Autism support Specialist autism support boosts Stephen’s confidence
Stephen is a person we support with autism at Croft House, our specialist autism service in Leicestershire.
Stephen is a sociable person and regularly enjoys a game of snooker and watching episodes of his favourite TV show, Rainbow. His condition has meant he’s struggled with his confidence for many years, and this has impacted his ability to form connections with others.
But with the help of his amazing support team, Stephen is thriving and enjoying his interests in an environment that is built around his needs. This has done wonders for his confidence and has allowed him to build meaningful connections with those around him, including people in the local community!
Stephen’s challenges
Stephen joined Croft House in 2006. Immediately, his support team noticed that Stephen struggled with low self-confidence, which impacted his social interactions with others.
Stephen would often choose to participate in activities alone in the comfort of his bedroom, isolating himself from his support team and other housemates. This limited his opportunities for building relationships at Croft House.
As part of getting to know him, the team realised he had a variety of interests, including attending community activities such as discos and swimming. But his lack of confidence around going into the community posed a challenge for him.
Despite his enjoyment of these activities, Stephen needed constant encouragement from his support team to participate fully. This held him back from fully experiencing and engaging in community activities that he enjoys.
Making positive changes
Stephen’s support team created a person-centred care plan that focused on his needs, preferences, and interests. This helped Stephen build confidence and improved his overall quality of life.
Building trust with Stephen was key to making him feel more comfortable. He often struggles with mood changes and experiences challenging behaviours. His support team recognised this, so took time getting to know him and building his confidence over several months. Eventually, he started to trust the team and began coming out of his shell a little more at his own pace.
Stephen’s progress has been amazing since that day! His team have created an environment that makes him feel happy and supported, which has helped him to flourish.
Stepping out of his comfort zones
After gaining his trust, the team at Croft House started planning how they could help build his confidence even more and overcome his challenge of accessing the community. Stephen’s support team began with small steps, firstly by taking him outdoors for walks in the local area and ensuring he felt at ease. Stephen loved venturing outside and his support team saw amazing progress with his confidence.
As Stephen became more comfortable and relaxed, his support team decided to introduce him to new social situations. His support team asked Stephen if he would like to go on the bus and without hesitation, he replied with “yes!”. To reduce challenging behaviours and avoid overwhelming Stephen, his support team ensured all the relevant risk assessments were carried out before attempting a bus journey.
Once the risk assessment was complete, Stephen’s Support Worker travelled with him on the bus to the town centre. This marked a significant step forward for Stephen, allowing him to venture out into the community and engage in social interactions outside of his comfort zone.
This experience not only helped Stephen build his confidence and independence but provided him with opportunities for socialising and connecting with his Support Worker. Stephen’s progression has now empowered him to take on new challenges.
The progress continues!
With the support of the team at Croft House, Stephen has been able to overcome his challenge of going out into the community. Whether it was through reassurance, motivation or consistency, his support team have helped boost his confidence and enabled him to participate in the community activities he loves.
To help Stephen build his relationships within the home, his support team have also started introducing him to new activities. One of these activities includes bringing his snooker table to the communal area in the home. This not only provides an opportunity for Stephen to engage in a fun, familiar game, but it also encourages interaction and bonding with his housemates.
Finally, Croft House have helped Stephen improve his confidence with eating in front of others, so much so, he now eats his dinner with his housemates! These new activities and stepping stones have been effective in helping promote social connection and have enhanced Stephen’s overall sense of belonging within the home and the wider community.
Find specialist autism support near you!
To learn more about Croft House and how we can support you, a loved one or a client to live their best lives, fill in our quick and easy enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch!
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