Accepting Behaviour

SCHOOLS

Supporting neurodivergent children and young people using acceptance-based strategies.

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  • We Offer Specialist Educational Support for Worcestershire, Birmingham, Solihull, and Walsall, UK.”
    The Accepting Behaviour team supports teachers, SENCOs, and education professionals to meet the individual teaching, learning, and wellbeing needs of autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent students within their educational setting.

    We offer an acceptance-based approach, focusing on understanding each student’s unique profile and reducing barriers to engagement, rather than enforcing compliance or fixed outcomes.
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Lawrence Collins

Head Teacher
Heathfield Knoll School, Kidderminster

  • Aaron is passionate about supporting the needs of autistic children and young people, and has guided our school into making better choices for all. A highly regarded professional who has worked in our schol community for over 5 years

    Accepting Behaviour offer Year Round Support at Heathfield Knoll School.

Our Unique Approach

Accepting Behaviour Ltd provides specialist educational support for autistic and neurodivergent children and young people who are unable to engage with traditional school environments. Our work is specifically designed for children who experience significant barriers to learning due to autism, neurodivergence, communication differences, extreme anxiety, or demand avoidance. These children often struggle in systems that rely on pressure, compliance, and fixed expectations. Our acceptance-based approach focuses on creating psychological safety first so that learning can become possible again.

We support children who are struggling in school, or are unable to attend school, including those who cannot currently leave their home. In these situations, we provide one-to-one educational support in the home environment, allowing learning to begin in a space where the child feels safe and regulated. For children who are ready to engage beyond the home, we offer support through the Accepting Behaviour Learning Centre. This provides a structured, calm environment where children can rebuild confidence, develop social connections, and gradually increase their engagement with learning and the wider community.

Our approach recognises that for many of these children, traditional teaching methods and academic expectations can become barriers rather than pathways to learning. Acceptance-based support focuses on reducing pressure, building trust, and allowing children to engage at a pace that feels manageable. As children begin to feel safe and understood, their willingness to participate in learning often increases naturally.

We place clear value on the core subjects that form the foundation of education, including English, mathematics, and science. However, these subjects are introduced when a child is ready and able to engage meaningfully. For some children, this may happen quickly. For others, it may take time while confidence and emotional stability are rebuilt.

When children are ready, we support them to develop their literacy, numeracy, and scientific understanding through structured learning opportunities. We can offer recognised and accredited pathways, including Functional Skills qualifications, AQA Unit Awards, and ASDAN programmes, ensuring that progress can be formally recognised.

Where children are not yet ready to engage with formal academic learning, we begin with interest-led learning. This allows young people to reconnect with curiosity, exploration, and personal strengths through activities that are meaningful to them. Interest-led learning often becomes the bridge that helps children rebuild confidence and gradually re-engage with education, including core subjects, in ways that are sustainable and successful.

This approach has proven particularly effective for autistic and neurodivergent children whose needs have not been met within traditional systems. By prioritising acceptance, emotional safety, and meaningful engagement, we help children rediscover their ability to learn and develop a positive relationship with education again.

‘Following in the footsteps of Bo Hejlskov Elvén, Ross W. Greene and Andrew McDonnel comes Aaron Yorke with his Accept Approach. Aaron’s enthusiastic delivery coupled with his in-depth knowledge is a masterclass in understanding any individual with an autism diagnosis and how best to work with them.’

LEE BURDEN SENIOR TRAINER AUTISM WEST MIDLANDS

Targeted School Support

We believe that autistic students struggling in education can often be prevented if school settings are supported in the right ways. Therefore, we offer in-school staff training and statutory work to help support students at risk of disengaging from learning.

We know the pressures of teaching.

We have a team of specialist advisors who know how hard it is to teach. Therefore, all our in-school support is designed to be effective for you and your students who are autistic or have social/communication differences. We focus on acceptance-based approaches to help both staff and students better understand their autism/differences and how these can impact their learning during daily school and classroom engagement. We get it. We want to help.

In-School Support

We can work with students through observations and one-to-one support. We offer specific advice and support for staff working with students who cannot access the classroom environment for various reasons. We help staff and students understand their issues and how they impact their learning.

We also provide statutory work, including SEN Code of Practice guidance, TAC and EHC report writing, meeting attendance, and support for parents through the process.

Within all our work, we help schools develop bespoke strategies with both the staff and students to help them overcome barriers to their learning. Throughout our work, we deliver specialist acceptance-based guidance and support for schools to ensure improved outcomes for students of all ages.

We want to help make things better.

Make Referral Here

Our Approach

Acceptance can be applied practically and effectively to support students who have not responded to traditional communication strategies. Our approach is not to view a problem or issue as a deficit but to focus on ways students can learn to accept themselves within it and then move naturally from it.

We achieve this by applying a strategically designed support method called The Accept Approach (Yorke 2021). The approach focuses on applying four foundations of acceptance to help identify the most effective ways to engage students in their learning. Below is an overview of how the approach works to support students. Aaron Yorke created and developed the Accept Approach, which has been published in The Good Autism Practice Journal. You can access published journal articles by visiting our research page.

We provide training that works.

Feedback

‘I just wanted to thank you for your contribution to all three days of training this week.

You were fantastic! The evaluations from all three mornings were very positive and many specifically mentioned your ‘inspirational’ contribution.’

Feedback from Birmingham City Wide SENCO training

  • “Absolutely brilliant advice and support around so many things affecting behaviour and mind. The live chat on anxiety was spot on and so helpful. Aaron seems to ‘get it’ in a friendly, informal, professional and knowledgable manner.”
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    Class Teacher
    Training Attendee

Training packages

We offer up-to-date Autism/ADHD staff training focused on how you can apply acceptance-based support to help your students more effectively. We teach evidence-based strategies/skills through the delivery of whole-school, face-to-face, or online training. We provide 90-minute, half-day and full-day sessions. We can also provide online or in-school training.

Access our training packages here

Training Objectives

Increase Awareness: Provide comprehensive information on autism, ADHD, and social differences, including the latest research and developments.

Increase understanding: Our training provides knowledge about autism, ADHD, and social differences, and how we can apply effective strategies to better support them.

Promote Inclusion: Equip participants with strategies for fostering acceptance-based, supportive environments in educational, social, and professional settings.

Identify Natural Communication Skills: We train staff to understand that children and young people with social differences do not lack social skills. Instead, we teach you how to identify their ‘natural social skills’.

Acceptance-Based Strategies: Offer insight into effective, purposeful, and beneficial strategies for all involved.

Training Methods

  • Interactive Presentations, Group Discussions, role-playing, Case Studies and Real-life Scenarios, Q&A Sessions, and Resource Distribution (Handouts, Toolkits, etc.)

Evaluation and Feedback:

  • Pre and Post-Training Surveys, Participant Feedback Forms, Follow-up Sessions (Optional)

Additional Notes:

  • All our training can be customised for different groups or specific needs.
  • Certificates of completion can be provided to participants.
  • Follow-up resources and support can also be made available.

Acceptance based training

This training can be 90 minutes, or half-day and full-day. We can offer this virtually or in-school.

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Autism ADHD training

This training is an introduction to autism/ADHD and how you can apply acceptance-based strategies to support.

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Classroom resources

This is a great session for teachers, and staff working in class with students, looking for different ways to support.

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Free Training videos

You can access our education videos for further insight, and to help you and your staff learn more about acceptance-based support.

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TRAINING VIDEO

Here is a free training video you can use for staff training.


Here are some blog posts for further reading