AUTISM NEWSLETTER APRIL 2024

Seeing me ‘They don’t see my autism; they just see Hannah’. An 18-year-old Nursing Assistant from Wythenshawe Hospital has shared how she began her dream career path, thanks to a supported internship programme. More

Skills success A programme for young adults with autism and learning disabilities is expanding amid growing demand. Autism Unlimited in Christchurch, Dorset, launched its Futures programme in 2021 for just four young people.The scheme, to help people gain confidence and improve life skills, now has 28 learners aged between 18 and 25. More

Kindness of strangers A community has rallied around an autistic 13-year-old boy who lost his much-loved model aeroplane collection. Kimmie Button said her son Lucas was devastated when he noticed the bag containing his 30 toys was missing. After a fruitless search in Doncaster earlier this month, Mrs Button took to social media to ask for help. More

Animating autism One of the most prominent and recognisable YouTube animators, Ilyssa Levy from Illymation has created and shared emotional, funny, and hard-hitting stories from her personal life that have attracted millions of viewers. More

Making sense Emily Katy was aged 13 and on a school trip when she had her first panic attack. Three years later, she was sectioned after trying to take her own life. The 22-year-old, who lives in St Albans, was diagnosed with autism aged 16 and her life suddenly started to make sense. More

Sounds amazing Autistic composer, Richard Maddock been a professional pianist/composer for 30+ years with albums being used in over 30,000 dance studios worldwide. More 

Comfort quest An 11-year-old autistic boy has said a T-shirt he designed with neurodivergent people in mind has helped others. Max, from Derbyshire, designed a T-shirt made of soft material with seams encased on the inside, no labels, and a pop-it fidget toy in the hem. More

Going underground A Nottinghamshire boy has raised more than £1,000 for an autism charity after riding on every line of the London Underground. Harry Akers, 12, embarked on the impressive challenge along with his dad on Tuesday, April 2. More

Work overload “There’s so much just going on that is so exhausting, so overstimulating" What is the workplace like for neuro-divergent employees? More