What is the cause of autism? Expand There have been many theories around autism that have come and gone, or moved on. But some of these theories have become ingrained in our cultural and professional way of thinking and, in turn, reinforced notions that autism has a ‘cause’ and can, therefore, be cured. In actual fact, autism is ‘caused’ by hundreds of different genes working together, is genetic, and becoming more widely accepted as heritable.
How does autism affect people? Expand In essence, an autistic person will see, process and understand the world in a different way from someone who isn’t autistic, for all of their life. While there may be some commonalities between autistic people - such as finding it difficult to be in or read social situations - it's important to remember that an autistic person is still a person and will therefore have their own personality, as well as different strengths, abilities and interests, as do all humans.
How many people are autistic? Expand Previously it was thought that around 1% of the population will be autistic - which is one in 100 people. However, it’s now widely accepted that these statistics are outdated, and certainly from our experience, we believe this to be much higher.
What is the difference between a learning difficulty and a disability? Expand Learning disability – is a general term that refers to individuals who find it harder to learn, understand and communicate. Other terms that are used to describe an individual’s situation include complex needs or high support needs. Learning difficulty – is often used in educational settings and refers to individuals who have specific problems with learning as a result of either medical, emotional or language problems. Children and young people requiring special education needs (SEN) are often described as having a learning difficulty.
What benefits am I entitled to? Expand You may be entitled to claim:• Income or Employment Status• Disability Living Allowance• Carer’s Allowance• Extra Child Tax Credit• Income Support• Housing Benefit or Council Tax reductions• Universal Credit
What is an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)? Expand An Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document which sets out a description of your child's needs (what he or she can and cannot do) and what needs to be done to meet those needs by education, health and social care. Regarding Special Educational Needs & Disability, Code of Practice: Young people can now specify an Independent Specialist Provider on their Education Health Care (EHC) Plan. Post-16 providers can be invited to a young person’s review from Year 9 onwards. Parents and young people do not need to apply for and be rejected from a General Further Education college (GFE) before requesting a specialist provider. Personal budgets can be included within EHC Plans. Personal budgets can be used to purchase our short-breaks services. Children and Young People must be the centre of their own EHC Plan. You can download education local offers.
How can the North East Autism Society help? Expand We use a person-centred approach to understand and support autistic people. This helps us to develop and deliver strategies for each individual to help them to grow and develop according to their aspirations. We have schools, a further education college, residential homes, short breaks accommodation, day services, employment services, family support, supported living and free services that include toddler groups, parent workshops, youth groups and online groups.