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Prior's Court Young Adult Provision
Prior's Court Young Adult Provision was set up in 2011 to meet the continuing
needs of young adults who are leaving school, providing them with a
transitional step towards a more inclusive life within the community. It
offers 52-week residential care within three onsite and one offsite residential
Care Homes and an onsite learning centre.
Definition of the Special Needs of the Service Users
Prior's Court Young Adult Provision caters for young adults of both sexes
between the ages of 191 and 25 with a diagnosis of profound autism,
moderate to severe learning difficulties and complex needs.
A young adult with autism can be typically defined as having:
Difficulties in communication - for the young adults this will mean that
they have difficulties in understanding and initiating communication. Some
young adults may be pre-verbal and require additional strategies such as
objects, symbols and signs to support their understanding and ability to
communicate.
Difficulties in social interaction - the young adults will have difficulties in
understanding social rules and situations and will require additional
support to learn to understand and manage everyday social interactions.
Difficulties in imagination and flexibility of thought - for the young adults
this will mean they will experience difficulties in a range of situations
including predicting what will happen next, understanding the concept of
danger and engaging in imaginative activities. Young adults will require
additional support to understand the world around them.
Sensory differences - the young adults may experience some form of
sensory sensitivity. This can occur in one or more of the five senses -
sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. A person's senses are either
intensified (hypersensitive) or under-sensitive (hypo-sensitive) affecting
the way they perceive and manage the world around them.
All young adults will also have cognitive impairment which may make them
more vulnerable and can further impact their ability to make sense of the
world around them.
Additionally young adults may have:
Challenging behaviours - due to the difficulties the young adults have
understanding the world around them they may demonstrate
challenging behaviour requiring support to develop coping and selfmanagement
strategies and to maintain their safety in crisis situations.
Additional associated needs including ADHD, epilepsy, mental health
and other medical needs.
1 In exceptional circumstances young adults may be accepted to the Young Adult Provision at age 18 with
the agreement of the CEO. Re. requests to stay on beyond the planned leave date at 25 please refer to the
Admissions Policy.