Back to school - Rory's story

Fiona is mum to 8 year-old Rory who was diagnosed at age 6 with Autism and she has shared much of Rory’s progress with us over the last year.

We will be sharing more from Rory in the future and this week, Fiona talked to us about Rory’s return to school.

With the support of his family, Rory understands what being autistic means for him and has developed some of his own strategies to help him overcome his daily challenges and is a bright and confident young man.

Unlike many of us, Rory enjoyed lockdown and felt particularly calm and relaxed without the usual pressure of school life, including the social demands (and with lots of time for Minecraft!) Unsurprisingly, he was really anxious and reluctant about going back to school.

At a time when so many parents are concerned about their children’s mental health and the changes to school practices, Fiona was really encouraged by the support provided by Rory’s school. “He is settling back well into the routine of school and the school is still providing good support despite the current climate” she said. “He accesses a sensory circuit session every morning which helps him a lot in terms of his sensory regulation and also his hypermobility.”

As was the case with many families, Fiona found it hard juggling work and home-schooling last term so it’s one less worry that Rory is settling back into the school routine.

Other services the family have accessed and found invaluable, have been SPACE, Families in Focus and Potential Kids. You can find the details of these and more groups, on the Local Offer here.