Page 13 - Issue 112 May-June 2021

SEN news Storyteller Amelia and her amazing eyes The inspirational 7-year-old Amelia, who is currently non-verbal, channelled her creativity through her eye movements, using cue cards to curate a mini-saga which is being published in an upcoming Young Writers anthology. Amelia was diagnosed with Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) at birth, a type of brain damage occurring in newborns resulting from a shortage of oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Amelia was in intensive care for six weeks shortly after coming into the world; her prognosis wasn’t hopeful. Today Amelia is a beacon of light and happiness. She uses a wheelchair to navigate and can communicate via visual cues provided by her parents. Mental health crisis — children worst affected New analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists has found that nearly 400,000 children sought help for mental health problems during the pandemic. Children and young people have borne the brunt of the mental health crisis caused by the pandemic; 600,000 more mental health sessions were delivered than in the previous year, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for the additional £80m promised for children’s mental health to urgently reach the frontline to help tackle the crisis. A year on from the first lockdown and after warnings from the mental health sector about the impact of the pandemic on the country’s mental health, NHS Digital data shows that while the crisis is affecting people of all ages, it is under-18s who are suffering most. The report found that 80,000 more children and young people were referred to children and your people’s mental health services between April and December 2020, up by a quarter on 2019. Nearly 20,000 children and young people needed urgent or emergency crisis care - including assessments to see if someone needs to be sectioned because they or others are at harm - an increase of almost a fifth on 2019. Anxiety app for autistic people Research studies show that 40-50% of autistic people have anxiety disorders – around 4 times higher than the rates in non- autistic people. Anxiety can present quite differently in autistic people for a number of reasons, including sensory issues, an intolerance of uncertainty and social or communication difficulties. Now, the Molehill Mountain app aims to help autistic adults understand and self-manage their anxiety. The evidence-led app has been developed by UK research charity Autistica and researchers at King’s College London with input from autistic. Molehill Mountain gets users to identify and track their worries with a daily check-in. Check-ins open-up tips for managing anxiety – breaking down information and strategies into manageable chunks. The user tracks their progress up Molehill Mountain and can review their stats, tips and diary entries through a dashboard. The app delivers its programme over three months of check-ins but can be used for longer. Users can also share their progress with a trusted supporter such as a parent or therapist. The app is available on Google and Apple app stores. The development team plan to assess the effectiveness of the app through a clinical trial later this year. More information at molehillmountain.co.uk. follow us on twitter.com/senmagazine join us on facebook.com/senmagazine 13 senmagazine.co.uk SEN112