DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE

 

Adult Autism Assessments in Camden are done by the ASD service, which is part of the Neuro-developmental Disorders (NDD) service. This service is provided by Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust.

Residents can only be referred to the ASD service by their GP or a mental health professional (e.g. iCope therapist).

Self-referrals are not accepted.

To contact the ASD service for queries or referrals, please email [email protected] or telephone 020 3317 7356, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

More information about the NDD service is available.

 

CAMDEN LEARNING DISABILITIES SERVICE (CLDS)

 

If someone has a learning disability as well as being autistic, they may be eligible for a service from CLDS.

To contact CLDS for queries or referrals, please visit the Making referrals page on the Practice Guide.

Camden Local Offer

The Local Offer is the single place that shows what support is available for for children and young people 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including autism support. 

ADDITIONAL SERVICES ARE LISTED BELOW IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER 

 

Ambitious About Autism is a national charity for autistic children and young people (up to age 25).

Ambitious provides services including:

• peer support sessions
• webinars
• information and advice tailored for 16-25 year olds

AS Mentoring are a specialist mentoring service that work to empower neurodivergent adults in employment and job seeking.  Mentoring offered includes pre-employment, as well as for people needing more support in their current employment. 

All consultants at ASM have extensive experience of working with adults on the autism spectrum and other neurodivergent conditions.  

Services are chargeable but funding options are available for some of our services depending on eligibility.

Asperger London Area Group (ALAG) is a community organisation working in partnership with local authorities and the voluntary sector to highlight the needs of autistic people.

ALAG hold monthly meetings to provide peer support with opportunities to discuss common issues as well as access to researchers and specialist speakers who give talks on a range of autism related topics at the meetings.  

Autism Hub Islington & Camden is a user-led initiative by and for autistic adults who do not have an accompanying learning disability.

The Hub:

• aims to improve the quality of life for autistic adults by connecting people to resources, services and organisations from a central point
• provides expert advice, information, support, and signposting to autistic adults, their families and carers, and other professionals
• offers monthly peer-led webinars, peer-support drop-in sessions, autism-adjusted counselling, advice, information & advocacy, skill-based workshops and social events.

Autism Hub London is commissioned by NHS England.  It offers bookable individual 1 to 1 sessions to parents/carers on autism education, information and guidance as well as regular online group sessions.

Further information about Autism Hub London is available on the Autism Central website. 

Autism in Museums promotes and advocates for accessible culture for all.  Also, they provide a diary of autism friendly events and viewings nationwide. 

Autism Inpatient Mental Health Casework Service is provided by National Autistic Society.  The service offers advice and support to autistic people (and their carers) who have been detained in a mental health hospital or assessment and treatment unit, or are at imminent risk of detention or re-detention. 

Autism Voice works with autistic adults and children and their families including those in the Black, African and Minority Ethnic communities.  They provide community outreach, emotional support, jobs and careers advice, training and mentoring services.  Autism Voice also run workshops that provide a cultural and BAME perspective.

Brain in Hand – is an app designed to support autistic people to manage anxiety and cope with everyday life. It offers human support in the form of a personal coach, as well as a variety of digital tools to help autistic adults think about what they need and plan for the things they find difficult. Brain in Hand requires a paid subscription which can be funded by someone’s Personal Budget.

Brain in Hand is a type of Assistive Technology (AT). Visit the AT section on the Practice Guide to find out more about Brain in Hand and how to make a referral. 

Camden Carers provides support to those caring for an autistic adult.  Support provided include emotional and wellbeing support, health and lifestyle consultation, group or 1 to 1 counselling services, financial support, welfare benefits advice, carers conversations, and others. 

Camden Disability Action (CDA) is a user-led organisation run by disabled people for disabled people.  They provide an advice and advocacy service to support disabled people and people with sensory needs to access services and resources necessary to participate in Camden life.

CDA's Information and advice line is 07543 572 793, Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm.

Camden People First is a self-advocacy project run and led by people with learning difficulties.

Generic Personal Passport template is a tool for individuals to use and share with professionals as they choose. The aim is to help professionals understand the individual overall, not just about their circumstances, and also to help reduce individuals having to explain things repeatedly to different professionals.  

Homeless Link's toolkit on autism and homelessness is aimed at staff and organisations who work with people experiencing homelessness in England. It describes what autism is, how to recognise it, and how to work effectively with people who are known to be autistic or who staff think could be autistic.

Key Club @ KILN is a monthly creative arts and social club for young autistic people aged 18-30.

To apply to join the club, complete a short application form. 

Keyworker Plus Service:

• is for young people aged 18-25 with a diagnosis of autism and/or a learning disability, and focuses on complex situations and/or who are at risk of hospital admission
• involves a holistic assessment and support for around 6 months to overcome barriers and improve the person’s quality of life
• offers positive behavioural support interventions, and functional assessments.

To make a referral, send referral form and consent form to: [email protected].

Further information about Keyworker Plus Service is available in the downloadable PDF. 

Metropolitan Police Autism Card is a credit-sized card that the person carries with them and alerts the Police that the person has communication needs.  Also, the person carries a A5 sized passport, providing more detail about how the Police needs to communicate with the person, including how to help the person and any relevant information.  The Police do not hold any personal data.

To obtain a copy of a Met Police Autism Card, email [email protected]. 

For advice and guidance about autistic people interacting with the criminal justice system, see the Resources and information section. 

My Health Passport is provided by National Autistic Society and is designed to help autistic people to communicate their needs to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals during appointments and hospital stays.

National Autistic Society employment training is a free online course designed to support autistic young people and adults to find out more about the steps involved in applying for work, interviewing tips and starting a role. Other free courses include Managing Money, and courses for employers to learn more about autism. 

The National Autistic Society has developed information, practical and multimedia resources to support autistic people and their families before, during and after diagnosis: Diagnosis (autism.org.uk)

There are also YouTube videos in which a clinical director at the National Autistic Society answers FAQs about autism assessment and diagnosis: Ask an expert: Autism assessment and diagnosis - YouTube

NeuroPathways Employment Programme, delivered by LIFT (Leading Inclusive Futures Through Technology) and Exceptional Individuals is aimed at supporting neurodiverse individuals to develop their skills and approach to job searching through an in-depth employability programme.  This is then followed by access to internship opportunities in tech, creative, and life science sectors. 

Personal passport template is a tool for individuals to use and share with professionals as they choose. The aim is to help professionals understand the individual overall - not just about their circumstances, but also to help individuals having to explain things repeatedly to different professionals.

Reflective Walks in Waterlow Park, Highgate -  there are walks for greif by the lived experience workforce.  These people have a diagnosis of neurodiverse/autism and work with this group of people.  To find out more information and to sign up, email [email protected] or [email protected]. 

Relay UK provides FREE text to speech phone call assistance, run by British Telecom. Relay UK can call people, such as DWP, on your behalf

Resources for Autism (RfA) provide practical services for children and adults with an autism diagnosis, and their carers.  To make a referral, include self-referral, complete a referral form.

Contact RfA on 020 8458 3259. Their emergency helpline is 07891 476 293 Mon to Fri 5pm to 9.30pm, and Sat to Sun 9am to 9pm.

Robin Specialist Autism Services are an independent company that provide autism specific support workers to help with social care needs.

Access to their services can be funded by social care or self-funded.  Support starts from about £75 (4h) a week. They accept self-referrals from self-funders and referrals from professionals. 

Soapbox Youth Hub is run by Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust (CGDHT).  

Soapbox provide a weekly digital autism night in Islington, in a safe space, with trained staff to run workshops for the group.  Teaching includes a range of new digital skills in an accessible environment.

Digital autism night is free and open for all autistic young people. Contact Ivana Boskovic to find out more about attending: [email protected]  

SweetTree Care Farm – A farm in Mill Hill which is run by SweetTree, the same organisation which provides specialist care and support at home. The care farm and outreach programmes provide opportunities to support and enhance the wellbeing, growth and personal development of participants.

Text to Speech Apps (AAC Apps). There are many text to speech apps for people who do not like speaking (especially on the phone). This is one example of an AAC App which some autistic people might find useful. With the app you can create categories and phrases, which are placed on buttons. With these buttons you can create messages that can be shown or spoken (text-to-speech). It is also possible to type any text using the keyboard. Speech Assistant is downloadable from Google Play.

The Autism Project provide full-time, two-year, employability programmes for autistic young people aged 18-25 that have an Education Health & Care Plan.

Women’s neurodiversity support group: at The Maya Centre (based in Islington) provides monthly support for women with diagnosed / self-identifying neurodiversity (autism, ADHD etc.) and/or who are parents of neurodiverse children. Camden residents are welcome to attend.  To join the group, email [email protected], or phone mobile number 07928 018 490

 

Below is a list of outreach agencies with support workers that are trained in autism:

• Centre 404
• LDN (Learning Disability Network) London
• Outward
• Resources for Autism
• SweetTree Home Care Services