ASD Helping Hands

Spring has sprung, and so has our excitement here at ASD Helping Hands!
 

 We can’t wait to share with you all the incredible things we have in store for the coming months. From innovative new programs to partnerships that will knock your socks off, we are ready to make this spring a season of growth and renewal.

But we don’t want to keep all the fun to ourselves! We invite you to join us on this journey as we continue to provide essential resources and support to individuals with ASD and their families. Whether you’re a long-time member or a brand-new supporter, we are grateful for your enthusiasm and commitment to our mission.

So grab your sunglasses and your sunscreen, because things are about to get brighter around here! Let’s work together to make this spring a season of hope and possibility for all those affected by ASD.

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Its a wrap for Just Diagnosed? Aylsham

Working with our long-standing partners at Aylsham High School and The Aylsham Community trust we provided our Just Diagnosed? course to 12 parents and carers from the Aylsham Community.  With dates already in the diary for the Autumn term and 2024, we look forward to being back as soon as possible!

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Brand New: Workshops

ASD Helping Hands offers a range of workshops designed to provide information and support to individuals with autism and their families. These workshops focus on various topics such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Short Breaks, and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Norman Lamb Coalition Funding granted!

We are excited to announce that we have been awarded funding through the Norman Lamb Coalition of young people to host Occupational Therapist sessions for Autistic young people who have been refused service by the Mental Health Teams.

We will be reviewing our referral lists and contacting those that qualify for this service. We will be working in conjunction with Cup-O-T: Wellness and Therapy Services to offer this new service. 

Professional Services are Now Available

ASD Helping Hands now provides various professional services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. They aim to improve the quality of life for people with ASD by providing comprehensive support and resources.

Here are some of the specific services offered by ASD Helping Hands:

1.     Easy Read Translation: We offer easy read translation services to make written information more accessible to individuals with ASD who may have difficulty processing complex or unfamiliar language.
2.     Visual Aid Shop: We provide visual aids such as social stories, picture schedules, and visual communication cards to help individuals with ASD better understand and navigate their daily lives.
3.     External Training / Speaker: We offer external training and speaking engagements for organizations and schools to raise awareness and provide education about ASD and related topics.
4.     Autism Consultancy for Employers: We provide consultancy services for employers to help them create an inclusive workplace for individuals with ASD, including training and support for managers and employees.
5.     Disability Benefits Form Completion and Appeals Assistance Service: We provide assistance with completing disability benefits forms and navigating the appeals process for individuals with ASD and their families.

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Support and Social groups

We continue to offer Support and Social groups for Families, Young people, adults, and parents and carers.

With the increase in interest and inquiries about Teen Groups, we are now operating a waiting list and we require you to register your young person to attend, we will then notify you when a place has become available. 

We are also asking people to register for the family group, however, there is no waiting list for these groups.

We are excited to let you all know that at our next Dereham Family Support Group (25th March 2023). We will have some of the team from Norfolk Fire and Rescue joining us from 10:00 am to speak to you all about fires safety and you will get to have a chance to look around the Fire Engine

(please note – that if there is an emergency the fire crew may need to leave at short notice or may not be able to attend)

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Updates from the Norfolk Autism Partnership and the Norfolk LD Partnerships

The Learning Disability Partnership is a group of people who live or work in Norfolk and want to make the lives of people with Learning disabilities better.

Lucy our Learning Disability coordinator has been working hard on setting up the five different locality groups and we look forward to seeing you at your nearest one.

We are always looking for people with a learning disability or their parents and carers to join the partnership. Do you want to have a say on how Norfolk changes for the better for people with a learning disability find out how by clicking the button below?

The Norfolk Autism Partnership has been working with the Norfolk Library service to offer social events for Autistic people across the county. We know have around 40 events a month. To find out your nearest check out our ‘What’s on?’ calendar. 

The next Autism Forum Norfolk is being held on the 22nd March via zoom. The next Autism Forum Norfolk is being held on the 22nd March via zoom. You will need to register to attend this event. This month our topic is Advocacy, we have two guest speakers and a chance for you to tell us about advocacy in Norfolk for Autistic people and anything else that is or isn’t working.

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