Autism Bucks
The autism community in Buckinghamshire is growing as diagnostic services become more accessible, via GP referrals. Please let Autism Bucks know how you consider that Buckinghamshire can best serve and support the autism community. Get in touch via our Contact Page.
Guidance Materials:
- Useful links:
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- The National Autistic Society, (NAS)
- The National Police Autism Association (an independent body supporting UK police officers and staff affected – personally or, as carers for family members)
- Ambitious About Autism
- Autistica
- Autism Research Centre (Simon Baron-Cohen)
- The Autism Research Trust
- Medical Comorbidities in ASD (for healthcare professional and policy makers)
- Network Autism (where professionals connect)
- Enabling positive lives for autistic adults
A quick guide for social workers
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- Improving access to social care for adults with autism
Published: January 2017
This guide helps people in the health and social care sector who work with adults with autism to increase their awareness, knowledge and understanding. Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder, referred to as a ‘spectrum condition’ since some people with autism have profound difficulties and require specialist support, while others live largely independent lives. https://www.scie.org.uk/autism/adults - Assessment and diagnosis of autism: what to expect
A quick guide for young people and their families
Published October 2019
More than 1 in 100 people have autism. Being autistic affects people in different ways. It can bring strengths but also some challenges that can impact on how comfortable, health and happy you feel. Getting the right diagnosis and support is important.
This guide is for young people who are of secondary age and their families or adults with parental responsibility. https://www.scie.org.uk/autism/young-people/assessment-diagnosisTen years on from the Autism Act and government has not done enough to live up to its promises to autistic people and their families. The National Autistic Society are calling on the Government to introduce specialist autism support in every council in England and to give councils the money they urgently need to fix the crisis in social care. There report can be found:
https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/media-centre/news/2019-09-09-not-enough-campaign.aspx
As an autism professional, working with Buckinghamshire service users, we would like to know your views. This will help shape future services and facilities. Thames Valley Police and the Department for Work and Pensions, to name but two local organisations, have benefited from dedicated Autism training and are aware that people with autism have their own, individual profiles and needs.
Autism awareness is growing daily, let Autism Bucks grow too!
Skills for Care:
“Skills for Care have produced information on the skills that staff require to work with people with autism for personal assistants and anyone carrying out assessments.”
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/topics/autism/autism.aspx
How to do a great assessment for someone with autism. For those with autism who are employing a personal assistant(s): How to be a great personal assistant: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/about/news/news-archive/new-autism-guides-launched.aspx
“Improving access to social care for adults with autism”
Published: January 2017 http://www.scie.org.uk/autism
For more information with regards to professionals, click the following links:
Making the most of a visit to your GP
Support for adult social care staff:
In partnership with the British Association of Social Workers, The NAS have put together a step-by-step guide to help social care staff prepare for and deliver assessments for autistic adults.
With greater understanding of the way autism affects each person differently, assessors can make sure that support and resources are directed in the most cost-effective and appropriate way. The guide is available in two versions: English and English/Welsh (bilingual)
http://www.autism.org.uk/socialcare
What is autism? easy read: https://www.scie.org.uk/files/autism/autism-easy-read.pdf
Autism: Improving access to social care for adults. This guide helps people in the health and social care sector who work with adults with autism to increase their knowledge and understanding of autism and improve access to social care services.
https://www.scie.org.uk/atoz/?f_az_subject_thesaurus_terms_s=autism&st=atoz
Films on social care issues, from the perspectives of professionals and people using services. Ideal for training
https://www.scie.org.uk/socialcaretv/topic.asp?t=workingwithpeoplewithautism
This guide helps people in the health and social care sector who work with adults with autism to increase their awareness, knowledge and understanding
https://www.scie.org.uk/autism
Working with students with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder
The Higher Education Academy has produced a resource pack that was developed by a lecturer who now works at this University. As well as a general overview of supporting students with an ASD, there are brief ‘cards’ for people in various roles within the University:
https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/supporting-students/working-with-disabled-students/students-with-asperger-or-autism/
NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs).
Committed to supporting all education practitioners nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs) is a membership charity organisation that supports all education practitioners. Who provide: Continuing Professional Development (CPD), resources, advice, information and much more to enable all staff to meet the needs of all their pupils
https://nasen.org.uk/about-nasen.html
They also have some excellent resources.
Private assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – general guidance:
Some people wish to pursue a diagnostic assessment for ASD* in the private sector. This is understandable as NHS waiting times can be long. However, there is less regulation and oversight in the private sector. If pursuing this option it is important to consider the following recommendations made in Government NICE guidance:
- Diagnostic assessments should be undertaken by “professionals who are trained and competent”, this means they should have a core professional qualification in clinical psychology, psychiatry, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy etc. You can check whether a professional is registered with the appropriate body
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- for psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists check the Health and Care Professions Council website at www.hcpc-uk.org
- for psychiatrists check the General Medical Council website at www.gmc-uk.org
- Assessments should be “team-based” and draw on a range of professions and skills, such as those listed above
- A diagnostic assessment should include developmental information, if at all possible, in order to establish that potential ASD-related difficulties were present early in childhood. This could be in the form of official reports from childhood (e.g. educational psychology or paediatric reports) or a structured interview, such as the Autism Diagnostic Interview – revised (ADI-r) with someone who knew the person well in childhood (e.g. a parent or other caregiver)
- Comprehensive assessments may include the use of formal assessment tools, such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
- The assessment should look at other possible
