National Post Diagnostic Support Service - Details
This service aims to support newly diagnosed people across Scotland to understand and embrace their identity as an autistic person. The service will focus on ensuring that autistic children and adults, as well as their families, are empowered with the information and support that they need after a diagnosis, whilst also providing autistic-led peer support. Please find below details of the services and support available.
Support for Autistic Individuals
Post Diagnosis
The National Autistic Society Scotland’s element of the new Post Diagnostic Support Service is aimed at young people aged 12 to 18 who have received a diagnosis in the last two years and is open to anyone living in Scotland.
The service aims to support individuals to understand and embrace their identity as an autistic person through exploring topics such as understanding autism, managing anxiety, social skills and more. Each individual will be supported for approximately six weeks through one of our social groups, after which they will be signposted to appropriate services.
Each group will meet weekly and discuss the topic of the day, as well as engage in a short team-building activity to improve confidence and reduce social isolation.
By joining this project, autistic young people, as well as their families, will be supported to become empowered. We aim to do this by providing information and support that they require after a diagnosis, whilst also receiving autistic-led peer support.
If you would like more information or to join, please contact us at ScotlandSocialGroups@nas.org.uk or visit: www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/scotland/post-diagnosis-support-service
This service is no longer available.
ARGH (Autism Rights Group Highland) is an Autistic People's Organisation, run by and for autistic adults.
ARGH will run an online group for autistic adults (18+) who have received a diagnosis within the last two years called ‘Welcome to the Autistic community’. The course consists of six weekly sessions followed by four monthly sessions (10 sessions of two hours in total).
All material for the course is written by autistic adults and sessions are delivered and facilitated by autistic adults.
To find out more please visit www.arghighland.co.uk/post_diagnostic_support.html or email info@arghighland.co.uk
One Stop Shop Aberdeen (Triple A’s project) offer one-to-one support for autistic people. They provide pre and post diagnostic support in the following areas: understanding autism, education, coping with crises, Covid-19, employment, diagnosis and much more. As well as offering one-to-one appointments they have resources, information and act as a signposting service.
To find out more please contact One Stop Shop Aberdeen at hello@oss-aberdeen.co.uk
This service is no longer available. The One Stop Shop Aberdeen is now known as Autism Understanding Scotland and provides a variety of local and national support. Further information can be found at: www.autismunderstanding.scot/services.
The Scottish Women’s Autism Network (SWAN) support women seeking or undergoing a diagnostic assessment.
To find out more please visit www.swanscotland.org
Late Diagnosis
Autism Initiatives is offering Late Diagnosis Programmes to any autistic adult living in Scotland. The programmes consist of eight remote online Late Diagnostic group (LDG) sessions and two one-to-one sessions. The groups will be delivered, from the charity’s three One Stop Shops, by their late diagnosed autistic staff.
To find out more please complete the contact form on the Autism Initiatives website www.autisminitiatives.org/local-authorities/our-services/postdiagnostics...
Autism Undertanding Scotland Late Diagnosis Group: The group is an eight week programme. It is designed and delivered by autistic staff to help autistic adults who receive a diagnosis as an adult to make sense of their new diagnosis and meet other autistic people.
To find out more visit: www.autismunderstanding.scot/services
Autistic – Led Peer Support
Triple A’s is an autistic – led charity based in Aberdeen which runs Interest Led Peer Support Peer Groups where one-to-one support and mentoring for autistic people is delivered. These groups are aimed at autistic people with low support needs over the age of 13. The goal is to allow people to overcome isolation, practice being social, and learn strategies to deal with the energy costs that can come with being social for many autistic people.
This service is no longer available.
ARGH (Autism Rights Group Highland) is an Autistic People's Organisation, run by and for autistic adults. We are a collective advocacy, peer support, lobbying and campaigning group, promoting self advocacy and access to quality Independent advocacy for all autistic people. ARGH works locally and nationally, and run a UK wide autism alert card scheme for adults and children. ARGH is an organisation which will:
-Inform service providers about what autistic people really experience.
-Campaign for better services for autistic people in the highlands and beyond.
-Challenge stigma and discrimination through education about autistic strengths
For more information on membership, alert cards or meeting and event details please see: www.arghighland.co.uk or email: info@arghighland.co.uk
AMASE (Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh) are an Autistic People’s Organisation based in Edinburgh. All members are on the autistic spectrum, and their goal is to help autistic people make each other’s lives better through peer support, advocacy and education. They provide peer support for adults via online social events - building capacity for organising a range of social opportunities, specifically tied to autistic culture and community in Edinburgh, the Lothian’s and Fife.
To become a member and to access peer support please visit www.amase.org.uk/join/
The Scottish Women’s Autism Network (SWAN) provides a range of peer-support and community education services and one-to-one counselling. They run local peer support groups (currently online) covering the areas of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Highlands, Dumfries and Galloway.
To find out more please visit www.swanscotland.org
Online Resources
Autism Understanding Scotland’s Autism Information Hub is written by autistic autism professionals and offers an insight into what it is like to be autistic, strategies to support yourself as an autistic person, and information on how you can support autistic people around you to grow and develop.
You can visit the hub here: www.autismunderstanding.scot/information-hub
The Scottish Women’s Autism Network (SWAN) run regular Mental Health and Wellbeing Webinars on a range of topics and with ‘guest’ specialists and experts in their fields.
To find out more please visit www.swanscotland.org
Support for Parents, Carers & Families
Scottish Autism’s Get Set 4 Autism project aims to provide post-diagnostic support to parents and carers of autistic children and young people up to the age of 18 years old across Scotland. The project will promote a greater understanding of autism, improve communication between parents and professionals and ultimately equip parents with the information and practical skills they need to enable them to better support their child. Support is also available to parents and carers who are supporting their children into their adult years within the family home.
To find out more please contact Scottish Autism’s Advice Line on 01259 222022 or via their online contact form at www.scottishautism.org/adviceline
You can also find out more at Get Set 4 Autism
Autism Understanding Scotland delivers one-to-one support to families and carers with a focus on providing pre and post diagnostic support and resources. One to one support is primarily focussed on those who live in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Shetland.
Further information can be found here: www.autismunderstanding.scot/services
ARGH (Autism Rights Group Highland) run an online group for parents of autistic children across the whole of Scotland called ‘Autism – what does it mean for my child and family?’ The group will work with an ARGH member who has vast experience of working in the third sector with disability charities.
All material for the course is written by autistic adults and sessions will be delivered and facilitated by autistic adults.
To find out more please visit ARGH Post-Diagnostic Support (arghighland.co.uk)
The Scottish Women’s Autism Network (SWAN) advise and signpost families of autistic girls and women.
To find out more please visit www.swanscotland.org