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What help can we get?

NAS39374

Our adopted son has autism, and people are always telling us we should claim for this thing or that thing. Is there anyone who can tell us just what help is out there and what we can claim for........respect

  • Hi there.

    Without knowing your son's age and particular difficulties, it's hard to say exactly what might be available. What I would advise you to do is to try finding a disability advocacy service near you (if they specialise in mental health or developmental conditions, all the better.) A local branch of the NAS, the mental health charity Mind, or local Citizen's Advice Bureau (many have a disability specialist) should be able to point you in the right direction. Advocates don't directly provide day-to-day support, and you'll usually have a limited time with them, but having an advocate as a single point of access for arranging other supports was a massive help to me following my diagnosis. The advocate's knowledge of local support groups, the benefits system, and local authority programmes was excellent, and he also provided a lot of help with application forms, accompanying me to assessments, and making telephone calls, which I'd have otherwise found extremely difficult to manage.

  • It depends on your circumstances of course, but this area of the NAS website may assist you with this matter:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/benefits.aspx 

    Your local Citizens Advice should be able to assist you also.

  • There are various mental health organisations ( mostly charities) which can offer help and advice on how to live with autism and send him on courses to try to develop social skills.