It has been reported by The Fostering Network that this year in the UK, every 20 minutes a child is taken into care and then needs a Foster family. A proportion of these will be children with disabilities and special needs. Sadly, these can be the hardest children for local authorities to place in foster care. Around forty per cent of children and young people for whom foster homes are needed have a disability or particular special need. This is Autism Awareness Week, so it is timely as a significant proportion of these children have autism. The need is to find families who possess the knowledge and skills to look after these children. Without enough foster carers with these abilities, many autistic children find themselves in a residential care setting.
Approximately 700,000 individuals in the UK are on the autism spectrum. Autism is a blanket term covering a range of conditions called Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This disorder can bring about difficulties and cause impairments. People who are autistic can also demonstrate special skills and abilities. The experience of children with ASD is very different – they see the world in a way other children do not. This means they have to be looked after in a particular way – depending on the severity of their disorder. Children and young people with ASD do not generally respond well to spontaneity. An example: going on special outings or trips need to be planned well in advance as this is because such children like routines and cope poorly with change. But change is something that cannot be avoided, and an effective way to settle an autistic child around the idea of a change in routines, is to create a timeline which helps them to become comfortable with whatever changes may be necessary.
What a foster carer needs to understand about ASD
Providing foster care for a child with ASD does mean being prepared to adapt to meeting what can be quite complex needs. Foster carers need to be resilient, able to think creatively and be capable of adapting to situations that can be difficult and challenging. Patience is required – as is a sense of humour!
What areas foster carers need knowledge of
Looking after a child on the autism spectrum can be uniquely demanding. There can be a range emotional issues to contend with. There are some important steps that can be taken to protect a placement: before a child with autism comes into the foster carer’s home, as much as possible should be found out about the child’s routines, what may trigger their anxiety, what are their likes and dislikes, what things are important to them, what makes them feel calm and secure and what needs to be avoided. Importantly, a foster carer should find out the kind of food preferences the child or young person has. You should, before the placement, have had all the information as to their sensory needs made clear – so what is important in ensuring they do not feel overloaded as this can trigger anxiety.
It is important always to manage change. Allow plenty of time for a child to adjust. It is not a good idea to rush out and buy lots of new things. Do not remove things they may have brought with them that might be important. Creating a sense of daily structure and setting boundaries straight away is especially important. This creates consistency and reassurance. Children with autism fare badly in novel situations they find unpredictable.
Making the right choice of school is fundamental if the child is having to move school when he/she comes into your care. So visit the school they are currently in and find out about their experiences from their teacher. If possible, spend some time in the classroom observing them. It’s also a good idea to take the time to research your local SEN (Special Educational Needs) schools. Their Ofsted reports will be available and are a valuable source of information. It is also important to visit them as some may not consider accepting a child if they have not been visited first. It is perfectly okay to enquire about what autism training staff have had. Find out what is the schools general experience of dealing with special needs children?
Remember, there is always plenty of support available for foster carers. There will be special groups for autism to join – indeed some local authorities have their own such groups. And there are many organisations that provide training and support – as well as laying on special activities.
Be adaptable: the anxiety levels that autistic children experience can fluctuate. Certain behaviours – seemingly well established – can change. They can then be replaced with new patterns of behaviour which need to be understood. It is not always possible to know what has triggered changes in a child’s behaviour: there can be good days and bad days. Getting to understand the problems and needs of an autistic child demands patience and insight. Providing them with a loving and stable environment then seeing the huge difference you can make to their lives, can be uniquely rewarding.
Could you foster child with autism?
Anyone thinking of becoming a foster carer can do so – as long as they understand they will have to give love and security in a committed, consistent and dedicated way. There will also be special training and support available. This will form part of our therapeutic fostering ‘Turnaround’ training programme. This is designed to aid foster carers to care effectively for children and young people with complex needs.
More information is always freely available about foster care on 020 8427 3355, or our National foster care line is 0330 311 2845. You can also apply online and at the same time arrange a call back at a time convenient to you.
Rainbow foster care news stories are available at:
http://bit.ly/2e8PrIK
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