Leo’s journey to school readiness

When Leo was nearly three years old, his mum Sophie was concerned about his delayed speech and language development, late walking, and other symptoms that indicated Leo may be autistic.

Sophie was referred to her local family hub, where she took part in Stay and Play sessions that allowed a trained practitioner to observe Leo. The practitioner saw that Leo stayed very close to Sophie, showing little interest in engaging with peers or in solitary play. He had a very limited vocabulary, communicated non-verbally, and showed short attention spans of often only a few seconds per activity.

Sophie was worried about how Leo would cope with nursery. She had a safe space to share her concerns with a trained professional in a confidential family appointment. Sophie was listened to with empathy and Sophie and Leo were directed to home-based support

Leo was enrolled in the home-based Let’s Play programme, which focuses on strengthening parent-child interaction through play. Over six sessions, Leo was given personalised, responsive support that helped him learn through play. Activities, such as repeated train track play, were tailored to Leo’s interests, which helped to engage him, and he received speech and language therapy both at home and at nursery. 

Through this support, Leo’s emotional and social development improved. He began to show more excitement, better concentration and engaged more confidently with familiar adults. His communication also improved. While still non-verbal, he used gestures and sounds more purposefully, and his body language became more expressive. Through the process, Leo showed more independence, chose activities, began to follow routines and instructions, and started to socialise with other children, accompanied by an improvement in his overall wellbeing.

Sophie was supported with advice and resources like talking tips and bite-sized videos to build her confidence and understanding of child development. She felt more able to make changes at home and make a positive impact on her Leo’s learning environment. She said, “I do think there has been an overall improvement in his development. It has improved our relationship. It has improved his behaviour. I’ve changed the way I interact and play with my child.”