Who are the Communication and Autism Team?

The Communication and Autism Team (CAT) are an educational advisory service who advise staff in maintained nursery and school settings regarding how to build their autism knowledge and work strategically with settings to embed good autism practice. CAT work with settings to ensure children and young people have full access to their educational experience. Every mainstream school and academy has a Communication and Autism Team member assigned to the setting.

CAT work collaboratively with a setting using the Autism Educational Trust’s (AET) ‘Eight Principles of Good Autism Practice’ and ‘Autism Standards’ framework. These Autism Standards are applied to enable settings to improve their practice in promoting full inclusion for autistic children and young people. 

CAT offer AET training packages including the ‘Making Sense of Autism’ training which is free for settings to access through their allocated Communication and Autism Team member. In addition, CAT offer a range of AET and CAT training packages to further support settings.

All Birmingham maintained settings will be allocated a number of core hours and strategic hours. To find out your setting’s core allocation of hours, please speak to your allocated Communication and Autism Team member.

Registering with CAT 

Registrations are accepted for children and young people with a diagnosis of autism, and those on the pathway towards a potential diagnosis of autism. We also accept registrations for children and young people with significant social communication and interaction differences. Registration is accepted following a discussion focusing on strengths and needs with the setting SENCo. The SENCo within the school or setting will ask parent carers if they are happy for their child to be registered with our team. Children will only be registered with our service following receipt of parent carer signed consent.

For queries regarding the neurodevelopmental pathway towards a potential diagnosis of autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions for a child or young person, please see the following information regarding assessments for autism and ADHD.