Teen Life- Autism programme

The Teen Life Programme is a free programme for parents/carers of young people aged 10 to 16 years on the autism spectrum.

The programme will restart in the new school year.

What is the Teen Life Programme?

Teen Life is a programme for parents and carers of young people aged 10-16 with a diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Condition.

There are nine online sessions. Each session will run for about one and a half hours.

The programme includes information on understanding autism in teenagers and covers a range of topics that are relevant to this age group.

The first group of sessions were received well by parents who offered fantastic feedback.

See the great feedback from parents.

“It’s okay to read about autism but talking is much better.”
“Lockdown has been really hard for our family and I have worked hard to get [my child] support…but I realise I have done nothing for my own resilience.”
“Really good to hear from other parents as we can feel isolated. Helped us realise that other children are going through similar experiences which may reassure our son.”
“Really good session, I will try and explore feelings more with [my child].
“Thank you for the session today and for your kind and supportive words. The resource links are really appreciated.”
“Been a tough week with [my child], high anxiety…but implemented Happy journal and school being huge support and setting aside time to talk to him everyday.”
– Local parents and carers

Who is the programme for?

Three places are allocated on the Teen Life Programme. Two for parents or carers whose son or daughter is aged 10-16 and one for a professional who can attend if the parent would like them to.

Who runs the programme?

Teen Life is offered by NELC Community Educational Psychology Service autism experienced professionals who have been trained and licensed by The National Autistic Society’s Licensed Training team to run the programme for families in their local area.

What are the aims of the programme and what will we learn about?

Teen Life aims to empower parents and supporting professionals to understand more about how autism is experienced by autistic teenagers. Useful strategies will be discussed along with the opportunity to share ideas of how to support the autistic person through their teen years.

Topics covered include understanding autism in teenagers, women and girls, self-esteem, spending time with other people, stress and anxiety, behaviour, puberty, independence skills, education strategies and planning for the future. A Teen Life Programme Book will be provided for each family to accompany the programme.

For further information access the National Autistic Society.

Parents / Carers wishing to express interest in participating in the Teen Life programme please email EPtraining@nelincs.gov.uk.

Schools and other professionals please support your parents and carers wishing to express interest in participating in the Teen Life programme in emailing EPtraining@nelincs.gov.uk and / or visit the Educational Psychology page.