Supporting parents and carers of young people on the autistic spectrum including co-occurring conditions. Parents come to us at various stages of diagnosis including pre, newly and diagnosed for some time. We currently run 6 different support groups. We cover different age groups and different issues over different times and days in the week.
- We run telephone and drop in one to one support at our offices in Tolworth.
- We offer initial post diagnosis support on a one to one basis at our offices in Tolworth. Parents feel safe to express their emotions and the impact they may be experiencing from the diagnosis which although not always unexpected the depth of feeling still takes parents by surprise. Parents leave feeling supported, listened to and more informed which in turn gives them more confidence.
- We run Rose Theatre talks and events bi-monthly which are always oversubscribed and where we meet many new parents. These include expert speakers from within the autistic community and professionals.
- Our support group on the first Thursday of the month (term time) 7.30-9.30pm is a demand led Mum's Group in Surbiton. All mums, grandmas and female carers are welcome to attend.
- We run a support group on the second Tuesday of the month (term time) 9-11am at the Express offices in Tolworth. This is an informal group for all parents and carers whether pre-diagnosis, newly diagnosed or experienced with lots of support to share.
- Our popular Dad's Group is on the second Wednesday of the month (term time) in Surbiton 7.30-9.30pm. All dads, granddads and male carers are welcome to attend.
- We also run a specific support group for parents/carers of young people going through transition. Our TYA Group (Teens, Young Adults) runs on the third Monday of the month (term time) from the Express offices in Tolworth, 7.30-9pm. The TYA Group is a place where you can share similar experiences dealing with puberty, transition to secondary, college or work. These are parent/carer led and have proved much needed.
- Finally, we run a support group at Moor Lane on the last Tuesday of the month (term time) 1-2.30pm.
In addition we run an EHCP and DLA support service by appointment only. These are very specific 1:1 support time to help parent/carers through the process. Our volunteers are IPSEA SEND Advisor trained. Our volunteers will also attend school meeting where requested at their discretion.
3. Therapy Groups
- Specific art therapy groups for young people on the spectrum and their siblings.
- Our arts groups are run by HCPT registered arts therapists who have experience in working with young people on the autism spectrum and their families.
- Express Yourself is an Arts Therapy group which provides a space for children on the autistic spectrum to interact and connect with others in a fun, supportive environment. The group aims to meet the specific and unique social and emotional needs of children with autism using creative tools such as drama, puppetry, art, music and storytelling.
- SIBs@Express is a Sibling Support group for children who have a brother or sister with autism to come together, make new friends and have a space to share feelings.
- Girls Group is a weekly meet up opportunity for girls with autism. The therapist use their creative skills and experience of working with young people to create fun, creative and inclusive sessions.
- Groups run weekly for 10 weeks intervention at a time broadly term based.
- Currently we run two art therapy groups both on a Thursday, 4:15-5:00pm & 5:15pm-6:00pm. We run the siblings group on Tuesday 4-5pm and the girls group on Tuesday 5:15-6:15pm. We have waiting lists for all groups.
We provide work and volunteer opportunities/experiences for young adults on the spectrum and are currently supporting people who have fallen into the NEET category once leaving full time education despite being highly qualified. In addition we have a parent volunteer who works with young people getting work ready in terms of their CV, interview techniques and finding suitable placements.
5. Training
We are working with a professional autism trainer who is himself on the autistic spectrum. He wants to work collaboratively with Express to deliver high quality relevant autism training to professionals as well as parents and carers.
6. Autism Centre of Excellence
…to create a hub in the heart of the community, supporting young people with autism and their families, a place for everyone…
Nov 2016