Thanks to funding from Inspiring Scotland, we have launched a new group for adults aged 18 and over, who self-identify as, or are diagnosed with a neurodiverse condition such as Autism or ADHD.
If you are an adult who has been diagnosed later in life, or if you suspect you have a neurodiverse condition, we know it can be stressful learning how to cope with the challenges that neurodiversity can present. Our support groups have been created to bring you together in a safe, friendly place so you can build networks with others in similar situations. You are not alone!!
Sessions are a chance to meet and socialise with other like-minded adults in a relaxed environment, compare your experiences and perspectives of neurodiversity. Our specialist neurodiversity practitioners will chat about a different topics each week and share their practical advice and knowledge.
We will give you:
a safe, non-judgemental place to express yourself
an introduction to self-regulation techniques
signposting to other organisations and networks that may be of benefit
wellbeing and resilience strategies
social opportunities to build friendships and peer networks
resources to reinforce learnings from sessions
Weekly on Tuesdays, 6.30-8pm
At Belgrave House, Belgrave Terrace, Rosemount, Aberdeen, AB25 2NR
At SensationALL, we know that Halloween is one of the events in the year that divides people as, while it is a fun celebration for most, many families living with neurodivergent individuals find it a difficult and challenging experience.
If you want to celebrate Halloween this year, here are a few suggestions of how to make it a happy and fun experience for your family…
Plan
Decide what you and your family can enjoy (or perhaps just tolerate!) and make plans – do you want to carve a pumpkin, dress up, go to a party, or even go Trick or Treating? Planning in advance gives you a chance to help neurodiverse individuals understand the event and decide how they want to participate so they feel more in control.
Top tip – Show them examples of different activities. Visual stories are useful for introducing different options for celebrating so they can vote for what they want to do. Try these social stories from Little Puddins:
But, always be flexible – you may need to change plans at short notice to suit your neurodiverse person!
Prepare
Use a countdown in the run up to activities or events – use visual schedules to clearly identify what is happening when.
If dressing up – practice wearing the costume a few times. Consider giving the costume a sensory element (e.g. soft, furry, cosy etc.) or maybe attach a fidget toy to it. Some people like masks to hide behind but others find them constrictive – let your neurodivergent person choose the outfit and how dressed up they want to be. Pinterest is a great source of ideas like these sensory costume suggestions.
Do some role play of the Trick or Treating process. Only make them hold the bucket/bag if they want to and decide together beforehand if they are happy to speak to people or if they want parents/siblings to talk for them.
Top tip – use photos from the internet/social media to show them examples of different costumes they might see when out and about to prepare them for people wearing masks or scary outfits.
Have an exit strategy
We all know that the best laid plans often don’t work out so it’s a good idea to have an exit strategy.
That could be a plan B option if your neurodiverse person refuses to do what you previously agreed – a relaxing Halloween craft or making a Halloween themed snack might be more achievable.
If you do make it out and about, then agree a signal for them to give if they start to feel overwhelmed so you know when it’s time to head home or to a quiet place.
Make it fun!
Halloween can be fun in lots of different ways and there is no “right” way to do it.
They might only wear part of a costume or go Trick or Treating to 1 or 2 houses (or just their grandparent’s house!) or watch while you carve the pumpkin. However they choose to take part, celebrate it and enjoy the small successes with them.
No matter what you do this Halloween, you know your family best so choose the best way to take part without stress. And if your neurodivergent person doesn’t want to do anything at all that’s absolutely fine!
Volunteers are the backbone of what we do and we wouldn’t accomplish so much without them. Our volunteers mirror our values, and are an invaluable extension of our team. One volunteer who has proved to be priceless is our maintenance volunteer, Donald who the staff have unofficially entitled “Superman”.
Donald started volunteering with us shortly after retiring. He knew about the charity due to the support SensationALL had provided for his Autistic grandson. As someone who likes to be busy, he simply wasn’t ready to ‘do nothing’ so, his daughter suggested he might be well suited to helping with facility and maintenance jobs around our centre, The Old Schoolhouse in Westhill.
Throughout 2022, Donald’s contributions proved to be invaluable to us as he can turn his hand to pretty much anything! He surpassed all our expectations in undertaking DIY tasks such as painting and decorating through to skilled work upgrading fixtures in the building. His efforts to the improve the Old Schoolhouse have not only enhanced the aesthetics but, importantly, increased safety for the children and adults with complex needs who use the building.
He is always eager to complete jobs as soon as they are given and no matter how obscure the request may be; he thinks outside the box to fulfil our ideas. He excelled himself with his carpentry skills when he fitted out our new van with bespoke shelving and storage for transporting our sensory equipment.
Donald’s biggest project to date has been the installation of a soft play frame which transformed our facilities. He roped in his cousin, Sam and the pair used their creativity and initiative to reconfigure the second-hand equipment to fit our space. As always, he tackled the task with positivity and a “can do” attitude and never gets deterred when things have to be adapted to suit our unique needs due to our work with individuals with sensory and behavioural issues.
Donald has undoubtably saved the charity hundreds of pounds in maintenance costs and trades people and we simply cannot express the extent of our gratitude to him for his unwavering dedication and enthusiasm.
Recently, Donald has experienced health issues, including undergoing major surgery. However, he played this down to us saying it’s “no big deal” and that he wanted to keep volunteering. Donald shows no signs of slowing down during his ongoing medical treatment and despite our protests for him to take it easy, he continues to pop in to see what jobs he can do!
Volunteers frequently tell us that they “get out as much as they put in” but we are totally indebted to all our generous volunteers who make a huge difference to our charity.
SensationALL’s services and activities for Neurodiverse individuals and those with complex conditions are a lifeline for many. However, our support is not only for attendees themselves, but also for the wider family. In 2022, we created a timetable of informal support groups for parent/carers. The benefit of having this peer support can be huge!
Many parents tell us how alone and lost they feel so being part of this network helps them cope with the emotional burden of caring for someone with complex needs. The sharing of experiences and empathy they get from the group is invaluable and can result in improved resilience and reduced anxiety.
We thought Mental Health Awareness month was the perfect time to share one of our family’s stories…
Kelly’s daughter Georgia-Rose has a diagnosis of Autism and is currently undergoing assessment for ADHD. Kelly suspected from a very young age that Georgia-Rose might be Autistic:
“She really struggled with her meltdowns which, I originally thought were just bad tantrums but the older she got it became apparent they were so much more! Georgia-Rose is a huge masker – she keeps everything bottled in at school and plays a character to fit into society but, when she gets home the mask comes off and she often explodes. From a young age she has experienced sensory difficulties, certain sounds, textures and smells would trigger her and we didn’t know how to deal with it”.
The family’s first experience of SensationALL was coming to our Santa’s Grotto after a disastrous visit to a public grotto when Georgia-Rose left feeling terrified and sad. Her parents were flooded with guilt for taking her somewhere that caused such upset and were devastated she couldn’t enjoy something magical that most children love.
After seeing our details on Facebook, Kelly brought her girls to our relaxed grotto at The Old Schoolhouse in Westhill which, was designed to offer an simpler, unintimidating situation for Neurodiverse children to cope with. This time, her reaction to Santa was completely different to Kelly’s delight; “the look on Georgia-Roses face was something I will cherish forever! She went straight into the grotto and actually spoke to Santa! It was the most special thing for us as her parents to see her enjoy something that had previously terrified her!”
This positive experience led to Georgia-Rose attending numerous soft play sessions and she completing our self-regulation programme, Chill-OOT. As a result, her confidence and self-esteem has grown massively and she now knows ways to calm herself down when she’s overwhelmed and her parents and the wider family have also learnt techniques to help her when she in these situations. Amazingly, Georgia-Rose is able to tell them how things make her feel in different situations which is a huge positive step and has benefited the whole family.
Kelly says, “before I came to SensationALL I had absolutely no idea how to cope with Georgie’s meltdowns. I had been given advice from professionals and had done endless amounts of reading online but for some reason nothing seemed to work with my daughter and her difficulties. I constantly felt judged as a parent, and didn’t want my daughter to be thought of as a badly behaved kid who wouldn’t listen to her parents or just screams and shouts to get her own way. I felt very alone as a parent and didn’t know where to I could find help from people who just ‘got it’.
I started attending the parent support group every week and it has been the best thing I’ve done for myself in this journey – I had no idea how much I needed it! Being around other parents who face the same day to day difficulties as I do is just priceless!
I believe its helped me become a better parent to not only Georgia-Rose, but her youngest sister Ellie-Jane too.
SensationALL means the world to me. It’s a place I can go and cry and know that somebody will be there for me with a tissue and a hot cup of tea. The support I receive is irreplaceable, SensationALL is somewhere I can go and won’t be judged.”
Not feeling alone on this crazy journey of parenting a child with additional support needs is the BEST thing ever!
Kelly
Our Family Support Practitioner, Jo, is also a parent of a young Neurodiverse son so she has experienced many of the situations that our families face:
“I know first-hand that being a parent of a child with additional needs can be isolating and lonely. Parents of neurotypical children can try their best to be supportive but, through no fault of their own, they cannot identify with the unique struggles a parent of a child with Additional Support Needs face daily.
The sharing of experiences allows parents and cares to be heard, and often, for the first time feel accepted and less alone, it is a privilege for me to watch the magic happen in our sessions.
Usually, our sessions are simply an open forum when, struggling parents can chat, cry and laugh which, releases tension and you see the weight starting to lift as their share their problems. We journey together as a group, grieving the difficult times, proactively looking for practical solutions to ease the struggles. I’m honoured to be part of the SensationALL community for parents.”
WATCH – this video features Kelly as well as some other parents talking about SensationALL…
If you’re a parent, guardian, or carer, more information on support sessions is here or email us to ask for more information.
We’ve been delighted with the success of our virtual services since the pandemic forced us to suspend face-to-face activities. But as a needs led service, we are always looking for ways to improve our programme and respond to input from our attendees.
Therefore, we are delighted to announce that following feedback from our youngsters, we’ve added a brand new social group into the diary – Show & Tell
These weekly sessions are currently FREE OF CHARGE – read on for details of what’s involved…
Show & Tell
He is so engaged that I don’t have to ‘babysit’ him during the call.
It has certainly improved his confidence.
Parent feedback, April 2021
During virtual sessions in 2020, it became apparent that our young service users were relishing the chance to share news or tell each other about their hobbies and interests. It became such an important part of video calls that the idea of a stand-alone Show & Tell group was planted!
The SensationALL team then designed a relaxed, weekly session which uses the Show & Tell format as a way to promote communication and listening skills with each participant encouraged to contribute.
Plus, there are fun activities and challenges to enable each child to practice invaluable social skills such as team work, turn-taking and friendship building.
Who is it for?
Show & Tell is aimed at primary school-age children with support needs who struggle with communication, social interaction or making friends.
Contact us if you would like to discuss your child’s individual needs.
I like it because I get to meet other children and I like the games!
Show & Tell attendee, April 2021
Typical session format
The hour longShow & Tell session follow a semi-structured format with a variety of different activities each week to keep regular attendees interested:
– News time – each child gets to share something they’ve done since the last session
– Activities & Games – active time to get them moving (such as scavenger hunts and house tours) or team problem solving games (e.g. quizzes or guessing games with pictures, logos or catchphrases)
– Weekly challenge – we set a challenge to complete at home before the next session – they can then share how they got on with it during News Time.
– Mindful reflection – we finish each session with a positivity and gratitude discussion when each person shares what they enjoyed most.
Benefits for your child
The aim of each session is to provide a safe space for your child to build their confidence in social groups.
We work on:
– improving tolerance towards others (through turn-taking and listening)
– communication skills
– increasing independence
– building positive friendships & relationships
Watch a recent Show & Tell session
Book a place
Sessions are available term time – MONDAYS – 4.30-5.30pm or 6-7pm
The planned car park extension and new playground installation is finally happening!
Visitors to the Old Schoolhouse over the last few years will be familiar with the parking constraints caused by the small onsite car park. Addressing this issue has been one of our key priorities following the completion of the Community Asset Transfer for the building and grounds in 2019 as, ensuring the safety of our families and visitors is vital. At the same time, there was an opportunity to create a fully inclusive space for ALL in the adjoining play park – the first of it’s kind in Westhill.
Over the last 18 months, our team have been carefully planning the upgrade of the outdated play park on Westhill Road. We worked with play equipment experts to create a design that offers something for all abilities and makes the most of the footprint. The carefully selected items include a sensory play frame with slide, swings for all ages and abilities as well as a wheelchair accessible trampoline and roundabout.
We are so excited to see work begin – the play park is going to be a fantastic asset to both our charity and Westhill!
Suz Strachan, Service Manager and Co-Founder
The design has also focused on retaining some open green space so families can enjoy picnics and children can play freely. The new park area will be surrounded by fencing to ensure it is a secure space, safe for children to run and explore.
Meanwhile, the car park extension will allow up to 20 vehicles to park onsite, massively improving safety for visitors to the Old Schoolhouse who previously had to park on the roadside. This will also reduce traffic congestion and inconvenience to our neighbours.
The new entrance to the car park from Westhill Road allows for one-way traffic flow to reduce the risk to pedestrians from turning vehicles.
While a designated drop off point has been created specifically to accommodate minibuses or larger vehicles.
Finally, the original car park area will be reserved for those requiring disabled access and larger parking bays.
With the project costing over £147,000 the task of securing the funding in the last year has been challenging and we feel extremely grateful that despite the pandemic so many organisations have pledged their support.
Special thanks go to our main donors – The Wooden Spoon Charity who are funding the majority of the play equipment costs and Aberdeenshire Council who have awarded us a large grant from their Developers Obligations Fund.
Our contributors:
We would also like to thank Fairhurst and our former Chair, Bob McCracken who were instrumental in making this project a reality. Thanks finally to Nicol of Skene for all their help and assistance.
In the future, we hope to add more elements to the park such as sensory panels – we’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions on what else you’d like in the park please get in touch!
Follow our Facebook page for more updates on the progress of the construction.
The Coronavirus outbreak has affected everyone and SensationALL is no exception!
With our face to face services at the Old Schoolhouse suspended, our dedicated team immediately began investigating alternative options to support our families remotely.
Social distancing and restricted movement have meant extensive changes in routine which is hard for everyone but, it is extra challenging for families living with a support need (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Attention Deficit Disorder, learning disabilities, sensory processing conditions and mental health issues).
That is why, at SensationALL, we are committed to continuing to offer our tailored, practical support to those who need it via digital platforms for as long as lockdown lasts.
SensationALL virtual services
For many of our service users, socialising and processing the world around them can be a constant, daily struggle. For our staff, the prospect of not having direct contact with service users was unthinkable and the team were all motivated to come up with new ways of continuing our much-needed support remotely.
So, with some creative, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking we devised a range of virtual services which will have a significant positive impact on our families’ lives, resulting in happier, calmer children and adults!
Despite a steep learning curve with video call platforms and IT (we’re clinicians so tech is not our strong point!) we are now in our second month of delivering a range of virtual services, including:
@home sessions
1:1 video calls with a SensationALL team member who provides tailored interaction.
The call can include sensory activities, relaxation, games or just a chat – whatever the individual needs!
virtual SociALLise
Weekly group video calls for our teenagers & young adults so they don’t miss out on keeping in touch with friends and all-important social interaction. The calls are a great way for the youngsters to share experiences and feelings with peers whilst being supported by our team.
So far, sessions have included… show & tell, quizzes on a variety of topics, drawing, zentangle (mindful) doodling, games (Pictionary, Charades etc.) group sing & sign, TikTok routines, origami, photo competitions and there’s more to come… phew!
Chill-oot!
We’ve adapted our popular self-regulation programme to an online format!
This invaluable programme is for school-aged children with support needs who struggle with emotional regulation or behavioural management. We teach them how to identify, understand and deal with over-whelming emotions and situations. The 4-week online programme starts in May.
Tea and Tips
Our advisory consultations are needed now more than ever!
Parents/carers can have a confidential talk (phone or video call) with one of our senior practitioners about specific challenges they are facing. We will provide practical strategies and techniques to use at home to make lockdown easier.
We are great listeners!
So far, the response has been amazing with 90% of parents rating the virtual support sessions as ‘highly beneficial’ to the individual. Plus, 100% of them reported a benefit or high benefit to their own wellbeing. One parent commented:
“My son has been unsettled and had a very difficult day the day before. Chatting with a member of the team helped him to remember he is part of a community, that those people are still there, and it reminded him to use his emotions assessment tool. He enjoyed the activities and the breathing exercise helped him settle his mind. Amazing all in a 30 min session!”
In addition to the structured services, we’ve increased the amount of FREE online content available to our followers on social media and those on our mailing list. We are sharing regular video tutorials on Facebook and You Tube so people can follow along at home (Makaton, yoga, make-your-own sensory tools, relaxation exercises and even baking).
Our newly created Resource web page is your reference point for all the best links, resources and guides out there – we’ll save you the time and effort of filtering all the masses of available information!
Plus, our series of @home e-newsletters are packed full of information of how to cope with lockdown when you’re caring for an individual with a support need or disability.
Lastly, (if all that wasn’t enough!) as part of the 2.6 Challenge fundraising campaign we compiled an electronic activity book – Make, Bake, FeelGreat! – with 26 activities to do at home.
Copies of this fantastic resource are available in return for a small donation to support us while fundraising events are on hold.
But, we’re not done yet – we have more plans in development… online training courses (to replace of our previously scheduled workshops) and more possible virtual services for the summer.
Obviously, no one is sure how long lockdown or social distancing will last but, for as long as it does we’ll keep adapting our services to meet demand and support you however required.
Get in touch to tell us what you need and look out for future surveys asking for your feedback!
