Autism Strategy
The government started developing an autism strategy in 2009 following on from the Autism Act 2009. The aim was to ensure that adults with autism get the help they need, such as help getting a job or help at home. (updated)
- The first Autism Strategy was published in 2010 with the title Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives. Then the government asked for feedback in 2013.
- The second strategy was published in 2014 with the title Think Autism.
Lincolnshire County Council have published some documents outlining their plans for following the strategy locally. See The Strategy 2015 – 18.
Toileting
Bladder & Bowel UK is Disability Living support group for promoting continence and product awareness. Have a look at their resources for adults. Their helpline is a Manchester number. Click also for email address. (updated)
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This page is about care and support for adults on the spectrum in the general Grantham area. For care & support for adults in the wider area see: Activities Specialist services. See also Money.
Residential & community care
Home from Home
A family firm has built a new specialist residential care home for adults in Dorrington, near Sleaford. See: news
It is called The Reeds and was opened in September 2016. The de Savary family set up Home from Home in response to their own experiences. They have a number of other homes around Lincolnshire in: Ruskington Fiskerton Bardney Stallingborough Day opportunities are also available for those with Individual Budgets or Direct Payments.
Autism Care
Autism Care provides residential settings for adults. Click icon for their brochure. Their modes of support include:
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- Registered residential care
- Supported Living – as an individual or in a group
- Outreach and daytime support
Support in the community
Thera Trust provide support at home, at work and in the community for adults with a learning disability. They charge for their services, though they also explain how a Personal Budget from the local authority might make Thera an option. Their nearest office is in Swingbridge Road, Grantham. For more about Thera click icon. See also Adult social care above.
Also, the National Autistic Society has a page about Brain in Hand offers access to personalised support from an app on your phone. It has features to help you remember activities, reduce anxiety and feel supported. For more about the app click icon.
Adult social care
Click icon on the left for the Adult care services pages on Lincolnshire County Council website. It includes a page on Adult care assessment, personal budgets and more. See also Money under Benefits & care.
Click icon on the right for a list of pages about Adult social care in Lincolnshire Family Services Directory. You may be able to narrow down the search using fields along top and down left hand margin.
Love, sex & relationships
Brandon Trust supports people with learning disability in other parts of the country. They have developed new policy, guidance, and training around relationships, sex, and sexuality. Click icon to read about it. It might be worth a look for anyone interested in the issues.
Thera Trust provides services in the Grantham area – scroll up to Support in the community to find out about Thera. They have a page called Making friendships. They can act as facilitators for their service users.
NHS services
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust offers a range of services to support adults with learning disabilities in the community. These services are specifically geared up for adults whose learning disability prevents them from accessing mainstream services. Click icon for details. See links to specific services at the bottom of the page.
Lincolnshire NHS website also has some handy links: Learning disabilities servieces Advice & liason Access – for mental health & learning disability services.
Life-long care
Here is a guide to securing life-long accommodations for adult children with special needs from a blogger in the USA. If offers general guidance.
Community based support
Adults Supporting Adults (ASA) offer paid-for support, open to autistic clients. Click icon to browse their website.
- Day Time Provision – 1 to 1 support in the community with focus on maintaining and developing independence and social skills.
Look for Sit2Gether and Shop2Gether on website coloured side bar.
- Extended Stay – the client is carefully matched to live with a family and share their home and community life.
- Respite Resource – a short break with a carefully matched family.
Circles of support
The service will help you plan for the future. They can help you and your family to look at who is there to support you to achieve your plan. They can help you to plan how you would attend an activity for example or how you could have more opportunities to see your friends. A Lincolnshire service. Click page icon for more information or image preview.
Autism sign language
An autism mum has created a Facebook blog about her stories and method, supporting her non-verbal son. Click icon to browse. See also: How it began Speech and language
Professional obligation
The NHS has produced a helpsheet for making decisions about healthcare treatment. Click icon to view.
Mental wellbeing & support
While autism is about development rather than mental health, people with autism may have mental health issues too.
- Mind is a UK charity that provides advice and support for mental health issues. See: website what we do advocacy
- Shine Mental Health Support Network for Lincolnshire is a signposting service pointing people to appropriate services and support. Their website includes information and notices of local activities, events and opportunities. See: introduction website
- Samaritans offer a safe place to talk at any time, in your own way – about anthing that is getting to you. See website.
Special clothing
Adults with autism often have sensory issues. They may be fussy about the clothes they wear, for example. Hear is a list of some of the suppliers of specialist clothing .
Some people with autism may engage in fecal smearing. Click on this forum to see whether mothers’ experience with children helps. Hear is a list of some of the supplier sites of specialist body suits.
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Please be aware that we, at GAIN, are not qualified to give advice. See disclaimer.
