Autism Toolbox for parents and carers

The Parent’s Portal by Autism Early Support is a new digital platform for parents/carers.

As part of the council's universal offer to families, the Parent’s Portal by Autism Early Support (AES) was commissioned to provide free online support and guidance services for Buckinghamshire families, and professionals.

It has been designed and created by AES, a long-established local charity that specialises in early help and autism education.

The service will be available from 1 December 2024.

The Parent’s Portal by AES offers support to parents/carers of children aged 2 to 17 years who:

• may have recognised differences in the child and are exploring neurodivergence, for example, 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)

The Parent’s Portal by AES:

• provides a source of guidance and support to help parents support their child’s journey through school, home and social life
• is designed to be a ‘one-stop, online shop’ that helps parents/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
  • has resources to share with wider family, friends and support services

Watch the YouTube demo of the Parent's Portal

When you log onto the Parent’s Portal by AES, you will find a range of support and guidance resources.

• 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 document size if you are on a data plan)
• 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 parent's 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.