ISP Fostering in Milton Keynes has launched an autism guide to help foster and birth parents caring for children with autism understand the spectrum, and provide better outcomes.
This year, on World Autism Month, ISP Fostering is highlighting how important and rewarding caring for children with autism can be, and are aiming to educate parents and carers with the launch of its new guide.
According to the autism awareness charity, Beyond Autism, more than 1 in 100 people have autism, which means that, including their families, autism is a part of daily life for 2.8 million people in the UK.
The NHS has said: “Between July 2021 and June 2022, the number of patients with an open referral for suspected autism has increased from just over 88,000 to 122,000”.
Jane Partridge is the registered manager at ISP in Milton Keynes, she said: “We are seeing more and more children in need of foster families who are living with some form of neurodiversity.
“We want to show people there are lots of ways that neurodivergent people can be supported, which is why we’ve launched our Autism Guide to give people some tips and advice.
“We celebrate neurodivergence in all its forms and hope that our guides can empower foster parents to provide even better support for children with autism.”
Sam and Matt have been fostering with ISP since 2017, they currently care for two boys who have autism
Sam said: “As I had grown up with children with disabilities, this was something I was always passionate about.
“When Matt and I discussed this further, it was something he was also open to, so when we reached our final decision, we just went for it and haven’t looked back since!”
Children with autism and other neurodiverse conditions often face additional challenges in their lives, including difficulty interacting with people their age, making friends, communicating their needs, and struggling in school.
They may also have sensory sensitivities, struggles with transitions and change, and difficulty understanding social cues.
Sam said that ISP has provided her and Matt with the tools they need to provide a safe and loving home for neurodiverse children, and said that the experience of fostering alongside raising their birth daughter has ‘changed their lives in many positive ways’.
She said: “Fostering is a great experience. It keeps us busy; it enables us to give our love and attention to other children and allows us to help them succeed in life. We are just one big happy family, and we accept everyone as they are.”
ISP Fostering specialises in therapeutic foster care, and provides in-depth training from therapists and other child care professionals to all of its foster parents.
If you would like more information on how to support a neurodiverse child in your life, or becoming a foster parent with ISP in Milton Keynes you can visit the website here.
You can find ISP’s autism guide here.
