We recently shared how therapy is woven into everyday life at MacIntyre School, helping children and young people be part of the things that matter to them most.
Across MacIntyre School and our children's homes, our therapy team works alongside teachers, families and residential staff teams, getting to know each young person and finding practical ways to support them through the ordinary moments that make up each day.
Over the next few weeks, we're taking a closer look at some of those stories. This is one of them.
Moving house. Going on holiday. For many families, they're exciting milestones, mixed with a little stress and a lot of planning.
For Chris and Sadie's families, they also brought questions about how to make those changes feel familiar, predictable and enjoyable.
Sometimes, something as simple as a story can help.
At MacIntyre School, social stories are one of the ways staff work alongside young people and their families to prepare for new experiences. Using simple language, pictures and familiar routines, they help explain what is going to happen before it happens.
They're never about telling someone how they should feel. They're about helping things make sense.
For Chris, that meant getting ready to move to a new home.
Chris finds unexpected changes to his routine difficult, and the thought of leaving one house for another was a big change for the whole family.
Working together with Chris's teacher and the school's speech and language specialist, his parents helped create a social story that walked through the move step by step.
It explained what would happen on moving day, what he might see and hear, and included ideas that could help if everything started to feel a bit busy or overwhelming.
Most importantly, Chris was able to make some decisions of his own, choosing which toys and books would come with him to his new bedroom.
Those familiar belongings gave him something to look forward to.
His parents later shared how well Chris managed the move. Having the story beforehand meant the new experience wasn't quite so unknown.
For Sadie, the adventure was a little different.
Her family were planning a road trip to Wales and wanted to make sure she could enjoy every part of it.
Sadie uses very little spoken language, so new places and busy environments can sometimes be difficult to make sense of.
Together with her family, staff created a social story showing where they were going, how long they would be away, where they would sleep and some of the things they might do while they were there. The story also included a few sensory ideas suggested by the occupational therapy team to help Sadie stay comfortable throughout the journey.
When the holiday arrived, Sadie spent the weekend exploring the Welsh countryside with her family.
The trip went so well that, when summer came around, her parents got back in touch.
This time, they were planning a visit to the seaside and wanted another social story to help Sadie get ready.
For the team at MacIntyre School, stories like these aren't simply resources to hand over.
They come from getting to know each young person, understanding what matters to their family, and working together to make everyday moments feel more manageable.
Because sometimes the biggest difference isn't found in something extraordinary.
It's helping someone move into a new home, enjoy a family holiday, or look forward to the next adventure.
