A new series of free workshops to support parents and carers of teenage children with autism spectrum conditions in Berkshire starts later this month.
After pilot sessions in Bracknell, Slough and Windsor & Maidenhead earlier this year, we are now able to offer the workshops in Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire as well, thanks to our partnership with the county’s NHS clinical commissioning groups.
Tailored for parents with children aged 11+ with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism who attend a mainstream school, the sessions focus on communication, social skills and mental health. Please note they are not suitable for parents of teenagers with a new or recent diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition.
The workshops are led by specialist psychologists and speech therapists from the NHS and the University of Reading who work with children and young people with autism spectrum conditions.
The first workshop is in Windsor on Monday, September 19, and will be led by Jo Billington, a parenting practitioner and researcher at the Centre for Autism at the University of Reading.
It will take place at Windsor Youth and Community Centre, in Alma Road, from 10am to 1pm.
Subsequent sessions are:
- Saturday, October 1, with Dr Liz Dawes, a clinical psychologist at the Centre for Autism at the University of Reading, at Bracknell Open Learning Centre, in Rectory Lane, from 10am to 1pm.
- Saturday, October 8, with Jo Billington at Autism Berkshire’s office in Richfield Avenue, Reading, from 10am to 1pm.
- Thursday, November 3, with Dr Liz Dawes, in the Community Room at Wokingham Fire Station, in Easthampstead Road, from 10am to 1pm.
- Wednesday, November 23, with Dr Fiona Knott, a clinical psychologist and co-director of the Centre for Autism at the University of Reading, at Bracknell Open Learning Centre, in Rectory Lane, from 7pm to 9.30pm.
- Friday, December 2, with Iona Wood, a speech and language therapist specialising in autism, at the Copthorne Hotel Slough, in Cippenham Lane, Slough, from 10am to 1pm.
- Wednesday, December 7, with Dr Fiona Knott, at North Thatcham Children’s Centre, in Park Lane, from 7pm to 9.30pm.
- Tuesday, December 13, with Iona Wood, at Autism Berkshire’s office in Richfield Avenue, Reading, from 10am to 1pm.
Click here for more information and to register for free places at these workshop. Parents and carers will also need to complete a registration form in advance, so that the sessions can be tailored to their needs. Please call the Autism Berkshire office on 01189 594 594 or email admin@autismberkshire.org.uk for details.
The workshops are funded by the Berkshire East and Berkshire West NHS Clinical Commissioning Group federations as part of the CAMHS Local Transformation Plan.
