Archive Recordings 2021-2022
The Pines Virtual Sessions
Recorded presentations, interviews and talks from Thriving Families and the National Autistic Society.
Stressing Your Senses - 4th November 2021
This video is of a presentation by Susan Jeffrey from the Highland Occupational Therapy team. The video looks at the role of the occupational therapist, and the everyday things they can support for a child or young person. This includes play & leisure, self-care and education. Susan looks at the different senses and focuses particularly on Interoception - the perception of sensations from inside the body, and how this can differ in children with a neurodevelopmental difference profile.
A Neurodivergent Family - 13th January 2022
Alison from the National Autistic Society Scotland interviews Carrie Watts to find out more about Carrie and her neurodiverse family. Carrie had a late diagnosis of autism, and is mum to two autistic/ ADHD boys and has an ADHD husband. Carrie talks about her own story, her strengths and challenges and what helps her family. Carrie is a family support worker with Thriving Families and Chair of the National Autistic Society Highland Branch.
Complex Presentations - 10th February 2022
This video is a presentation by Rachael Geddes (Autism Practitioner) and Lesley Soffe (Advanced ADHD Nurse Practitioner) and looks at both understanding and better supporting those with a complex presentation. Many children and young people have a complex profile which does not fit neatly within one diagnosis. This could be autism plus ADHD, autism with learning disability or any combination of both diagnosed and non-diagnosed differences.
Complex Presentations - PDF Version of Slides
Click on Image above to download the slides.
Building Confidence & Reducing Social Isolation - PDF Booklet
Click on image to download the Booklet
Building Confidence & Reducing Social Isolation - 10th March 2022
This video presentation focusses on building positive self-esteem in young people and covers things such as managing worries, social energy accounting and making friends. The presenter, Tanya Tennant, is an autistic consultant (and mother to autistic young people) and delivers talks and seminars nationwide. This Pines session received incredibly positive feedback from those attending; it was supported by funding from the National Autistic Society Scotland.
Post 16 Transitions - 28th April 2022
This video is taken from a session run by the National Autistic Society Scotland and Thriving Families, in association with the Pines. It features presentations by five key post-16 transitions organisations: the Highland Council Joint Transitions Team, UHI Transitions, L'Arche Highland, Cantraybridge College and Enable Works Highland. Each organisation gives a 15 minute presentation with an introduction to the whole session from Karyn, a parent carer volunteer.
Computer Gaming & Screen Time - 9th June 2022
We know that many young people enjoy gaming and spend a long time online. This can be beneficial for them but is a concern for many parents and carers. This session looks specifically at the world of Online Gaming and how this is directly related to the wider online safety agenda. It explores (1) some of the most commonly played games, (2) the temptation to spend money to ‘succeed’ in a game and (3) resources available to keep children safe when playing games that involve chatting to others online. Robert Quigley, Online Safety Officer for Highland Council led this session.
Further links and information on our Online Safety page.
Kieran Rose - Autistic Masking, Burnout & School Absence - 18th Aug 2022
Kieran Rose is an autistic consultant and international speaker. Thanks to funding from the National Autistic Society Highland Branch, The Pines was delighted to welcome Kieran to give this insightful presentation. The focus is on masking, burnout and related anxiety-based school absence; Kieran gives a great understanding of autism from the autistic perspective.
Nicki Walsh - The Decider - 15 September 2022
The Decider is a widely used programme that will give you (as a parent, carer or professional) some tools to cope better in situations where you feel overwhelmed, unsure or confused – common feelings for everyone. The Decider skills use a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy approach to teach simple ideas that can be put into practice straight away. This presentation is by Nicki Walsh from the Thriving Families team; Nicki is a qualified Decider Skills trainer and has first-hand experience of the practical and emotional challenges facing families of children with additional support needs.
Dr Arlene Barr - Foundations of Wellbeing & Mental Health - 1st December 2022
This excellent session was led by Dr Arlene Barr, Interim Principal Clinical Psychologist from the CAMHS team. As children and young people grow and develop, their mental health and well-being is affected by different factors and in different ways. This session focussed on what children need at different ages and stages to meet their potential, cope with day-to-day life and feel safe, happy and confident. It also looked at how to recognise and understand emotional and behavioural difficulties and how to support the mental health of children and young people with additional support needs. We hope you will enjoy the presentation.