Useful resources for patients, parents and carers
Due to the high volume of calls to the Community Paediatrics Service, we are unable to respond to all queries. Please find below links to websites, support groups, forums and information that we hope you will find useful:
ADHD
- BCHC ADHD Service : support for children and families.
Autism
- BCHC Autism Service: support for children and families.
- Autism West Midlands
- National Autistic Society:autistic children often benefit from the use of visual cues. These can be used to support planning, manage changes or support communication.
- National Autistic Society: autism and communication.
Birmingham Community Healthcare: service web pages
- BCHC Health Visiting Service: Birmingham Forward Steps is a combined health visiting and voluntary agency partners early years’ service who support all families across Birmingham with children upto the age of 5 years. They give specific support to children with additional needs and will signpost to other agencies as required such as GPs, midwives and school nurses.
- BCHC Immunisation Team: the immunisation team delivers routine national childhood immunisations to children at school in Birmingham and Solihull, and to those that live within Birmingham and Solihull, offering protection against disease.
- BCHC Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service: support children and young people (aged 0 - 18 years, or 19 years in full-time education in special schools) to carry out activities (or occupations) they need, want, or are expected to do, but are prevented from doing due to impairments, injuries or developmental conditions.
- BCHC School Health Support Service: give confidential advice, care and support to schools, children, young people and their parents. Protect and promote the physical and emotional health of children and young people, to ensure that they get the most from their education.
- BCHC Special School Nursing Service: a citywide service providing nursing care and support across 27 special schools.
- BCHC Speech and Language Therapy Service: provide evidence-based support to children (0-19) with a range of specific speech, language and communication difficulties and those with difficulties swallowing, eating and drinking.
Cerebral Palsy
- Contact : for families with disabled children.
- Contact: Hemiplegia information.
- Scope provides practical advice and emotional support while promoting a vision of equality.
Challenging behaviour
- Family Lives : provides support and advice to parents of children who have challenging behaviour.
- National Autistic Society: behaviour.
Downs syndrome
- Downs Syndrome: resources, support and facts on downs syndrome to help both those who have the condition and their families.
Eating
Parents of autistic children often have concerns about their restricted eating patterns.
- Feeding with love: you may find the resources on Zoe Connor’s website (paediatric dietitian with an interest in autism) useful to manage concerns around eating.
- The Feeding Trust
- ForwardThinking Birmingham: eating disorders.
- National Autistic Society also has some specific information regarding why autistic young people may have difficulties with eating.
- SEED is an Eating Disorder Support Service and can offer a range of support and guidance.
Emotional Regulation
Some children may benefit from ongoing support in developing problem-solving skills, including perspective taking. You may find the following books useful:
- The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene
- Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional Responses by Kari Dunn Buron & Mitzi Curtis
Children who experience anger or anxiety may benefit from learning the warning signs of when the anger or anxiety is beginning to build; as well as a clear plan of what works to calm herself down at each stage. A useful resource:
- The Incredible 5-point Scale: Assisting Children with ASDs in Understanding Social Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional Responses by Kari Dunn Buron & Mitzi Curtis
Financial and Mobility Assistance
- Blue Badge Scheme: from 30 August 2019, the Blue Badge Scheme to support mobility was extended to individuals with a non-visible difficulty such as autism.
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA): if your child is under 16 you may be eligible to apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) on behalf of your child.
- Personal Independence Payment: those over the age of 16 may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment.
Gender identity
Hearing
- National Deaf Children's Society: the leading charity dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children.
Information for blood tests
- Blood test information for Heartlands Hospital
- Blood test information for Birmingham Childrens hospital
Learning Disability Annual Health Checks (AHCs)
Find out more about AHCs and access resources (including a letter template requesting addition to the GP Learning Disability Register)
All about your Learning Disability Annual Health Check
- Birmingham and Solihull ICB Learning Disability AHC Online Resource Centre
- BSMHFT service user information: Learning Disability Annual Health Checks
- Mencap resources on Learning Disability Annual Health Checks
Mental Health and Wellbeing
- KOOTH Mental Health Services : for 11 to 25 year olds now available in Birmingham. Kooth is a free, safe and anonymous service to support young people’s emotional and mental health in Birmingham. Online self-referral is available at www.kooth.com. This is an online platform for advice and support and is linked into the wider mental health support from Forward Thinking Birmingham.
Neurological disabilities
- Neural: the collective voice for the 80 organisations campaigning together to transform outcomes for those with neurological conditions.
Sensory impairment
- BCHC Neurodevelopmental Pathway: Autism Team : resources suggested by our ASD Service.
- BCHC Paediatric Occupational Therapy : sensory.
- BID Services are a charity who work in partnership with children, young people, adults and their families/carers who are deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired or have a dual sensory loss.
- Sense: provide support in helping people communicating and expressing themselves no matter how complex their disability.
There are also many books available that talk about the sensory systems, how sensory differences can impact on behaviour and what techniques can be used to help manage sensory issues.
- The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder. By Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.
- The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for kids with Sensory Processing Disorder. By Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.
- Too loud too bright too fast too tight: What to do if you are sensory defensive in an overstimulating world. By Sharon Heller, PH.D.
Siblings and peers
- Autism Superheros is a comic strip book which aims to increase awareness of autism in children.
- Birmingham Carers Centre provides support, information and advice to people who care for friends and family with disabilities.
- Sibs is a charity supporting siblings of children with a range of difficulties including SEN, autism or other serious long term condition. They offer information and advice to parents and professionals on who to support siblings.
- Teifi and Friends: there are also resources to help your child’s peers or siblings begin to understand autistic differences. Teifi and Friends is a cartoon which shows some of the difficulties an autistic person may have and promotes acceptance.
Sleep
- Cerebra: advice on how to get a better night’s sleep.
- NHS: sleep and young children.
- The Sleep Charity
Social understanding
Your child may need ongoing support with developing social understanding. There are a number of useful resources which you and school may wish to explore. These include:
- Understanding the unwritten rules of friendship by E Kennedy-Moore & N Madorsky Elman
- Friends Forever: How Parents Can Help Their Kids Make and Keep Good Friends by Fred Frankel
- Social Skills Success for Students with Autism/ Aspergers: Helping Adolescents on the Spectrum Fit in by F Frankel, F & JJ Wood
- Friendships: The Aspie Way by Wendy Lawson
Support for families with disabled children
- Cerebra: working with you and your amazing child.
- Contact support families with information and guidance, as well as bringing them together.
- SEND Birmingham Local Offer: the Birmingham Local Offer will provide you with support and information on special educational needs.
If you are waiting for a new or a follow up appointment and you are concerned about your child’s health please contact your GP, call 111 or 999 if an emergency.