Autism West Midlands Update
Please find an update from Autism West Midlands (AWM) below...
We have enjoyed meeting several new faces recently at our face-to-face training events and coffee mornings and are pleased that so many familiar faces are returning too. We have several more events in the planning stages, as well as those mentioned below. Please be aware that the ‘Rising to the Challenge’ webinar series is still bookable even if you have missed the first couple of sessions.
We continue to provide online advice appointments and have listed more dates for December and will soon be thinking about January. No diagnosis is needed to access this service to Shropshire residents.
Please note that there will not be any advice appointments between 21st December 2023 and 4th January 2024.
Next year we are planning to have face-to-face bookable appointments available, currently these can be arranged by contacting the team directly.
Early Help Drop Ins - Sunflower House, Shrewsbury – We will be attending the drop-in sessions once a month. The next three dates are: 19th December 2023, 16th January and 20th February 2024. The drop-in sessions run from 9.30am -12.30pm.
We would like to share this really useful link from the NHS which gives a comprehensive overview of services and support for neurodiverse families:
Autism Alert Cards – available again from the 1st December 2023.
https://www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk/home/alert-cards/
Here is an overview of our upcoming events:
Teen Events – Actio All In (ages 11-17 years)
7th December 2023 – Teens Online, 6 - 7pm
12th February 2024 – Teen get-together – Further details to follow
Family Event
21st December 2023 – Attingham Festive Walk/Mansion visit
Face to Face Parent Meetings
11th December 2023 – Coffee and Chat, Sunflower House Shreswbury
22nd January 2024 - Coffee and Chat, St Andrew’s Church Shifnal
22nd February 2024 – Autism and Behaviour – Cleobury Mortimer Primary School
Book any of the above sessions at the below link:
https://www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk/events/
Book an online advice appointment with an Autism Specialist Advisor here…
- WEEKLY Teams Advice slots
For those who would like some online advice we are offering this virtually via video appointments. Teams also works well on mobile phones. To book a 45 min advice appointment with a specialist autism advisor please book via our shop. If the dates/timings of our online advice appointments are not convenient for you, please contact us to make alternative arrangements – scroll down for details.
Important - We email your teams link to you the week before your slot, make sure you check your inbox including spam/junk to get your link.
- Virtual Support Group for Parents - Wednesday Mornings 10am - 11am & Wednesday Evenings 8pm - 9pm – 1st and 3rd Weds of each month (term time)
Our online support groups meet twice a month via Teams. This is an opportunity to talk with other parents, share ideas, and offer support. We recommend that you have attended an online advice appointment with a member of the team before joining group sessions (link above).
If you would like to join either of the support groups, please email the team here shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk
- Advice and support
We also offer advice and support over the phone and via email. Parents/carers and professionals can contact the team directly to arrange an appointment including face-to-face if preferable.
Shropshire office 01952 454156
Weds, Thu, Fri Emma Hegenbarth 07881109480
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu Dawn Lewis 07706309382
Mon, Tue, Thu Nicola King 07706337511
Mon, Thu, Fri Kerry McLafferty 07900784186
Email shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk
Helpline 0121 450 7575
Please remember - No formal diagnosis is needed to access the AWM Shropshire service and there is no formal referral route – parents/carers can self-refer by booking an advice appointment or contacting us directly on our Shropshire email address. You can also use our helpline.