Routine and Independence for Josh
As the Summer holidays arrive, many children with additional needs lose the routine they rely on. For Josh and his family, our summer holiday activities clubs have provided vital routine and helped his parents juggle work and childcare.
Josh, who will turn 18 soon, has been coming to the Rose Road summer holiday activity club since the age of 6. Now, as his time with the club comes to an end, his family look forward to a future with Rose Road as he moves into outreach support. Here, his dad Tony explains the difference Rose Road has made for Josh and his family.
His Dad Tony explains:
“Josh has autism and a learning disability. My wife and I both work and we thought we could manage everything ourselves as we obviously enjoy his company and he is a big part of our family. But regularly finding people who could commit to staying with him became difficult".
The Rose Road summer holiday Activities clubs run every weekday during school holidays, and is one of the only provisions in the county providing childcare for those with complex neurodivergence and disabilities.
Tony says, "Josh loves routine, and over the years the club became a really consistent and stable feature in his life and you're the only organisation that's provided for his needs."
"And put simply, It's what made it possible for Josh's mum and I to stay in work."
"It gave us the time and flexibility to go into the office or out to visit our clients or work from home, knowing Josh is someone he loves going. We'd prepare a visual timeline for him every week so he'd know what he’s doing each day. He’s non verbal but alwyas got very excited, always pointing at his Rose Road days; he's absolutely loved going."
"He really appreciates the 1:1 time, he loves the big bean bags, he enjoys the support workers giving him sensory massage on his arms and legs. They’re willing to tailor the day to what he enjoys. You’re his favourite experience where he knows you and you get him, you’re there for him".
Josh attended Saturday clubs too, which gave his parent quality time with his sister Abigail. They usually have to meet Joshua’s needs first, so she does sometimes miss out, but thanks to the Saturday club, she got mum and dad to herself to do what she enjoys.
"If it wasn’t for you he’d go stir crazy, work would be so much more stressful and family time would be more limited. It gave us flexibility while giving Joshua the structure and routine that he needed.”
Alongside attending college, Josh has now started receiving outreach support with Rose Road most Saturdays, which replaces his time spent with the Saturday club. And is another important example of the conituinty of care Rose Road can provide to families through services that support someone from childhood into young adulthood.
Tony explains what this means for the whole family: "It's fantastic to know Josh will still have some independence from us, and the chance to go off on his own and not rely on us, all while keeping the familiar routine with a place he knows. He gets quality interaction at Rose Road, with Support Workers who are a similar age. They don't feel like parents or teachers, but his peers."