The Lambeth Autism Advisory Service (LAAS) gives advice, support and training to schools and families to help them meet the needs of autistic children and young people. LAAS works with any child already diagnosed with autism or on an assessment waiting list. Our team of specialist teachers are trained to use approaches such as TEACCH, Attention Autism, SCERTS, and Social Stories.
LAAS is partnered with the Autism Education Trust (AET) and delivers training to schools/colleges throughout the academic year. We encourage and support schools to use the AET Progression Framework, The Autism Competency Framework and The Autism Standards Framework to develop good autism practice in their settings.
LAAS works with:
- parents and carers
- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinators (SENDCOs) and other school staff
- Educational psychologists (EPs), speech and language therapists (SLTs), occupational therapists (OTs)
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Children’s services staff
EarlyBird Plus and Teen Life
LAAS runs NAS Early Bird Plus and Teen Life courses for parents/carers during school term-time. We also hold parent/carer workshops at mainstream schools across Lambeth. At these workshops parents/carers can:
- meet other parent/carers of autistic children and young people
- share experiences
- discuss strategies
Key topics are:
- understanding autism and strategies
- sensory awareness
- autism and co-occurring conditions
- anxiety and social, emotional and mental health
- understanding behaviour
- transitions and changes
Support for schools
We work closely with Lambeth primary and secondary schools to create inclusive and autism-friendly learning environments. Our support allows schools to help children and young people reach their full academic and social potential and become more independent. We help school staff understand autism better and use the best practice.
We support schools to hold their own coffee mornings to help parents meet, talk and share their experiences.
We provide the following to all primary and secondary schools:
- free training and workshops across the school year
- advice and strategies
- modelling of resources and approaches
- tailored in-school training from the allocated advisory teacher
- signposting to other services and organisations
LAAS is committed to the successful implementation of the Lambeth All Age Autism Strategy 2024-2027
Contact us
Phone: 07845 665 435
Email: LAAS@lambeth.gov.uk
Post: Lambeth Autism Advisory Service, London Borough of Lambeth, PO Box 80771, London, SW2 9QQ