Cotmanhay Junior School
Safe, Happy Learning
Autism
Autism 
At Cotmanhay Junior School, we create an autism-friendly environment. We recognise that each child with autism or traits of autism (either diagnosed or not diagnosed) is unique and we value what autism brings to our community and wider society.
Pupils with autism may have overlapping areas of need in addition to communication and interaction difficulties, for example, physical and sensory needs, or emotional needs.
Common areas of difficulty for children with autism or traits of autism include:
- Social understanding and communication.
- Flexibility, information processing, and understanding.
- Sensory processing and sensory integration.
Our staff are trained in ‘Making Sense of Autism’ from the Autism Education Trust. Our Autism Advocate in school is Heather Lane.
If you want your child to be assessed for autism, please contact the school SENDCO, Hannah Pearson. We will then make an appointment to discuss this together. We may refer to the Neurodevelopmental Pathway of Derbyshire’s Single Point of Access following a discussion. The assessment pathway usually takes more than a year.
Websites that offer information and support about autism include: