Doncaster man launches new service to help neurodivergent people

My name is Scott Allen. I am from Doncaster, I am autistic and have ADHD, and I am the founder of Awareverse.co.uk.

Rhys was at Kingfisher Primary School in Doncaster and was struggling.

At the time, we were essentially being told that he was a naughty child.

But as his parent, I knew there was more going on.

Rhys was eventually diagnosed as autistic and having ADHD, and he has an EHCP.

That journey taught me something I now find myself saying to other parents constantly: A child does not suddenly develop additional needs on the day they receive a diagnosis.

The needs were already there. The diagnosis helped explain them.

Over the years I had to learn about autism, ADHD, SEND, EHCPs, schools, reasonable adjustments, sensory needs, anxiety, behaviour, complaints and children's rights.

There wasn't one simple place where somebody could explain everything in ordinary language and tell me where to start.

There were government websites, policies, legislation, NHS information, charities and guidance, but when you're a parent dealing with a child who is struggling, finding and understanding all of it can become a job in itself.

Our family's experiences did not end with primary school either.

Years later, concerns about restraint involving Rhys at The Levett School resulted in me looking at the wider use of physical intervention there. Figures I obtained showed 511 recorded holds across pupils at the provision, which has only a small number of pupils.

I realised there must be thousands of parents sitting at home doing exactly what I had done.

So I started building Awareverse.

Awareverse.co.uk is free and is designed to put understandable information and practical resources in one place.

It covers SEND and EHCPs, neurodivergence, school support, complaints, benefits, anxiety, sensory needs, understanding reports and many of the everyday situations families encounter.

I know what it is like to be the child who struggles, and I know what it is like to be the parent trying to understand why their child is struggling.

What started here in Doncaster has now gone much further than I expected.

Awareverse has reached people in America and Australia as well as families across the UK.