School Holiday Neurodiversity Workshops
Purpose
We run these workshops to give neurodivergent children aged 7 to 12 the opportunity to find out how their unique and wonderful brains work; discuss issues related to being neurodivergent; and enable them to spend time with other neurodivergent children. We also run a sibling workshop for children aged 9 to 14 who have a neurodivergent sibling.
Location
All workshops take place at our Hub in Beaconsfield with a maximum of 10 children participating in each workshop.
Meeting Needs
Our staff are experienced at working with neurodivergent children and supporting their individual needs. For example, workshops will include movement breaks, free use of fidget toys and we have our sensory room available to anyone who needs it. We have a video we send out to all children attending beforehand where they can see the venue and learn more about what will happen. If your child needs any specific accommodations, please let us know.
Suitability
All children attending the workshops need to be able to participate in a group environment safely and have the ability to engage in discussions about neurodiversity. Children may attend whether they have a formal diagnosis or not and whether they are aware of any diagnosis or not. A key factor of the workshops is that all the children attending want to be there so please discuss this opportunity with your child before booking.
Staff
All workshops are run by neurodivergent mentors or teachers so they understand what it is like growing up with a brain that works differently to many other people's. There will be a minimum of two staff members present at all times.
Booking
Places are offered on a first come, first served basis and payment must be made in advance. If your child is attending both morning workshops or both afternoon workshops on the same day, they may stay with us for the 15 minute gap in between the workshops.
Cost
Individual workshops cost £30 for 1.5 hours and £40 for the 2-hour back-to-school, surviving Christmas and sibling workshops.
Workshop Topics
It's great to be me
The group will explore what it means to them to be neurodivergent. They will do activities to build self-esteem and confidence and learn how to advocate for their needs in different situations.
Emotional Regulation
The group will learn about where in the brain emotions are processed and why neurodivergent people often experience higher levels of emotional dysregulation. The group will discuss their experiences with emotional dysregulation and a variety of strategies to help manage emotions will be explored.
Anxiety
The group will learn about what anxiety is and why neurodivergent people often experience higher levels of anxiety. The group will discuss what makes them anxious and how they experience anxiety. A variety of strategies to help manage anxiety will be explored.
Friends
The group will learn about why neurodivergent people often find it difficult to make and keep friends including learning about the double empathy problem. They will discuss their own experiences of making friends, what makes a good friend and why it's so important to find friends who accept them for who they are.
Making Mistakes and Accepting Challenges
The group will learn about why neurodivergent people are often perfectionists and discuss their experiences with making mistakes and accepting challenges. They will explore the emotions involved in making mistakes and being faced with a challenge and various strategies to help manage these strong emotions.
Accepting Feedback and Asking for Help
The group will learn about why it can be so hard to accept feedback and ask for help. They will explore the emotions involved in accepting feedback and asking for help and various strategies to help manage these strong emotions.
Strengths and Challenges
The group will learn about the most common neurodivergent strengths and challenges. They will explore their own individual strengths and challenges and discuss how they could use some of their strengths to overcome some of their challenges.
Interoception
The group will learn about the eighth sense of interoception and how this is sometimes an area that neurodivergent people struggle with. They will each explore their own body's signs and reactions to a variety of stimuli and how these link to the emotions they feel.
Back to school
The group will explore what they are looking forward to and worried about before entering the new school year. They will think about why school can be so challenging for neurodivergent children and look at strategies for being organised, making homework less stressful, managing friendship issues and helping their teachers to understand them better. This workshop is two hours in duration.
Surviving Christmas
A special festive workshop helping neurodivergent children understand why Christmas can be such an overwhelming time, strategies they could use to help and how to advocate for their needs. This workshop is two hours in duration.
Siblings
This workshop is especially for neurotypical siblings to find out more about how their neurodivergent sibling's brain works; why they might sometimes be treated differently to them; and how to ensure that both of their needs get met. This workshop is two hours in duration and is for children aged 9 to 14.
What do parents say?
"Small group work seldom works with him at school so the ease with which he joined in your session is a testament to your skills and empathy."
"Attending the workshops was the first time in years I had seen my son run to the car because he could not wait to attend the next workshop."
Upcoming Workshops
Date | Workshop 1 (09:30-11:00) | Workshop 2 (11:15-12:45) |
Tuesday 6th August | It's Great to be Me | Strengths and Challenges |
| Wednesday 7th August | Anxiety | Emotional Regulation |
| Friday 9th August | Emotional Regulation | Friends |
| Tuesday 13th August | It's Great to be Me | Interoception |
| Thursday 15th August | Anxiety | Making Mistakes and Accepting Challenges |
| Friday 16th August | Friends | Interoception |
| Wednesday 21st August | Anxiety | Emotional Regulation |
| Thursday 22nd August | Strengths and Challenges | Making Mistakes and Accepting Challenges |
| Friday 23rd August | Friends | Interoception |
Date | Workshop 1 (10:45-12:45) | Workshop 2 (13:45-15:45) |
Tuesday 27th August | Back to School (going into Year 8 or Year 9) | |
| Wednesday 28th August | Back to School (going into Year 7) | Siblings |
| Thursday 29th August | Back to School (going into Year 5 or Year 6) | |
Friday 30th August | Back to School (going into Year 3 or Year 4) |