Action-attainment’s new workshop for parents and teaching staff of children and young adults with communication needs examines how we can understand, plan and prepare for attainment with a good understanding of hidden communication needs. Talking Tomorrows have specific experience of working on differentiation of secondary and adult learning, interview and life skills.

‘Talking Tomorrows’, specialist speech and language therapists, explain how to:

• Identify hidden communication needs

• Understand life-long impacts on learning & interaction

• Know how to find practical strategies for education, work and social integration

• Put in place scaffolding for young people’s attainment across their life-span

Young adults with communication and sensory needs can be highly capable, and very mis-understood. Communicating with officials from education to employers, housing to health may be complicated by people just not realising how disabling these difficulties really are.  

OCCASIONAL PARENT WORKSHOPS

Legal independence at 18 can also mean that officials, aiming to respect independent decision making, refuse to involve parents who have been key in young people's lives. This can be troubling for all concerned.

Setting up Powers of Attorney can provide the pathway for chosen people to support young adults with communication needs in their decision making around education, finance, health and welfare. This is particularly important now that support towards independence is available from 19 to 25 if a young person is granted an Education, Health and Care Plan. 

Since 2015 Action-attainment has worked with Sinclairslaw to provide information for families interested in Powers of Attorney. Other parent workshops to support transition to adulthood have included Golden Lane Housing describing how to set up independent living and a multi-disciplinary team from Richmond and Kingston describing services to support young adults into work.