• Specialism:
  Specialist services in autism & SLD
• Residential/Day:
  Residential
• Course Start Dates:
  Enrolment throughout the year
• Course Length per Year in weeks:
  52 weeks
• Maximum Student Numbers:
  30
• Age Range:
  16-25 years

General Description of College:
Oakhurst Lodge aims to help students achieve their full potential by challenging the limitations of their Autism and providing an environment where they feel safe, secure and less anxious. We offer a highly consistent environment and seek to understand each individual. We focus on communication skills and social skills with strong encouragement of self-management and independence skills and we expect young people to participate within their ability and tolerance levels. Located on the outskirts of the New Forest, and in a community setting, between Southampton and Lyndhurst, Oakhurst Lodge is set in a large garden with rest and recreation areas.

The Curriculum:
The aim of the Curriculum is to enable the young people to come to terms with transition and change to an adult environment, and to build on the skills and interests of the individual in a domestic, structured setting and by encouraging a sense of local and global community. The key skills of Behaviour, Communication, Life and Living will underpin the whole of the waking day. Physical and Community Learning are also very important priorities for our students and will be incorporated into these key skills.

Specialist Facilities:
We offer an ASD therapeutic environment providing Psychology, Speech and Language therapies and Occupational Therapy.

Statements:

1. expertise in working with learners with autism spectrum disorder with associated challenging behaviour
2. in-house speech and language therapy
3. in-house psychology services
4. in-house psychiatric services
5. an occupational therapy programme
6. a programme to help learners to look after themselves more independently
7. opportunities to improve literacy, numeracy and/or communication skills
8. opportunities to develop strategies to promote appropriate behaviour
9. opportunities to improve communication skills such as the use of Makaton, Bliss, symbols or objects of reference
10. opportunities to experiment with sound, touch, smell and sight in order to aid learning
11. opportunities to take part in a wide range of social, leisure and sporting activities
12. opportunities for learners to participate in community activities and to learn about citizenship
13. a programme to enable students to learn more about themselves and how to form relationships
14. a range of vocational courses with opportunities for accreditation.
15. opportunities to attend local mainstream colleges with support
16. opportunities to experience real work situations
17. registered with the Care Quality Commission
18. residential provision extending beyond the academic year
19. waking night residential staff
20. specialist staff to meet personal care requirements