Oliver’s* history

Oliver has diagnoses including autism spectrum disorder, a learning disability and epilepsy. After his behaviours at home escalated through his teenage years, his parents felt that he needed a higher level of support and he moved into a supported living placement whilst also attending a specialist college.

Whilst at this placement, his behaviours continued to increase in frequency and severity, putting himself and other residents at risk. It became clear he required care in a residential setting and a referral to Beeches was made.

When Oliver came to us

When Oliver arrived at Beeches he was feeling unsettled from the move, the service was unlike anywhere he had lived before. He was withdrawn and spent a lot of time alone in his room. He did not want to engage with staff, other residents or any kind of therapy or activities on offer. Being non-verbal, Oliver found it difficult communicating his needs, which could add to his frustrations and trigger aggressive behaviour.

Oliver had extremely limited access to the community due to his behaviours and lack of understanding of risks. The team identified this would be a long term goal to work on with Oliver – to support him to safely and confidently access the community again.

Oliver’s care

Beeches benefits from an in-house Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), Oliver was assessed by speech and language therapy (SaLT), psychiatry and occupational therapy (OT). They worked closely with external teams, including Oliver’s social worker and a neurologist, to be able to create a bespoke plan of support.

SaLT implemented a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) book to support Oliver to communicate his needs, this also helped staff to build a consistent routine in which Oliver felt safe and comfortable.

The team spent a lot of time helping Oliver to settle in, giving him the time and space he needed. He started to utilise the on-site sensory room, which opened up the possibility of staff then offering or introducing other activities into his routine.

It was important to move at the right pace for Oliver, there was lots of person centred planning with regular input from his social worker. For any change in his routine, the team would take time to prepare him in advance, and then reflect afterwards.

Although keen to support Olivier to access the community again, staff did not want to put Oliver In a situation that would cause him to feel anxious. Working towards this goal was extremely planned and staged over a long period.

After several months of trips in the car and visiting quieter public spaces, Oliver was successfully able to complete a shopping trip with the support of staff. This was a huge achievement for him. With time and patience, Oliver established a positive relationship with the team. He was happy to get involved with one on one activities such as baking, accessing the sensory room, spending time outdoors and helping with domestic tasks.

Feeling more at ease and trusting of the team, Oliver began to engage with more and more activities, even exploring the community. Although he doesn’t enjoy socialising with others, he has learnt to be much more tolerant of those around him and is happy to attend a group sensory session at the service.

Oliver today

Oliver is happy and settled at Beeches, he has a good relationship with the team and tends to his personal care and other domestic tasks with their support. His biggest achievements so far are attending a local swimming pool for sessions and his other trips in the community, the team are extremely proud of how far he has come. In the future, the team hope to continue to increase Oliver’s independence, whilst continuing to make Beeches his home.

*Name has been changed to protect his identity