Gregory’s* history

Gregory has diagnoses of learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He has been in services since he was eight years old, including a CAMHS hospital, autism residential schools and adult learning disability hospitals.

Gregory has a history of self-harm, has sensory difficulties and has numerous obsessive and repetitive behaviours which means he is governed by routine. He develops anxious attachments easily to both people and routines.

When Gregory came to us

Gregory stepped down to Toller Road from a learning disability hospital. When he arrived he was extremely anxious, due to these feelings he would often become violent and aggressive to staff. His anxieties affected every part of his life and he was very untrusting of everyone he met, including visitors to Toller Road.

Everyday life was challenging for Gregory and small things that most people don’t think about would cause him anxiety. As a result, he became extremely agitated when the phone would ring and when it was time for his medication or meals.

Gregory refused to partake in activities and learn any lifestyle skills. In his mind, everyone had done things for him in hospital, so why did he need to learn how to do things for himself?

Gregory’s care

It was clear to the team at Toller Road that building Gregory’s trust was key for him to feel comfortable, safe and in control. Due to his anxieties around people, the staff mix was very important. The team started by building his confidence with a few members of staff and slowly expanded this to the wider team.

A stable staff team with a thorough understanding of his needs were put in place to support him. The more time they spent with Gregory, the more strategies were developed to encourage him to complete tasks or take part in activities. They also began to recognise the more subtle early signs of distress to prevent his anxiety from escalating.

Planning was essential, the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) worked together to give a consistent approach. The psychologist supported by sharing grounding strategies around times of anxiety and helped him to work on his obsessions. The activity coordinator liaised with other members of the MDT to produce an activity plan that would offer him a wide range of activities. This included sensory strategies and support with communication during his emotional episodes. Gregory began to know what to expect from each day as the staff would go through the plan with him in detail.

The team recognised that moving closer to his family was an important factor in his life, so ensured he made the link between learning his daily living skills and moving on to supported living. Firstly, the team encouraged him to start with the more simple tasks like cleaning his room, then they progressed to cooking, shopping and budgeting. Having the knowledge that he would need these skills to be able to live more independently near to his family was a really big incentive for Gregory.

Gregory today

Gregory is very happy and settled at Toller Road. He has a great social life and loves to visit the pub and discos. He is very conversant with the staff and has developed into a bit of a comedian, always wanting to have a laugh and joke with them.

He is working on plans with his social worker to find a supported living placement close to his family, which is very excited about.

*Name has been changed to protect his identity