How can Maisons Relais, nurseries, and day-care centers best support autistic children? The team at Incluso provides targeted interventions, from situation analysis to long-term support. They do not offer direct childcare but coach teams to optimize structures and communication. This ensures that inclusion is implemented in a practical way.
Target audience
Incluso is a service of the APEMH and is recognised as a resource centre by the Ministry of Education. The service offers free advice, support and guidance to educators and pedagogical staff in non-formal education (crèches and maisons relais) on how to deal with children in non-formal educational institutions in an inclusive way.
The aim is to accompany teams in these facilities and observe the behaviour of children in the context of their environment in order to identify their needs and the appropriate context for their support and to enable suitable measures and adjustments for inclusive care.
This is not a contact point for individuals, nor does it provide continuous support for families.
How to request support?
Maisons Relais, Crèches, and Foyers du Jour can request support from Incluso.
- You can call them directly. If they are unavailable, please leave a message on their answering machine.
- You can also send an email, and they will get back to you.
Every week, they review new requests. A team member will contact the respective institution to schedule an appointment.
No direct support for parents
Incluso operates exclusively in Maisons Relais, Crèches, and Foyers du Jour.
Sometimes, parents contact them directly, requesting an observation of their child in the crèche. In such cases, they briefly speak with the parents, ask a few questions, and then reach out to the crèche.
They emphasize this message to parents: all children, with or without a diagnosis, have the right to attend an institution. There are no special structures exclusively for autistic children.
Parents can learn more about the services Incluso provides. Usually, they meet with parents once to explain their approach. However, they do not offer direct support for parents. Their network focuses on collaboration with the teams in Maisons Relais, Crèches, and Foyers du Jour, rather than direct guidance for children or their families.
How does an intervention work?
A standard intervention usually consists of an initial contact, four on-site visits, and, if necessary, further support.
Request and first contact: When a crèche reports that they are caring for an autistic child and feel overwhelmed, the intervention begins with a situation analysis.
- On-site assessment: The team visits the institution to speak with the staff and understand their concerns.
- Observation in context: A 2–3 hour observation is conducted on-site, focusing on key situations such as mealtimes, arrivals, or interactions with other children.
- Report and feedback to the team: A report is created and discussed with the staff to determine the child’s needs and possible adjustments within the institution.
- Developing a project for the child: A tailored action plan is designed in collaboration with the team.
Possible long-term support: After the initial intervention, follow-ups may occur to help with implementation. Sometimes, the team returns to assess progress and provide theoretical input on autism to raise awareness and reduce anxieties. This is not a full training but rather a short theoretical introduction.
The duration of the support varies – from one month to several years.
Important: This is never direct child support but rather coaching for the teams.
Offers
- Information and sensitisation on the topic of inclusion and participation for all
- Support in the implementation of observations and the individual inclusion project for a child in care
- Coaching on specific topics of inclusive pedagogy (room design, observation, diversity, etc.)
- Documentation and lending of material on inclusion (literature, games library, media kit, films, etc.)
- Exchange of best practice and networking opportunities
apemh.lu/incluso
Procedures and questions
ℹ️ Our team of authors is working on this section. Thank you for your patience.
- Does Incluso intervene in pre-school, primary school and secondary school?
- What are common challenges that educators and pedagogical staff face when taking care of autistic children?
- What are common recommendations for staff regarding autistic children?