Did you know that an estimated 15% of the UK population is neurodivergent? Neurodiversity is a wide spectrum that encompasses conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and many more. No two children are the same, and each will come with their own needs that should be met differently.
Fostering a neurodivergent child will be one of the most rewarding things you can choose to do. You can help your foster child celebrate what makes them different and think of their neurodivergence as an asset, not a limitation. As a foster parent, your job will be to advocate for the child in your care, so that they can get the support they need to thrive.
Let’s take a look at what it means to foster a neurodivergent child and how you can empower them to live life to the fullest.
Neurodiversity is a spectrum
The most important thing to remember when it comes to caring for a neurodiverse child is that neurodiversity is a spectrum.
It’s crucial to bear in mind that no two neurodiverse young people are the same, which means they each require different methods of parenting. What works for one child won’t necessarily work for another. Taking advantage of the training we offer our foster parents, along with the close support of your local team, will help you to understand the needs of the child in your care.
Remember that neurodiversity is just a different way of looking at the world, and your home needs to be a safe, loving space where they can be themselves.
Autism
Autism is a genetic condition that means people may react differently to the world around them than a neurotypical person would.
Some children with autism may:
- Struggle with social cues.
- Have sensory issues such as sound, textures, crowds, or fabrics.
- Have intense interests in subjects that fascinate them.
- Pay a lot of attention to detail.
- Display creative problem-solving.
- Find sudden changes difficult.
- Feel most safe with routine and knowing what’s going to happen in a given situation.
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also referred to as ADHD, can affect a person’s focus, energy regulation, and impulse control.
They may:
- Have hyperfocus when interested in a task.
- Struggle to maintain attention for routine tasks, such as household chores or homework.
- Be highly adaptable in dynamic situations and have quick problem-solving skills.
- Find it difficult for to stay organised.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a language processing difficulty that can affect how an individual processes written and spoken language.
They may:
- Have difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, and word recognition.
- Excel in the creative arts.
- Have excellent problem-solving skills.
- Be able to think outside of the box to come up with innovative solutions to overcome reading and writing challenges.
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia can affect an individual’s fine motor skills, gross motor skills, motor planning, speech and articulation, organisation, and spatial awareness, making physical tasks more difficult.
They may:
- Be prone to accidents through seemingly clumsy movements.
- Find performing tasks that require dexterity more challenging.
- Have issues with balance, making tasks such as walking, sports, or riding a bike hard.
Dyscalculia
Individuals with dyscalculia can find mathematics challenging and have difficulties when processing numerical information.
They may:
- Find understanding numbers and basic maths concepts, such as addition, multiplication, and subtraction hard.
- Find recognising mathematical symbols or number patterns difficult.
- Find spatial awareness, money management, and telling the time challenging.
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome can cause involuntary movements or vocal noises known as tics. There is a misconception that this only involves shouting swearwords without meaning to, but Tourette syndrome is more nuanced than this single tic, which is actually quite rare.
- Movement tics can include rolling the eyes, blinking, shrugging shoulders, jerking movements, jumping, or tensing stomach muscles.
- Vocal tics can include whistling, clearing your throat a lot, sniffing, making animal sounds, repeating words or phrases, or swearing.
- Trying to suppress tics in public can pose a challenge
- Individuals become highly resilient, adapting to life with their tics.
Understanding individual needs
Fostering a neurodiverse child means understanding their individual needs. Depending on what these are, you’ll need to tailor the support that you offer them in the home and while out and about.
That may mean monitoring their energy levels and giving them a reprieve when you can see them becoming overstimulated. It’s important to recognise that we shouldn’t stigmatise certain behaviours that a young person may find comforting.
Recognising trauma
Neurodiversity can add an extra layer to a foster child’s trauma, and big emotions can quite easily be dismissed as behaviours associated with their condition, especially by people who don’t know them personally.
Part of your job as their foster parent is to advocate for them. Distressed behaviour is a form of communication, telling you that something isn’t right. If you know that there’s something else at play, you can get them the support they need. Make sure your foster child knows your home is a safe space and that they can come to you if they need something.
Bear in mind that changes in routine, sensory differences, feeling tired or hungry, or transitions between activities can trigger distressed behaviours in your young person. Therapeutic fostering may help you better support the child in your care.
Masking
Many neurodiverse individuals feel the need to ‘mask’ in front of other people who may not know they experience the world differently. This can be a subconscious thing they do without realising to try and fit in with those around them, and typically involves mimicking behaviour, from body language to the way people around them talk.
Masking is an incredibly exhausting thing, and young people can suffer from burnout if they’ve had to mask for a long time throughout the day or over an extended period of time.
The best thing you can do as a foster parent is to make sure they know they’re safe to be themselves at home without any judgement. They don’t need to mask their behaviour or stop themselves from stimming or showing tics when they’re with you, as you love them for who they are.
Stimming
Some neurodiverse people self-soothe using a method known as stimming. This could be flapping hands when they’re happy or excited about something, or it could be fiddling with an item to distract them.
Stimming isn’t something that should be punished. Chances are that your foster child doesn’t realise they’re doing it, and shouldn’t be made to feel ashamed of something that helps them process the world around them.
For some young people, having something physical like a fidget toy or spinner to play with can help them manage their emotions in a safe way. It gives them something to keep their hands and minds busy, and makes it easier to regulate their emotions.
Meltdowns
When an individual becomes overstimulated, this could cause a meltdown. This can manifest in a variety of ways depending on the individual, either showing as a complete shutdown, or an explosion of big emotions.
If you can tell that your young person is starting to become overwhelmed, the ideal thing to do is to try and get them out of the situation that is putting extra stress on them. For example, if you’re in a big crowd and the noise is becoming too much, getting them to a quieter, safe space can help to de-escalate a meltdown.
The key thing is to recognise what triggers a meltdown. For some people, it’ll be loud noises in public places. It could be lots of people crowding around them, or it could be a sudden unexpected change to a routine.
Talk to them afterwards about what made them feel that way, and try to reduce the stressors in the future. Discuss coping methods with them that they can use to pull themselves back from the emotional brink if they feel triggered. Teach them to recognise those strong feelings in themselves and learn when to find a safe space to take a breather.
Regulating emotions
Sometimes big emotions can display themselves if a young person becomes too overwhelmed or is triggered by something that might have upset them. Part of your job as a foster parent will be to help your foster child navigate these complex emotions in a safe way.
Stay as calm as possible, keeping your body language open. Speak softly and reassure them that they’re safe and that you’re here to listen to their concerns. By staying calm, you can help to regulate their emotions and show them that there are other ways to manage when things get a bit much.
Structure and routine
One of the most important things that you’ll need to consider in day-to-day life is how crucial structure and routine are for your neurodiverse foster child. While any change in routine might not seem like a big deal on the surface, to your foster child, this could be really difficult and make them feel unsafe in their environment.
Try to stick to a routine as much as you can, from when your foster child can expect their meals to playtime and when they go to bed. If there has to be any deviation from this structure, such as for a doctor’s appointment or a planned holiday, make them aware of these changes in advance if possible so they can mentally prepare.
If an unplanned change derails their routine, try to be as patient with them as possible if big emotions come into play. Once they’ve had time to process the change, they’ll appreciate your empathy.
Clear communication
It’s important to use clear and literal instructions, as vague or ambiguous directions could be taken at their direct meaning. Try to break down complex tasks into smaller commands so they have time to process and action what you would like them to do.
For some children, giving them a five-minute timer before you need to leave can help them focus on the task at hand. Bear in mind that some neurodivergent children may prefer a different method of communication to verbal commands, such as written or visual instructions.
Accommodating for sensory needs
Children who are neurodiverse tend to process the world around them differently from a neurotypical person, which can mean things like sound, light, or touch can feel overwhelming at times. Accommodating these needs will be paramount to ensure that they can thrive in the world around them.
- A pair of noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs may be useful so that they can navigate travelling or loud, crowded areas better.
- Make sure that they’re able to get plenty of movement breaks if they need them.
- Retreating to a quiet space can help them to avoid sensory overload or emotional burnout.
Getting a neurodivergent child the help they need in school
Being an advocate for your foster child will be incredibly important in academic spaces like primary and secondary schools. This might mean getting a diagnosis for their condition so that they’re better able to access the support they need in their learning environment.
Additional needs may pose challenges in the classroom, but these shouldn’t hold your foster child back from thriving.
Communicating with your ALNCO, ASN, or SENCO
The most important thing to do will be to get in contact with the Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCO), Additional Special Needs (ASN) teacher, or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in your foster child’s school. Every school should have one of these to ensure that children with additional needs are able to get the support they need in the classroom. They’re responsible for implementing the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy across the whole school.
Arranging a one-to-one chat with your SENCO gives you the opportunity to talk with them about your child’s needs or any concerns you have. The SENCO will be able to advise you on what kind of support your foster child is entitled to in the classroom, whether this is having the help of a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) or getting extra time in exams.
Requesting reasonable adjustments
Once you’ve arranged a chat with your school’s SENCO, you can discuss whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made for your foster child.
These could include:
Regular movement breaks during lessons to help with concentration and use any excess energy.
Having a fidget toy to hand in the class so that they don’t become too energetic and disturb other learners.
Alternative methods of recording information are provided, such as handouts with key learning points, or a laptop to avoid handwriting.
They could be entitled to a scribe in exams as well as extra time.
Children with dyslexia can use a coloured overlay tool to make reading easier.
Take advantage of training
An excellent tool available to you as a foster parent for Fostering People is the variety of training that we have to offer. If you’re unsure about what it would mean to foster a neurodiverse child, take advantage of the range of courses that we have available for our foster parents.
Some of the courses that we offer include:
- Understanding Neurodiversity.
- Introduction to Supporting Children with Sensory Needs.
- Understanding Dyslexia.
- Understanding ADHD.
- Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
- Understanding Dyspraxia.
Our catalogue of training is just one of the many ways that we offer support for foster carers. By choosing Fostering People as your agency, you’ll also:
- Have access to a 24/7 support.
- Get a generous fostering allowance.
- A dedicated supervising social worker.
- Support groups.
- Fun events for all the family.
- Discounts on high street brands, supermarkets, and online stores through our exclusive discount scheme.
Could you offer a safe, loving home to a neurodiverse child?
Are you interested in fostering a neurodiverse child? To learn more about the fostering process simply fill out an enquiry form on our website or give us a call on 0800 077 8159 to speak to one of our advisors.
They can answer any questions you may have or talk you through the process in more detail.
Need more inspiration to start your fostering journey? Check out our foster carer stories, where foster parents share their experiences of fostering with us here at Fostering People.
