NEWSLETTER
Contents
P1.
Directors Update
P2.
Our New Home
P3.
Fundraising Update &
Pilotlight
Welcome to our first newsletter of the 2015. The beginning
of this year has brought many changes for CAAS.
We have a new name and are now officially know as Centre
for ADHD & Autism Support. With that comes a new logo
and email addresses. A new website will be launched towards the Autumn.
P4.
Meet our Staff
Membership
P5.
Courses
P6-7
Upcoming Workshops
P8
Contact Us
We have a new three year strategy plan, and perhaps more
importantly, we have a new home.
We are really excited to have our own dedicated centre. It
has been a lot of hard work and we are delighted with the
outcome, hopefully you will be too!
As always, demand for our services continues to increase.
Our drop in sessions remain busy, the SCATT, Living With
ADHD & Autism and 123 Magic courses continue to be full
with a waiting list and our specialist workshops are always
well attended. We are excited about what the future looks like for CAAS as
we have some great new projects planned to run alongside
our existing services so keep an eye on the website, or on
our Facebook and Twitter accounts for up to date information.
PAGE 1
OUR NEW HOME
When we talked about the move being hard work, we meant it literally. Most of our staff,
trustees, and several members worked hard painting and decorating to ensure the new
premises would be ready in time for restarting our services. In just two weeks we went
from this:
To this:
Slight improvement don’t you think?
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FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
As mentioned in our last newsletter, one of our main areas of focus over the next few years will
be to increase our levels of unrestricted funding. Unrestricted income includes things like donations, fundraising events and membership payments. The main benefit of unrestricted income is
that is it is not tied to any specific project which means we can use it for projects that are unfunded, or for new projects we are keen to try out. We also plan on holding more community and
social events.
We are still looking for one or two more bodies to sit on our Fundraising Committee. If you have
a few hours to spare and can commit to supporting with planning and organising fundraising
events and community activities, please email Lynne on [email protected].
The fundraising pack promised will be circulated to members soon and will include ways in which
you can support us, many of which are at no cost to you.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
Our Christmas Wrapping at Intu in Watford was our most successful to date. We raised a fantastic £1031. Staff, trustees and members were all showing off their wrapping skills and great
fun was had by everyone who attended.
We are planning a Wimbledon Tea and a family film night during the early Summer months. We
will send you out details on both very soon.
Finally, we would like to wish Alex Glynn, and Rob Young every success in running the London
Marathon on our behalf on Sunday! We really appreciate what you are doing for us!
PILOTLIGHT - GRADUATE PROJECT
Following our success with Pilotlight core programme, we were invited to apply for their
Royal Bank of Scotland Graduates Programme. We applied for a team to support us in redoing our website, and in branding and marketing the ‘Empowering Ourselves To Be Heard’
training project.
We are delighted to say that our brief was chosen as one of the successful ones so we now
have a team of 8 RBS Graduates who will be working with us for the next six months, led by
a business and HR mentor. Therese and Lynne met the team on Monday and are more
than confident that they will be able to fulfil the brief and more.
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GETTING TO KNOW THE TEAM: THERESE GLYNN
My name is Therese Glynn, I am married to Michael and have three children aged 27, 23 and 19. I have been
involved with CAAS since 1998 when
my son Alex was diagnosed with
ADHD. At the time I accessed the
service there was very little support
available for parents and it became
my mission to change that in order for
families and those with the conditions
to get the help they needed.
After a life changing Parenting Matters course led by the wonderful Mary
Bruce in 1999, I trained through ParentlinePlus to facilitate courses for
parents. This has remained a crucial
part of my work and still love doing it
as much as I did then. I have continued to train in supporting parents including specialising in adolescence. I
have also trained as an ADHD/ASD
coach.
I came from a Hotel and Catering
background so it has been a real
change of career for me and I couldn’t
imagine myself doing anything else.
In my spare time I love to exercise,
particularly Zumba and Pilates, as
well as going to the cinema and reading good novels. I also love to cook
new dishes for the family who are my
greatest critics.
It is an honour and a privilege to do
what I do and so pleased the charity
has put up with me for so long.
Being at the helm of the charity for
many years I have had to learn fast
on how to develop the charity as demand has grown. It’s hard to remember that I started off with a small corner of an office and one weekly coffee
morning.
MEMBERSHIP AND YOUR VIEWS
It’s that time of year when membership subscriptions are up for renewal. You will all have
received postal forms. We have kept membership costs the same for another year. Benefits are receiving details of our courses, workshops and other events. Receiving discounts
on most workshops, and being able to access our lending library. We have not sent out a membership survey this year but are keen to hear your views as always. If we are doing something well, we’d love to know. Positive testimonials can really
help with future funding. Equally, if there’s something you feel we should be doing differently, then we’d like to know about that too. Constructive criticism is also welcomed so we
can be sure we continue to meet the needs of you and your families.
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COURSES
SCATT is a 7-week parenting course designed for parents/carers who have just received a diagnosis of autism, or who suspect their child may have autism. The course aims to help parents and
carers understand what autism is, and the ways in which it may affect their child. There is a session
giving a general overview of autism, looking at the type of difficulties a child will display to receive a
diagnosis. Further sessions are led by local experts in their field and have a more in-depth focus
looking at the key areas that pose difficulties for those with a diagnosis; communication, behaviour
and sensory impairment. The final two sessions look at the impact autism has on the family and
offer parenting hints and tips from more experienced parents. We believe the more parents and
carers understand the whole spectrum of autism, the better prepared they will be to help their child
meet their full potential and they will be more empowered to deal with any challenges arising.
SCATT costs £20 per person (£30 per couple). The April course is full booked but to be placed on
the waiting list for the September course, contact Lynne on 020 8866 4334 or [email protected].
Many of our clients with a child with a diagnosis of autism complete the SCATT course then go on to
do the Living with ADHD & Autism course to enhance their parenting skills.
Living with ADHD & Autism runs for ten weeks. “Living with” is different from other parenting
programmes in that it informs and educates parents/carers on the conditions before commencing
any skills-based learning.. By understanding your child’s experiences, your are enabled to work with
your child starting from the child’s perspective.
The course focuses on several key topics, namely:
• Building self-esteem: for your and your child.
• Communication and its effectiveness. Does the child understand what is being asked of them?
• Emotional intelligence: understanding and managing emotions.
• Setting limits and clear boundaries.
• Managing anger and frustrations - enabling your child to have a support system.
• Listening skills.
By the end of the ten weeks, you will have a toolbox of skills to help you and your child to manage
situations. It costs £40 per person (£50 per couple). The April course is currently full but to register
an interest for September, contact Rita on 020 8429 1552 or on [email protected].
Therese also runs a Living with ADHD & Autism that is specific to parents of teenagers. This is
funding dependent but please let her know if you are interested.
123 Magic - Managing Difficult Behaviour is a four session programme to give effective and well
researched ways to better manage challenging behaviour in children.
•
•
Helps increase knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, how to lessen feelings of frustration and get better results with less effort and stress.
1-2-3 magic by Dr Thomas Phelan is incorporated into this programme.
The next course starts on June 15th and is an daytime course 12.30 till 2.30pm. 123 Magic costs
£20. To register an interest Minoo Noor on [email protected]
PAGE 5
WORKSHOPS & TRAINING
We have a lot of exciting workshops and events in the coming months:
WhyTry: Training for Professionals
This two day training on the WhyTry Programme will take place on Thursday 30th April and
Friday 1st May.
Please contact Therese Glynn on 020 8866 4334 or [email protected] for further
details.
Puberty and Sex Education
This workshop is led by Mark Brown, Special Needs Advisor. Mark has almost 30 years of
experience in working with people with additional needs. This workshop aims to explore the
issues faced by children / teenagers with ADHD and/or autism and the people around them
when the child / teenager is going through puberty.
It will look at:
• Identifying some of the characteristics of puberty that have an impact upon individuals with
ADHD and/or Autism.
• How to explain puberty and sexual health awareness to children with ADHD and/or Autism.
• Giving advice on how to get your child / teenager to recognise what appropriate and inappropriate behaviours are.
The workshop is aimed at parents and carers of adolescents with a diagnosis of autism or
ADHD. It is also suitable for professionals working with adolescents with SEN. Fees will be
£15 for CAAS Members, £20 for non-members and £25 for professionals.
For further details or to book a place, please contact Lynne Laverty on 020 8866 4334 or
[email protected].
“Empowering Ourselves to be Heard” Training Evening for Professionals
This session gives the opportunity to learn more about both ADHD and autism and provides
the chance to hear from adults with ADHD and adults on the autism spectrum. Hearing their
stories is insightful and enlightening and will impact on your thinking and practice. This session is planned for Thursday 25th June from 5.30pm till 9.30pm. Costs will be available
soon.
For further details or to book a place, please contact Lynne Laverty on 020 8866 4334 or
[email protected].
Exploring Autism and Females - Women's Autism Forum
We would like to invite you to an evening of exploration about what it means to be female
and autistic. This forum will provide a safe space for women with neuro-diversity to consider
what it is to like to be on the autism spectrum. If you have a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, Autism Spectrum or think you might have? If yes, we’d like
to invite you to join us in an opportunity to be yourself in a non-judgmental supportive setting. This workshop is planned for Thursday 2nd July from 5.30pm till 9.30pm. There is no
fee for this session but places must be booked and confirmed.
For further details or to book a place, please contact Lynne Laverty on 020 8866 4334 or
[email protected].
PAGE 6
Exploring Autism and Females - Parent/Carer/Professional Session
Do you have a daughter on the autism spectrum? Are you a professional working with a female on the autism spectrum? If yes, we’d love to invite you to our exploratory workshop.
We want to share with you some of our recent findings from our amazing evening with adult
women on the spectrum. You will also be able to hear from and ask questions of our panel of
women on the spectrum.
We also very much want to learn from your personal experiences. We want to listen to you
and know about your experiences. We want to understand more about your struggles and
your successes. What would you have liked to know at the start? What you still wanting help
or support with? What helped? What did not?
The aim of the exploratory session is to be able to provide tailored support in future. This
workshop is planned for Thursday 16th July from
. There is no fee for this session but
places must be booked and confirmed.
For further details or to book a place, please contact Lynne Laverty on 020 8866 4334 or
[email protected].
Parents Supporting Siblings
This workshop is for parents of children with autism and/or ADHD who want to know more
about supporting siblings.
Purpose of the workshop:
This workshop will help parents of disabled children find ways of giving attention, information, and support to the other children in their families
What participants will gain:
•
•
Insight into siblings’ needs and experiences
Practical ideas for giving siblings attention, explaining disability and supporting
siblings with their feelings.
The session will be led by Nicola Dean, Development Officer for Young Siblings, from Sibs,
the UK charity for people who grow up with a disabled brother or sister (www.sibs.org.uk )
This workshop is on for Tuesday 7th July from 10am till 2.30pm. There is a cost of £25 for
CAAS Members and £35 for Non-Members. Lunch will be provided.
For further details or to book a place, please contact Lynne Laverty on 020 8866 4334 or
[email protected].
PAGE 7
CLOSING THOUGHTS
CONTACT US
Centre for ADHD & Autism Support
Television House
269 Field End Road
Eastcote
HA4 9XA
Phone: 020 8429 1552
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.adhdandautism.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/adhdandautismsupport
Twitter: @adhdandautism
PAGE 8