Support for Parents

What Can Parents Do First?

What Can Parents Do If They Think Their Child May Be Autistic or Have ADHD?

The most helpful first step is usually to encourage the student to speak to their university disability or wellbeing team, their GP, or both.

Where possible, it is important that the student is supported to take the lead. This helps them build confidence, understand their own needs, and begin developing the independence they will need at university.

Parents can still play an important role by helping them prepare what to say, gather evidence, attend appointments if invited, and follow up on next steps.

Possible First Steps

• Encourage the student to contact their university disability or wellbeing team.
• Encourage them to speak to their GP about autism or ADHD assessment routes.
• Help them gather any existing evidence, such as school reports, EHCP documents, diagnostic letters, or previous support plans.
• Support them to explore Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) if they already have evidence or are beginning the process.

Why Choose Calm. Clear. Confident. Specialist Support?

We understand that getting the right support can be difficult. Families often have to work hard to access support, keep it in place, and make sure a young person has the chance to flourish.

Calm. Clear. Confident. Specialist Support is built around that understanding. We know that effective support is not just about helping students achieve better grades. It is also about helping them develop confidence, independence, organisation, and the skills they need to manage higher education and adult life.

Our aim is to provide the right level of support: enough to help the student feel safe, structured, and understood, but not so much that they lose the opportunity to develop independence.

First-Hand Understanding of Support Needs

First-Hand Understanding

Our approach is informed by first-hand experience of supporting young people through additional needs provision, including the challenges families can face when trying to secure the right support.

We understand how frustrating it can be when a young person is capable, but the systems around them do not always make it easy for that ability to show.

That is why our support is calm, practical, and focused on helping students demonstrate their true academic potential.

Safe, Professional and Carefully Checked

All tutors and mentors are fully background checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Where appropriate, tutors and mentors are also registered with the DBS Update Service.

We take safeguarding, professionalism, and trust seriously. Students and families should feel confident that support is being provided by experienced, suitable, and carefully checked practitioners.

Qualified and Specialist Tutors

All tutors and mentors have a PhD or are currently working towards one.

As a minimum, tutors and mentors complete National Autistic Society training modules and training in the SPELL framework for higher education. Many also have a wider range of qualifications and experience in teaching, mentoring, autism, ADHD, neurodivergence, and supporting students with additional needs.

This means students are supported by professionals who understand both academic expectations and the practical realities of neurodivergent learning.

Supporting Independence, Not Taking Over

Supporting Independence

Our role is not to take over from the student or do the work for them. Our role is to help them build the confidence and skills to manage their studies more independently.

This might include planning assignments, understanding feedback, organising the week, preparing for meetings, managing deadlines, building routines, and learning how to ask for help.

For many students, this kind of support can make university feel more manageable and less overwhelming.

Communication with Parents and Privacy

We understand that parents may want reassurance and updates. However, university students are usually adults, and we must respect their privacy and data protection rights.

We can only communicate with parents about a student’s support if the student has given clear permission for us to do so. This helps us comply with UK data protection requirements and maintain trust with the student.

If you contact us, we may need to ask the student to confirm in writing that they are happy for us to communicate with you.