 65 different social opportunities in a safe and fun environment with specialist autism trained practitioners.
Results
226 carers of 99 children and young people enjoyed respite time during the summer months, knowing that their children were in a safe and fun environment with autism trained practitioners.
Case study
The time and opportunity created by our summer programme for carers has been invaluable. For one of our parents, who has a son diagnosed with autism and ADHD, find that her day, as a lone parent is very much geared to being outside and finding opportunities for her son to be active with lots of physical movement. This not only impacts them financially, but leaves her with very little "me" time with all of her focus as a lone parent on her son.
The family have been significantly impacted through the Cost of Living crisis and this has meant that opportunities for mum to be able to find affordable, appropriate activities to do out with school has been challenging and this is exacerbated by the long summer holiday programme.
Not only did we ensure that we offered access to appropriate activities that met the young person's needs, we also connected mum with various other community organisations to allow her time to not only have social connections, but she also started to do some volunteering. Mum shared with us that there had been no successful attendance in any other children's groups unless she stayed with him until he came to Perth Autism Support.
"Thank you so much for looking after my boy yesterday. He was so tired he napped on the way home, slept all night and didn't wake up till 8.30am. I think he absolutely had the best time, and is probably very excited to be coming back. I'm so excited that he has a safe space to just be and he will love the garden as we don't have one."
Outcome
237 Carers will have been provided with a set activities schedule so can plan respite time whilst their young person is being cared for by our services, allowing them to take time for themselves.
Results
226 carers of 99 children and young people enjoyed respite time during the summer months, knowing that their children were in a safe and fun environment with autism trained practitioners.
Case study
Parents told us they have used the time in many different ways, to undertake regular household activities, meet with friends for coffee, just relax and have some quiet time for themselves or be able to plan alternative activities with young carer siblings they may not be able to do due to their autistic child's needs.
One parent who has 4 children, 2 of whom are autistic, and is a lone parent, told us:
"I have limited support in the area from family and friends and school holidays fill me with dread about how I can afford activities for all my children, or plan quality family time together that meets everyone's needs, it is almost an impossible task.
Through the PAS summer programme I was able to afford to have a wide selection of opportunities for two of my children for the whole time through summer that I could access when I needed, and the fact there was so much choice meant they could do separate things and meet other friends!
This meant that I could spend time with their two neurotypical siblings who often feel that more time and effort is put in to supporting my autistic children. Thanks PAS, you helped to lower my stress and anxiety over the summer period!"
Outcome
95 autistic young people and 237 parents and carers will have had extended time to develop peer support networks and have time independently away from the family unit and carer responsibilities.
Results
99 autistic children and young people and 226 parent carers had extended time to undertake activities independently of each other, whilst has helped not only to improve the wellbeing of each individual but has supported strengthening relationships within the family home.
Case study
Over the 2022 Summer programme, we delivered a five-week cooking programme to support the young people in developing their life skills.
Each week we worked on a different aspect of a meal; appetiser, starter, main and dessert. We then took a trip with the young people, using public transport, to a local village restaurant where we saw the workings of a kitchen and tasted the menu.
The young people learned new skills and developed their cooking and independent travel skills. Many of the young people then felt inspired to use these skills at home and support their carers when preparing and cooking a meal at home, being involved with the family, and working together, creating an improved wellbeing whilst in the sessions and also following.
Quote from carer - “S found these sessions really fun! It’s so lovely to see him getting involved in the dinners at home for us and his sister - I wonder if we have a chef in the making!”