About our support

What is Specialist Mentoring support?

Our Specialist Mentors will meet you on a regular basis to assist with a wide range of areas. Some typical areas of support are:

• Getting settled into University life
• Accessing University resources and social opportunities
• Time management and organisational / prioritising skills
• Planning and starting assignments
• Developing communication and group work skills
• Managing stress and anxiety
• Preparing for exam revision
• Maintaining motivation 

Everyone is different and your needs may change as you progress through your course. We will regularly discuss with you what support you might benefit from and adapt your sessions to suit.

Our Specialist Mentors have all undertaken degree level qualifications and are familiar with university processes. They are also highly trained and experienced autism specialists.

What is Study Assistant support?

Our study buddy support offers more practical assistance for managing your studies. A study buddy can assist you with day to day activities such as:

• Attending lectures and workshops
• Understanding what is required of you during study time
• Managing stress and anxiety levels during classes
• Organising and prioritising workload
• Liaising with tutors
• Communicating with other students for group tasks

Study Assistant support takes place while you attend some, or all of your classes, depending on your need. We are a small team and we will always try to ensure consistency with who delivers your Study Assistant support. You would not have a different Study Assistant every time, but would have between 1 and 3 Study Assistants who would spend time getting to know you.

Our Study Assistants all have university experience or have undertaken degree level qualifications and so are familiar with the processes. They are also highly trained and experienced Autism specialists.

Where does the support take place?

Support sessions for Specialist Mentoring usually take place on campus. Your advisor can discuss with you where you like to meet and arrange a private meeting space.

We can also conduct sessions at one of our sites, as some people prefer support to be delivered off campus.

Study Assistant support will always take place on campus as this is to enable you to attend classes.

Is this support suitable for me?

This student support is for anyone who:

• Has a diagnosis of autism or a learning disability
• Is undertaking Higher Education
• Is studying in North-east of England
• Is eligible or in receipt of Disabled Student Allowance

 How much does the support cost?

The cost of your support is covered by your Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) under the Non-Medical Helper allowance. You will need to have applied for DSA and undertaken an assessment during which they will determine your support needs and allocate funding. DSA can also cover the cost of specialist equipment where needed.

Specialist Mentoring support is £50 per hour with a minimum of 1 hour per session.

We do not charge additional costs for travel, however, we can currently only support students attending universities in the North East or the surrounding areas.

If you are based in the outer areas of the North East and would like support, please contact us to discuss.

The cost of your support is covered by your Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) under the Non-Medical Helper allowance. You will need to have applied for DSA and undertaken an assessment during which they will determine your support needs and allocate funding. DSA can also cover the cost of specialist equipment where needed.

For further information on Disabled Student Allowance, and how to apply, please visit www.gov.uk