Parent/carers of neurodivergent children and young people have told us that they sometimes find it hard to navigate all the information available.
Below are some of the key themes or topics that you may want further information or guidance about. If you are aware of any other information and websites, that you have found particularly helpful, please email the information to local.offer@dudley.gov.uk.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is good for overall health but some autistic people have difficulties with eating.
The National Autistic Society and Beyond Autism have lots of helpful information about when to be worried about your child or young person’s issues around eating and how parent carers may be able to help.
Lots of children and young people have problems with sleep at some point. Cerebra’s Sleep Advice Service offers support and resources for sleep difficulties.
The National Autistic Society also have advice for parent carers on their website.
Making friends is an important part of any child or young person’s life. Some autistic children and young people find making friends challenging which can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Ambitious About Autism have some top tips about making friends as an autistic child or young person, including an easy read version available for free download.
It is important that all children and young people know how to keep themselves safe. The NSPCC have worked with Ambitious about Autism to develop a range of tips, advice and practical examples for families to help keep their children and young people with SEND safe online.
When we are out and about the way we teach our young people road safety skills can be influenced by their needs and challenges. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have produced a useful guide for parents about teaching road safety skills to children with additional needs. Along with general advice it also includes advice regarding children with specific additional needs such as ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. You will also find information about different teaching aids, how to use them and where you can find them.
Some neurodivergent children and young people can present with anxiety-led behaviours that are challenging for families to experience and support. The Newbold Hope offer training, support and resources for dealing with behaviours that challenge, and is a small, parent-led organisation which was set up by Yvonne Newbold MBE.
The National Autistic Society also have a section on their website covering different behaviours with guides and resources you may find helpful.
It is important that schools make reasonable adjustments when applying their exclusions policy. The Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) have a section on their website about exclusions. It contains useful advice about what schools should do, what parents can do if their child is at risk of exclusion and information about the law.
Autistic children and young people can be more vulnerable to being excluded from school. It is important that schools make reasonable adjustments when applying their exclusions policy. Autism Education Trust have created guidance for parent carers on school exclusions which helps with navigating equality law, rights and entitlements when their autistic child or young person is excluded or at risk of exclusion from school.
Mental well-being is important for us all. More information on looking after mental health can be found here: Children's and young people's mental wellbeing. The National Autistic Society also has lots of information about mental health on their website including a range of topics such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and more.
Self-care is about the things we can do to look after our own mental health. Anna Freud has a bank of self-care strategies and resources created by young people for young people to support positive wellbeing. These resources are not specifically for the neurodivergent but are created for the general population. The strategies are not a substitute for seeing a mental health professional and sometimes outside help and advice is needed.
National Support
There is also the NHS mental health emergency helpline number 111 (Select the option for mental health) plus the following:
- call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
- text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line
- if you're under 19, you can call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill
- are you a young person in crisis? Visit the Young Minds website for more support
It is important to talk with autistic children and young people about sex, sexuality and relationships at an age-appropriate level. The National Autistic Society have put together some ideas for talking to your child or young person about sex and puberty, as well as links to some useful resources.
Autism West Midlands have a section with information sheets you can download, in the Adult Information Downloads section there are factsheets on: Friendships, Dating and relationships, Online dating and Sex and relationships.
Gender identity describes how a person feels about their gender. Some people feel their gender identity matches the one they were born with, others do not. The National Autistic Society has information about gender identity on their website, including interviews with autistic people about their gender identity.
There is very limited good, neurodivergent specific information re bereavement and grieving. YoungMinds provide non-SEND specific information for parents about talking to your young person about Grief and Loss along with a guide for young people Dealing with grief and loss which you may find useful. The charity Mind also have information on their website too.
There is limited research on what bereavement is like for autistic people but the National Autistic Society have created a guide about bereavement that parent carers may find useful.
Last updated: 14/07/2025