Autism
Autism affects the way people communicate, socialise and form relationships with others and how they make sense of the world. We support people to feel confident about taking more control so they can make choices about their life, and feel more involved in the world around them.
Autism might also mean that people have repetitive or unusual behaviours, such as touching things, and can get anxious or angry when their routines are broken. Autism is a spectrum condition so it can affect people’s lives in different ways. Some people will live relatively independently whereas others will need round the clock support.
People with autism often say that they can’t make sense of the world and feel like ‘tourists’ in day to day situations. We support people to feel confident about taking more control so they can make choices about their life, and feel more involved in the world around them.
We support people with Autism at different stages in life and in a range of circumstances. Parents sometimes reach the decision that additional support with their child might benefit overall family life, or a young adult may be leaving a residential school and moving closer to home. Adults may be nearing the end of a hospital admission or their current support package may no longer be appropriate. These are just some of the reasons why people get in touch with us.
Because everyone has different support needs and their reasons for seeking support vary, we start by building relationships with people based on trust and understanding, including with family members. The foundations of all Avenues services are Active Support and Positive Behaviour Support principles, which are applied across all our support packages.