Early years children with autism

Support, information, courses and support groups for parents, carers and families.

Early Years Autism Support (EYAS)

What EYAS is

EYAS is a multi-agency approach to support preschool children who are on the autism spectrum, their families and practitioners who work with them. 

It is available to all preschool children in Oxfordshire with a diagnosis of autism.

Our aims

EYAS means working with parents and preschool settings to:

  • understand a child’s strengths, interests and challenges in relation to their autism 
  • identify strategies to develop a child’s communication and social interaction
  • understand and manage a child’s emotional state effectively
  • support a child’s inclusion in a full range of learning opportunities
  • support a successful transition into preschool or primary school settings.

How we achieve this

Child-centred approach

The individual child and family are central to decision making and planning.

This relies on you, the parents being able to express your views and being offered opportunities to understand  autism and how it affects your child so that you can make informed decisions.

Individual assessment

In order to help your child make the next steps they need, we must clearly understand the level of their development and the challenges they are particularly experiencing.

Teaching functional and relevant skills

Children need to learn skills in the areas which are challenging to them in a way that they can adapt and use  in their daily lives.

Collaboration with parents

Only by  working closely with you, the parent, listening to your thoughts and decisions and sharing our thoughts can we do the best for your child.

Using evidence-based practice

In Oxfordshire we integrate best practice and use a framework based on SCERTs which has been well researched and evaluated as good practice for children with autism. See how the SCERT model works (pdf format)

Detailed SCERTs assessments for the social partner stage, language partner stage and conversation partner stage can be sent to you by contacting  EarlyYearsSENDteam@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Services to support children in Oxfordshire

There are a range of services in Oxfordshire available to help children on the autism spectrum. 

It is important that staff supporting children on the autistic spectrum, their families and EY practitioners are well informed and confident in their role. All staff will have regular training and updating available to them to ensure their continued professional development and practice is current and evidence based.

The following links give information about what each service does and how children are referred to them: 

The Children’s Integrated Therapies in Oxfordshire

The Children’s Integrated Therapies in Oxfordshire include:

The Early Years SEN Team

The Early Years SEN Team supports families, Early Years settings and childminders following referral to a paediatrician.

The Educational Psychology Service

The Educational Psychology Service works with children, parents and teachers to promote children’s learning and development and provide advice for an educational, Health and Care Needs Assessment.

SEN Support Services (SENSS)

SEN Support Services (SENSS) is a countywide Special Educational Needs (SEN) teaching and advisory support service for schools supporting children from reception age upwards.

Integrated Children’s Services

Integrated Children’s Services offer early help and information for families with additional or complex needs.

Health visitor services

Health visitor services offer support for to parents from pre-birth until the child starts school.