Autism Service

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For Berkshire West:

Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support Service 

The service provides advice, workshops and courses for children and young people aged 5 to 25 who are autistic or have ADHD, or are waiting for assessment, and their families.

It is a partnership between Autism Berkshire and Parenting Special Children, delivering services on behalf of the Berkshire West NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, which serves the Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire council areas. Please note that you must be registered with a Berkshire West NHS GP surgery to be supported by this service. You can check your GP surgery here: Berkshire West GP surgeries

For parents and carers, support available includes:

• Home Visits – an in-depth one-to-one discussion online or face-to-face (coronavirus guidance permitting) with with parents and carers of children with an autism diagnosis or who are on the Berkshire CAMHS waiting list for an autism assessment.
• Autism advice workshops: Understanding Autism; Managing Anger; and Meeting Sensory Needs, from the National Autistic Society (NAS) Family Seminars programme. Autism Berkshire is a licensed NAS training provider.
• Teen Life, a NAS course for parents and carers of autistic children aged 10 to 16

Additional workshops/webinars for parents and carers cover:

• Autism and Girls, with autism advocate Carly Jones MBE
• Emotional Regulation
• Food Refusal
• Sleep Difficulties
• Transitions to Adulthood

Support for Autistic and ADHD children and young people includes:

• Tailored interventions, based on individual need, for children aged 5 to 7
• Social interaction groups for children and young people aged 8 to 16, to develop their confidence and emotional wellbeing. This group is facilitated by PSC practitioners.
• SocialEyes, a NAS course for 17 to 25-year-olds, looking at further social interaction skills and strategies to boost wellbeing and independence.

You can contact the service at any time using the Autism Berkshire contact form, by email at contact@autismberkshire.org.uk or calling 01189 594 594 (option 1). Please include a daytime phone number in your message, so the team can get in touch. 

For Berkshire East:

GEMS Autism and ADHD Support Service East Berkshire

GEMS is being delivered by Solutions 4 Health and is commissioned by NHS East Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Bracknell Forest Council, which serves Bracknell Forest, Slough, Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead. The events offer support not just for those who are diagnosed, but for those who may have Autism and/or ADHD and for the family. Please note that you must be registered with a Berkshire East NHS GP surgery to be supported by this service. You can check your GP surgery here: Berkshire East GP surgeries

This service also provides events for children and young people with Autism and/or ADHD. Please see the GEMS website.

You can contact the service on 01753 373244 or 0800 999 1342 or by email at gems.4health@nhs.net Please include a daytime phone number in your message, so the team can get in touch. 

Parenting Special Children also run the following workshops for Autism:

• Sensory Processing Workshops – sensory processing difficulties are often co-morbid with Autism and ADHD.
• Dual Diagnosis Workshops – for those caring for and working with children and young people with a Dual Diagnosis of Autism and ADHD.
• Autistic/ADHD Girls Monthly Workshop and Support Group – for families caring for girls with Autism and/or ADHD.
• Sleep Workshops – if children have sleep difficulties.
• One-off workshops – for example Teen Brain Matters.
• Workshops specifically for Practitioners – looking at a variety of topics relating to working with children and young people who have or are suspected of having Autism.
• The A Team – an activity and social skills group for girls with Autism and/or ADHD (age 5-18). Coming soon, subject to funding, a group for young adults (age 18-21).
• Auticulate – an activity and social skills group for children with Autism in mainstream education (age 5-16).

The best way to make a referral to our Autism Service is to use this online form or call our Helpline on 0118 9863532.