The Parents Portal by Autism Early Support (AES)

The portal, designed to support the needs of children and families about neurodivergence, will be accessible for parents through online registration from 1 December 2024 (free for families in Buckinghamshire).

Professionals who may be supporting a child or their families can also sign up to the portal and access the knowledge and resources. No referral or diagnosis is needed to access the portal. Online sign-up is straightforward.

“As part of our universal offer to families, we have now commissioned free access for parents and supporting professionals to an online support and guidance service for Bucks families; The Parent’s Portal by Autism Early Support (AES). It has been designed and created by AES which is a long-established local charity who specialise in early help and autism education” - Caroline Hart, Designated Clinical Officer for SEND in Buckinghamshire.

Professionals wanting to find out about the portal are invited to come along to one of the online demonstration sessions, lasting 30 minutes, being hosted by Buckinghamshire Council ahead of the portal being accessible.

Professionals wanting to find out about the portal are invited to come along to one of the online demonstration sessions, lasting 30 minutes, being hosted by Buckinghamshire Council ahead of the portal being accessible.

Booking links for the demo sessions are as follows:

• Wednesday 6 November at 4pm
• Friday 8 November at 2pm
• Wednesday 13 November at 11am
• Thursday 14 November at 2pm
• Thursday 21 November at 9:30am
• Friday 22 November at 2pm
• Monday 25 November at 9:30am
• Tuesday 26 November at 1pm

The service is for parents and carers of children aged between 2 to 17 years who:

• may have recognised differences in their child and are exploring neurodivergence such as. they may have Googled ‘Is my child autistic?’, spoken with a GP, health visitor or school
• have an autistic child(ren) (self-identified or diagnosed)
• are awaiting an ASD/ADHD assessment for their child(ren)

It is designed to provide a source of guidance and support to help parents support their child’s journey through school, home, and social life.

It is a one-stop shop that helps parents and carers to:

• access early help and broaden their understanding
• gain trusted, consistent guidance and peer support
• understand and be able to advocate for their child’s needs
• save time and sense of overwhelm by the conflicting guidance and misinformation on the internet
• have unlimited access on-demand 24/7, as and when they need it
• feel less isolated and part of a community of support and shared experiences
• recognise the value of building partnerships between their family and school
• have resources they can share with their wider family, friends, and support services

Support and guidance is delivered by logging in to an online platform to access:

• regular live and interactive online workshops delivered by neurodivergent advocates and specialist practitioners
• facilitated parent support groups
• online drop-ins and Q&As on key topics
• on-demand webinars and bite-size videos
• reading rooms with downloadable PDFs (check the size if using your mobile to download)
• facilitated discussion forums

Autism Early Support (AES) provides early support and specialist education to children with communication, interaction, and sensory differences. Founded in 2001, the charity has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted four times. Alongside their provision of specialist education and support for children, AES believes in whole family well-being and offers an extensive programme of guidance and advice for parents and carers.

The portal was created by the AES team of speech and language therapists, specialist teachers, occupational therapists, and parent support coordinators. They listened to the needs of parents, channelled their own years of direct practice, and lived experience and have taken guidance from autistic researchers to create this dynamic, needs-led resource.

Buckinghamshire Council have commissioned licences to be made available through AES at no cost to support families in Buckinghamshire. Licences can also be given to professionals/front-line workers supporting children in Buckinghamshire who have recognised differences in a child they are supporting, and they suspect there may be a neurodivergence, a child who is awaiting assessment for ASD/ADHD or who has a diagnosis. These licences may be used by people working in education, early years settings, health, or the voluntary community sector.

The access has been funded by Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) and is designed to support the needs of children and families in relation to neurodivergence.