EVENT: Sensory Issues and Autism Spectrum

Sensory Issues & Autism Spectrum

Saturday, 2^nd November 2013, 11:45am for 12.20 – 4.30pm

Garden Room, Blunsdon House Hotel, The Ridge, Blunsdon, Swindon, SN26 7AS
http://www.blunsdonhouse.co.uk/contact/how-to-find-us/

Autism Oxford Speakers on the Autistic Spectrum offering fascinating insights into their differences in sensory processing.

• Paul Isaacs - A graphic description of sensory perceptual issues eg walking into a room, travelling on a train and much more – an awesome account you will never forget!
• Richard Maguire - ‘Lying and Acting, the Sensory Cover-up - the powerful social pressures not to act in accordance with our sensory profiles and our need for sensory comfort in childhood and adulthood’

• Faye Brown – ‘The struggles of living with sensory issues, mine and my son’s, and strategies we use to cope’
• Catherine Green – A fascinating account of sensory issues in childhood which were overcome with maturity, and others which have persisted into adulthood
• Other Speakers – to be announced

The afternoon will include an invaluable Q & A session featuring all of the speakers

Professionals £50 plus vat; People with ASC/Family members £30 plus vat

Discounted places are available for those who need them – please ask us

For easy, secure booking go to www.autismoxford.org.uk

Viewpoint: 10 jargon phrases used for my autistic son

My son Steven is 23. He has autism and other learning difficulties. And the language of the social care system seems to make his life sound even less "normal" than it is.

The adult social care world is about many things, but one thing that I feel it's not about is care. The language seems to mislead you right from the start. Processes seem to come before people in a system of impenetrable management where money is the biggest consideration.

Full blogpost on BBC News

Autism charity condemns new rules on eligibility for social care

The government has betrayed people with autism by proposing unrealistic thresholds for who should be eligible for help and by enshrining the poorest of care standards in law, say charities.

The National Autistic Society said new criteria for those who should receive social care completely "overlooks" autistic people who would not be recognised as needing support. Many people with autism already struggle to have their condition identified. Fewer than half of English councils have any system in place for diagnosis, and some can be particularly vulnerable to neglect and abuse, but councils would not be obliged to help under the new criteria, says the NAS.

Other groups have also expressed what one chief executive described as "total horror" at the criteria put forward by the Department of Health to be used by councils in England in deciding who should receive social care and support. Charities including Age UK and the Alzheimer's Society believe the bar is being set too high, leaving millions vulnerable. A draft of the criteria was released this weekend ahead of Monday's official launch.

Full Article on Guardian Society

New autism service launched

A NEW service has been launched in Wiltshire to help raise awareness of autism.

The Wiltshire Autism Diagnostic Service (WADS), launched by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, aims to work with organisations and the public to help people recognise the signs of autism. Only about 15 per cent of people with autism currently have a job, which means they can miss out on a lot of the usual things that people get by going to work.

Full Article on Salisbury Journal

EVENT: Understand Autism - Have Your Say!

Do you have an autism spectrum condition?

 Would you like the opportunity to give your views to Wiltshire Council?

Join others who wish to share their views on how policy makers can help those on the autism spectrum.

Friday 26 April 2013

11.30am – 2pm

Trowbridge Fire Station,
Hilperton Road,
Trowbridge
Wiltshire, BA14 7JB

(Please note, this is a meeting for people with an autism spectrum condition only, and will be aimed at adults)

Book to reserve a place, please contact:

National Autistic Society (South West) Tel: 07767 678984 Email: jo.clay@nas.org.uk

COMPETITION: Hoffman Foundation - Prize Competition and Exhibition 2013

After a break of one year the Hoffmann Foundation for Autism is back with its Prize Competition and Exhibition.  

The Hoffmann Foundation for Autism was founded by Alice Hoffmann de Visme OBE exactly 60 years ago in 1953 as the Noah’s Ark Trust, a school for children that contemporary statutory services had failed. The Trust grew and now has four residential homes, a supported living service, a day service, an art and craft service and its own psychology department providing a full range of support for adults with autistic spectrum conditions.

Since 2010 we have held an open competition and exhibition with cash prizes. The exhibition and competition have been very successful and attracted many entries from all over the UK. Our next exhibition will be run from October to December 2013 and we are inviting entries from now onward. All ages are welcome but only drawings, paintings, photographs, montage and collage, photo-copied and photo-shopped work (CAD) is permitted (in other words 2D in any media) this is because we can’t cope with sculpture at the moment. You will have to bring or mail your work here well before the opening date but in any case please contact me for our info pack and entry form Tel. 0208 8818 638 or E-Mail: art@hfa.org.uk . Or you can download an entry form and other details from our web-site www.hoffmannfoundation.org.uk  

Wiltshire Council to run autism campaign

Wiltshire Council will be running an autism awareness campaign next week.

The roadshow will offer an opportunity to find out more about the condition and also access diagnostic services for adults.

The council van will be outside Salisbury Library on Tuesday, County Hall in Trowbridge on Wednesday, The Bear Hotel in Devizes on Thursday and on Chippenham town bridge on Friday with all events running between 10am and 2pm.

Full Article on Gazette & Herald

Autism Friendly Film Screenings: Nativity 2!

December's Autism Friendly screening

Decembers film 'Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger' (U, 2D) will show at over 100 cinemas nationwide on Sunday 2^nd December (Cineworld) and Sunday 16^th December (ODEON).
Find your nearest cinema and book your tickets now!

Autism Friendly Film screenings will now take place twice a month thanks to Dimension UK's brand new partnership with Cineworld - head here for the full story.

Autism conference for Wiltshire

A CAMPAIGN to raise awareness of autism in Wiltshire will be launched at a conference later this month.

More than 4,000 people in Wiltshire have an autistic spectrum condition. Most will manage their daily lives extremely well without any support.

However, some will need lifelong support to enable them to live as independently as possible.

Full Article on Salisbury Journal

EVENT: Understand Autism Conference 2012

Where?

The Corn Exchange, Devizes

When

11am - 3.30pm, 21 November 2012

Wiltshire Council would like to invite you to the launch of an autism awareness campaign. Come along to find out what is happening and how you can help. Listen to key speakers to see how autism can affect people in different ways.

Network, gain advice and information about:

• Nine different providers that support people in their own homes
• different technology that can help a person be more independent
• employment support services
• Wiltshire college
• housing options available and how to access them
• local parent carer and user groups and organisations
• ...and many more!

Please book online to reserve your place

Most older adults with autism have not had care assessment

Almost three-quarters of older adults diagnosed with autism have never had a community care assessment in apparent contravention of statutory guidance, a National Autistic Society survey has found.

The charity found 71% of adults aged over 45 with a diagnosis of autism had not had their needs assessed by their local authority.

This is despite the 2010 autism strategy saying that an autism diagnosis should trigger the local authority's duty, under the NHS and Community Care Act, to assess people who may be in need of community care services.

Full Article on Community Care

Concern at takeover of Wiltshire's autism service

Members of NHS Wiltshire have expressed concern at allowing Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership  to provide an autism diagnosis service.

NHS Wiltshire went through a rigorous process to identify qualifed providers to supply the service in the county.

Two organisations met the criteria, AWP and Autism Diagnostic Research Centre while a third, Social Enterprise Quality of Life, conditionally qualified.

NHS Wiltshire has previously expressed concern about services run by AWP and as a result is drawing up plans to retender the mental health service contract in Wiltshire.

Full Article on Wiltshire Times

Not just a boy thing: how doctors are letting down girls with autism

Annette Lewns has more experience than most of the different ways in which boys and girls with autism are treated. Her 14-year-old son, Ryan, was diagnosed when he was three and a half. But doctors refused to diagnose her 12-year-old daughter, Rachel, until she was nine.

"What angers me is that for years I was dismissed by doctors purely because Rachel was a girl. Ryan was spotted very quickly because the autism symptoms that doctors look for are so male-orientated," said Lewns. "But Rachel's autism was hidden unless you knew where to look for it.

"Rachel could express herself, she had a couple of friends and understood emotions if someone was at an extreme: really upset or really happy. But you didn't really have to look too hard to see she didn't genuinely understand emotions or relationships: she was just mimicking scripts and scenarios from TV."

Full Article on Guardian Society

Annette Lewns is a Carer from Wiltshire who has previously had support and services from Carer Support Wiltshire.

SURVEY: The Autism Diagnosis Project

Do you or your child have an autism spectrum disorder?

If so, a new research project wants to hear from you!

A team of researchers at Goldsmiths, University of London and London South Bank University are interested in finding out about your experiences of receiving a diagnosis of autism.

They would like to hear from adults with autism, as well as parents who have a child with autism, who would be happy to take part in a short online survey.

To find out more about this survey, or to take part, please visit their website.

Councils 'failing to assess needs of carers of people with autism'

Only one in five carers of people with autism have ever received the local authority assessment of their needs to which they are legally entitled, according to a major survey of carers' needs.

Of more than 5,500 carers who filled in an online survey for the National Autistic Society (NAS), 80% said they had never been through the assessment process, which local authorities are obliged to provide and which helps them obtain the right assistance. Only 26% of those who responded said they received any help at all from a council or health authority.

More widely, campaign groups warn that poor information about support services coupled with spending cuts and wider economic worries have caused significant difficulties. "We call it a perfect storm for carers," said Emily Holzhauser, policy director for Carers UK.

"Those juggling work and care feel more under pressure at work, benefits are under review and we also have rising charges and changes to services. The pressure is really loading up on families, and we see that through our helpline – we're getting calls from very distressed people."

Full Article on Guardian 

Children with autism to get quality standard

NICE has been asked to produce a quality standard for children with autism.
 
Following last week's fantastic news that the Department of Health has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to publish a quality standard for adults with autism, we are delighted that NICE has also now been asked to produce a quality standard for children with autism.

NICE quality standards are a set of specific, concise statements that set out markers of high-quality, cost-effective patient care. Quality standards for children were a key demand of our You Need To Know campaign, which aimed to improve mental health services for children with autism. As part of the campaign, over 1,000 NAS campaigners emailed Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health.

Research has found that over 70 per cent of children with autism also experience mental health issues, so it is vital that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are able to fully meet the needs of children with autism. As details about the content of the quality standards emerge, the NAS will be pushing hard to ensure that they have a strong focus on mental health support. We hope that they will help to fully entrench the needs of children and young people with autism into the health and social care system in England.

Sarah Lambert, the NAS's Head of Policy, says:

After two years of campaigning, the decision to include autism as a topic for NICE's quality standards work programme is great news for over 100,000 children living with autism in England.

Children with autism have a distinct set of needs and with 71 per cent experiencing mental health issues along with their autism, support from local services is vital. These standards should set out clearly what's expected from local services and go a long way towards improving the experiences of children with autism.

We'd like to see quicker access to diagnosis for those with suspected autism, good follow-up so that there is proper understanding of what diagnosis means, and appropriate ongoing support, which would make all the difference in the lives of children and their families up and down the country.

The Government has got the ball rolling; it's now up to NICE to ensure they get it right.

 Article taken from National Autistic Society

The Undiscovered Workforce

The National Autistic Society have launched a new campaign 'The Undiscovered Workforce'...

We believe that everyone with autism should have as full and independent a life as possible. That’s why our new campaign, The undiscovered workforce, is about supporting people with autism (including Asperger syndrome) into sustainable employment. 
 
The campaign asks MPs to take the lead in creating employment opportunities for their constituents with autism, by bringing together local employers, people with autism, the local authority and other services in the community. The aim is to raise awareness of the difficulties facing people with autism who are looking for work and to ensure there is specialist support available for employers, as well as employees, to help people with autism succeed in the workplace.

Our research shows only 15% of people with autism are in full-time employment and 9% are in part-time employment, while 79% of people with autism on out-of-work benefits say they would like to work, with the right support. What's more, 26% of graduates with autism are unemployed; around twice the proportion of any other disability group, according to the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

The undiscovered workforce already has the backing of Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform; Stephen Timms MP, Shadow Employment Minister; and the British Chambers of Commerce, as well as local MPs. 

To find out more, and to download resources, please visit their website.

Have Your Say: For people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Two meetings are taking place in Wiltshire for people with an autism spectrum condition to talk about the autism ideas and plans in Wiltshire. They want to...

• know what you think about the autism plan
• hear your ideas
• understand what works and does not work for you.

The meetings are being held on the following dates at the following venues:

The Olympiad, Chippenham (Riverbank)
25th January 2011 at 10.30am to 1pm

61 Wyndham Road, Salisbury
23rd January 2011 at 10.00am to 12.30pm

If you would like to be included, please book a place by:

• Phone: 01225 718559
• Email: maria.cattelona@wiltshire.gov.uk

Your views needed on services for autistic people

WILTSHIRE Council is asking for people’s views on plans to improve services for people with an autism spectrum condition.

The plans are being developed by the Wiltshire Autism Partnership which includes individuals on the autism spectrum, parents, carers and key professionals.

Supported by national guidance, the Wiltshire Autism Partnership has written the first part of a strategy which explains what Wiltshire is intending to do to improve the lives of people with autism. Plans include improving information about how many people have autism in Wiltshire, to increase awareness and understanding about autism, to develop a fair and equal way for people to get a diagnosis, to improve access for adults with autism to the services and support they may need to live independently and to support adults with autism into work.
Public feedback will help to inform and shape a plan detailing how the changes will be made in Wiltshire.

To have your say, complete one of three questionnaires via the Wiltshire Council website – www.wiltshire.gov.uk/autismconsultation The consultation period will end on Tuesday, January 31 2012.

Would you like to meet other Carers who look after someone with Autism?

Carer Support Wiltshire is setting up Support Groups for people caring for someone who has autism.

Groups will be facilitated by a Development Worker and a Support Worker and held on the following dates at the following venues:-

Weds 18 January 2012 @ Potterne Wick Scouts Hall 10am - 12noon
Tues 21 February 2012 @ Pounds Art centre, Corsham 10am - 12noon
Weds 14 March 2012 @ Salisbury Carers Centre 10am - 12noon
Tues 17 April 2012 @ Malting Hall, Malmesbury 10am - 12noon
Weds 16 May 2012 @ Cley Room, Warminster 10am - 12noon
Tues 19 June 2012 @ Civic Centre, Wootton Bassett 10am - 12noon

For more information contact Carer Support Wiltshire and ask for Helen Gough or Leonie Jarvill on 0800 181 4118