Early Years SEND Support Service

Southend Early Autism Support (SEAS) Course

The Early Years SEND Support Service offer a course for parents of children under 5 years old within the Southend area with:

either a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition or;
who present with social communication difficulties that have been identified by a recognised professional

The course gives parents the chance to speak to professionals directly to:

introduction to Autism: Tracy Bakonyvari, Helen Smith-Vicary, and the Educational Psychology Service
understanding your child's communication: Speech and Language Therapy Service
feeding and toileting support: Play and Development Advisory Team and Continence Service
sensory needs and play: Tracy Bakonyvari and Helen Smith-Vicary
sleep and behaviour support: Educational Psychology Service and the Play and Development Advisory Team
supporting your child's play: Early Years Special Educational Needs Support Service
support for families in the area: SENDiass, Little Heroes ASD Support Group, Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) and the SEND Local Offer Team

2 courses run each year. They are held online through Microsoft Teams.

The course has 6 x 1 hour sessions. Parents get to meet professionals and ask questions about supporting their child.

Learning and information is sent home to parent carers each week and discussed at the next session.

You can be referred by any professional working with your child if they feel this would be the right course for you. This includes:

I found it exceptionally helpful and have saved the videos to refer back to later on!

Thank you so much for organising this it has been so nice to speak to other parents and professionals!