Alex began his journey with Autism Practitioner Hannah while attending college. Through a person-centred approach, with Hannah working closely alongside Alex and his family, he has now successfully completed his move from college to Elmbank.

As part of the transition process, Alex initially met the Elmbank team at his college. Meeting in a familiar environment helped him feel comfortable and supported, giving him the opportunity to build positive relationships with staff before attending his first transition day.

Hannah gathered information from Alex’s college and parents to gain insight into his likes and dislikes, strengths, interests and individual support needs, which helped her develop a personalised timetable. Alex’s voice remained at the centre of the process to ensure he was actively involved in decisions about his support and daily activities.

On his first transition day, Alex was accompanied by a member of staff from his college and was greeted by the familiar faces of the Elmbank team. He was eager to explore his new environment and showed no signs of hesitation, confidently greeting staff and other supported individuals. Over his transition period, he enjoyed a variety of activities including hill walking, swimming, trampolining, bus outings and group activities, helping him build confidence, make new friends and become familiar with Elmbank.

Reflecting on the process, Alex’s parents commented:

“Alex’s transition into Elmbank has been very smooth and reassuring. We had early discussions with the Scottish Autism team to allow everyone to understand him as an individual. The visit by Hannah and Natalie to Alex’s college just ahead of his first transition day was of great benefit in starting to build the relationship. On arrival on day one at Elmbank, Alex was very happy to see everyone and this continued through his transition days.”

And how is Alex settling in? Hannah commented that:

“Alex is a humourous and nice young man who has coped exceptionally well with his transition and has settled into Elmbank with ease. He has built positive relationships with staff and his peers and has shown confidence and enthusiasm in participating in a variety of activities.”

Alex’s parents added:

“Hannah and Natalie have done an amazing job in settling Alex into his new environment. He leaves and comes home every day very happy, and this is really reassuring for us as his parents. We’d like to thank everyone at Scottish Autism for everything they have done in supporting Alex with this transition into the next chapter of his life.”

Alex in now attending Elmbank fulltime and staff are excited to continue to support him to achieve his goals, develop his independence and enjoy meaningful experiences within the service.