Aspie Trainers

05/06/2023

Fabulous article about how one mother is educating people in Iraq by sharing her experiences parenting her Autistic and blind children. In a culture where disability is often viewed as shameful, she is influencing positive change.

The mother bringing autism out of the dark in Iraq

Shunned by society, Shaimaa Alhashimi built an online following by making videos about her home life.

10/06/2022

Aspie Trainer Lizzy here with my latest blog post on sensory overload in Autism.

https://www.facebook.com/704205453316148/posts/1463027207433965/?d=n

12/04/2022

Aspie Trainers are looking for unemployed autistic adults to take part in our ASC-Forward rogramme.

The programme is funded by London Learning Consortium and is aimed at supporting unemployed autistic people to develop skills, confidence, gain experience and to help them continue on to work or further education.

Participants in ASC-Forward will be given a short 'train the trainer' course and be supported to prepare and deliver autism awareness training sessions. Following completion of the programme participants will have the chance to apply to become an Aspie Trainer.

Applicants must:
- be diagnosed with autism / Asperger's / ASC / ASD
- be aged 18 or over
- be unemployed and not in education or training
- Live in Brighton and Hove or West Sussex
- be a UK or EU citizen

For more information or to apply please contact James on [email protected] or call us on 07787 250627

Aspie Trainers are a small, not for profit project run by Impact Initiatives which supports autistic adults to design and deliver autism training.

16/02/2022

Aspie Trainer Lizzy here. Todays blog is a topic close to our hearts and is an area we run some brilliant training on. Happy reading.

10/11/2021

Aspie Trainer Lizzy here. What a pleasure it was to meet so many parents on the ‘Emotional Support for Autistic Young People’ course yesterday evening.

The course was designed to empower parent carers with the tools and knowledge to support young Autistics with mental health issues, low self esteem and poor emotional wellbeing.

It felt like fate when I saw this news article this morning celebrating the homecoming of an Autistic young man after 15 years in hospital following a self harming incident.

THIS is why we designed and delivered this training course. Because mental health, especially in Autistic people, is so misunderstood and poorly supported. Please read the article, it is very heartwarming but it is also a stark reminder that we have a long way to go before mental health services are fit to serve the Autistic community.

Autistic Hull man goes home after 15 years in hospital

Ryan Clarke is discharged from a psychiatric hospital after a campaign by his mother.

03/11/2021

Only 6 days until our brilliant new course on emotional well-being and mental health in Autistic young people. We still have spaces - if you’d like to book a place please follow the link below and we’ll see you on zoom at 7pm on Tuesday 9th November 😊

This session will focus on effective ways of providing emotional support and encouraging positive mental health in autistic young people.

20/10/2021

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR AUTISTIC YOUNG PEOPLE

Are you concerned about the emotional wellbeing and mental health of an Autistic young person?

Aspie Trainers are delighted to offer our new training course ‘Emotional Support for Autistic Young People’ running on Tuesday 9th November from 7pm-9pm. The session will be held online over Zoom.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emotional-support-for-young-autistic-people-tickets-175602410537

This training is designed and delivered by an Autistic female with lived experience of anxiety, OCD and Bipolar 2 disorder. She is also mum to two Autistic boys age 6 and 10.

The session aims to equip Parent Carers to provide practical support ‘at home’ and will enable them to:

* Describe what poor mental health and emotional wellbeing looks like in Autistic young people.
* Identify common reasons for their poor mental health and emotional wellbeing.
* Explore different ways to reduce emotional strain on Autistic young people.
* Deliver effective emotional support to Autistic young people.
* Encourage positive self-esteem and general wellbeing in Autistic young people.

Tickets are available for £5 on eventbrite using the link below. There is also a option to 'pay what you can afford'.

Aspie Trainers is a ‘not for profit’ project which supports Autistic adults to design and deliver engaging, high quality Autism training which mixes thorough and up-to-date research and theory with the practical lived experiences of the trainers themselves.

This session will focus on effective ways of providing emotional support and encouraging positive mental health in autistic young people.

11/10/2021

Aspie Trainer Lizzy here. One of my biggest frustrations and detractors from my mental health is the judgement from others when my feelings, beliefs and actions don’t follow the unspoken neurotypical rules of engagement. In my latest blog I write about my experiences and how I am raising my sons to be proudly Autistic 😊

27/08/2021

Aspie Trainer Lizzy here. I can hardly see through my tears as I’m typing this.

This Autistic young man died whilst experiencing severe mental health issues including suicidal thoughts and attempts to take his own life. He begged for support from health & social care, as did his family. Yet he was fobbed off and told to download a mindfulness app…

As an Autistic adult with lifelong mental health issues and a Bipolar 2 diagnosis, I can confirm the fight for support is ridiculously hard and the lack of understanding of Autism in professionals is shameful. I am extremely lucky to have benefitted from an amazing NHS psychologist over the last year, but I’m 46. It shouldn’t have taken this long.

80% of Autistic adults experience mental health issues, compared to only a quarter of the general population.

Will’s mum describes him as having such a brilliant mind, loving, funny, many interests….she could have been talking about my Leo. THIS is why I work as an Autism trainer, educating parents, carers and professionals so they can understand and support us. THIS is why Autism training should ONLY be delivered by Autistic people, who are both qualified to facilitate learning and can share their unique lived experience.

Health & social care professionals will never understand Autism or take us seriously until they are able to walk in our shoes and understand our differently wired brains.

God bless Will. Prayers for your family and friends ###

Autistic teen posts video about struggles with system

Autistic teen posted a video about lack of support in health and social care system before he died.