About Us...

autism.west midlands aims to improve the quality of life for people with autistic spectrum disorders and their families by raising awareness of the condition and making provision for the individual needs of people with autistic spectrum disorders.

We are the principal provider of autism-specific services for children and adults in the West Midlands region.

Our current services include a school for residential and day pupils, residential services for adults, supported living and employment support for adults with Asperger Syndrome, family support, an information help-line, and the provision of training for staff, parents and professionals.

We have established a large membership across the region since we opened our first residential service in 1988.

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in autism, and entitles you to receive our monthly newsletter, discounts on training events, and to have access to the range of support activities we are involved with.

Click Here to download a membership application form

Serving the Region...

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autism.west midlands provides a range of services for people with autistic spectrum disorders (a.s.d.) and their families and carers across the West Midlands region.
The organisation was started in 1965 by groups of parents who offered support to each other when their children had received diagnoses of autism, which had then only recently been recognised as a disability. This model of parent support continues to this day and we have large numbers of Parent Support Groups and Branches throughout the West Midlands .
Since that time, the organisation has grown into being a main provider of residential and community services for children, their families and adults affected by autism.

Adult residential care provision...

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We have five Registered Homes which provides residential care for 53 adults with a range of autistic spectrum disorders. Three of these homes are in south Birmingham , one in north Solihull and one in Droitwich. We also have a new housing scheme in Sandwell for eight adults with high level needs. This new model of provision offers people their own tenancies with 24 hour support and we will seek to develop further similar services elsewhere in the Region.
All our residential services are developed in partnership with Local Authorities and Housing Associations.
We believe in the potential of each person and residents in all of these homes are encouraged to take up opportunities for leisure and education activities in the community.

Adult support in the community...

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autism.west midlands is developing a range of support services for people with autistic spectrum disorders in the community who need support with life and social skills. Our ASSET (Asperger Syndrome Support and Enablement Team) staff work in a number of localities across the Region enabling adults with more able autism to access services, Benefits and training as required. There are a number of Support Groups for adults with Asperger Syndrome, which give the opportunity to get together and share experiences.
From these Support Groups a need was identified to help people with Asperger Syndrome into employment. We now have our employment support service, named ASpire, and this offers work experience, training and support for finding a job, and ongoing support in maintaining employment. It also offers training to employers to help them support people with Asperger Syndrome in their work.
We also intend to develop a support service to adults with autism and more complex needs in their own homes.

Coddington Court School...

Coddington Court School is a residential school for children with autistic spectrum disorders aged between 8 and 19.
Each child is supported to achieve his or her potential and the National Curriculum is part of a 24 hour individualised learning programme for each child. Children are referred through Education Authorities, Social Services or Health Authorities when it has proved too difficult for them to remain in mainstream schools and in their family homes.
The children are encouraged to take part in activities in the local community as well as within the school, using its range of facilities. We try to ensure that each child’s individual needs are adequately met, in the understanding that some children have very complex needs and that all their experiences of autism are different.

Information Team...

The Information Service is a valuable part of our work that is available to anyone who needs help and support to understand the implications of a diagnosis of autism. This service is often accessed by parents whose children have been recently assessed as having the condition.
A range of information is available, particularly leaflets and fact sheets, details of Parent Support Groups, book lists and various training events. Sometimes callers simply want to talk to other people who understand and share their experiences. A monthly newsletter is also produced for our members to keep them up to date with news and events.

Family Support...

Click Here to download Information and Family Support - 1.23MB

We are currently developing a Family Support Service for families with children with a.s.d.’s. This will consist of a Manager and Support Workers who will offer help, advocacy and support for children with autism and their families. We also have a Training and Advisory Officer attached to this service who offers training to parents and professionals on autism, communication and behaviour strategies.

Training...

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autism.west midlands delivers a comprehensive schedule of training courses to a range of professionals, carers and families. We offer autism awareness courses that can be ‘tailored’ to the target audience; we deliver the Certificate in Autism (validated by the University College of Worcester) and also the Autism module of the Learning Disability Awards Framework Level 2 for carers (validated by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities). We hold a number of conferences and training events throughout the year on all aspects of living and working with autism. These always include expert speakers, including professionals, individuals with autistic spectrum disorders and family members. A full schedule can be obtained from our Training team.