Norland recognised for pioneering support at Transforming Autism Early Years conference
Dr Janet Rose represented Norland at the Transforming Autism Early Years virtual conference, an event dedicated to advancing support for autistic children and their families.
The conference, organised by the Transforming Autism Project (TAP) and held on 5 November, brought together leading experts in early years education and autism research to share insights into family-centred interventions.
During the opening remarks, Dr Janet Rose, Principal of Norland, was formally acknowledged for Norland’s pivotal contribution to the development and funding of the innovative First Steps programme. Funded by the Norland Foundation, First Steps is informed by research around brain development and the impact of parental and caregiver stress on the development of autism in very young children. The programme aims to support parents and carers to learn skills required to create an optimal environment to create a deep and sensitive emotional connection with their child.
A highlight of the conference was a presentation by Dr Theodora Papatheodorou, founding Editor-in-Chief of the Norland Educare Research Journal, who led the research underpinning the First Steps programme. Dr Papatheodorou detailed the research principals and implementation of the project, which was developed collaboratively by Norland and TAP, with input from child therapists, autism experts and parents of autistic children. The programme provide early multidisciplinary support to children under four – both with and without an autism diagnosis – and their families, through six weeks of regular home visits from licensed child psychotherapists and paediatric occupational therapists. The intervention focuses on enhancing intentional and reciprocal interactions between children and caregivers within the home environment.
Aligning with Norland’s child-centred philosophy, First Steps places the child at the heart of the intervention while empowering caregivers to build secure, nurturing relationships. Norland’s involvement in First Steps reflects its long-standing commitment to inclusive early years education and leadership in research-informed best practices for child development.
For further information about the First Steps programme, please visit the Transforming Autism website
