The National Autistic Society
OUR GUEST BLOG TODAY COMES FROM THE NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY
The National Autistic Society (NAS) is the UK’s leading charity for people affected by autism. The charity provides information, support and services, and campaigns for a better world for people with autism.
More about autism and the NAS
Over 500,000 people in the UK have autism, a lifelong disability affecting how a person communicates with, and relates to other people, as well as how they make sense of the world. If you include their families, autism touches the lives of over two million people every day. Despite this, autism is still relatively unknown and misunderstood, meaning that many people do not receive the level of help, support and understanding they need.
The NAS is working to change this, improving understanding of autism to ensure everyone living with the condition gets the support they need. The charity wants a world where all people living with autism get to live the life they choose.
The NAS was founded in 1962, by a group of parents frustrated at the lack of understanding and help available for them and their children with autism. The NAS now has over 19,000 members, over 100 branches and provides a wide range of advice, information, support and specialist services to 100,000 people each year.
Key services
The NAS has seven autism-specific schools which support over 500 children and young people across the UK between the ages of four and 25. The charity also provides 24-hour residential care to meet individual support needs as well as day, outreach and supported living services to give others the confidence and skills to live successfully in their own homes and enjoy activities that others take for granted.
The NAS provides a wide range of information and advice for carers, relatives and professionals working in the autism field including: an online community forum, an online search facility for local autism services (Signpost), a telephone support service for parents (Parent to Parent) and the Autism Helpline.
Autism Helpline
The Autism Helpline provides impartial, confidential information, advice and support for people with autism and their families and carers.
Open Monday to Friday (10am-4pm), advisors working on the Autism Helpline can provide people with information about local support and services, benefits, and advise them on how to access help from social services.
Helpline enquiries frequently cover topics such as diagnosis, benefits, support, education, community care, behaviour, counselling and other therapies/interventions, legal issues and employment.
For confidential information, advice and support about autism, contact the Autism Helpline on 0808 800 4104.
For more information about the NAS or autism, please visit: www.autism.org.uk.
Many Thanks to Piers Wright for all his help with this blog.
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Catherine Broughton is an author, a poet and an artist. Her books are on Amazon and Kindle or can be ordered from most leading book stores and libraries. More about Catherine Broughton, to include short stores and sketches, on http://turquoisemoon.co.uk. They are also available as e-books from this site:-
https://payhip.com/b/tEva “A Call from France”
https://payhip.com/b/OTiQ ”French Sand”
https://payhip.com/b/BLkF “The Man with Green Fingers”
https://payhip.com/b/1Ghq “Saying Nothing”
