The listed services and links to websites maintained by other organisations are included on here to assist you and are provided in good faith. Some may incur costs. Their inclusion does not imply that the Leicestershire Partnership Trust endorses or supports them, nor does the absence of a service imply that we do not support them
Resources and support services for people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
Autism Central - information and education for parents and carers of autistic people of all ages
Autism Central offers a free, co-produced and co-delivered peer education programme created by and for families of autistic people of all ages.
They provide a welcoming, accessible learning environment where families can learn together, share lived experience, and build confidence.
They help families:
- build knowledge and confidence
- understand autistic experiences of joy, distress, and wellbeing across the lifespan
- advocate effectively for their loved ones
- support wellbeing and reduce the risk of hospitalisation.
Their offer includes:
- Group peer-to-peer training and coaching – practical online sessions where families share strategies and strengthen skills
- 1-to-1 peer support – personalised guidance from trained peer educators with lived experience
- Reflective parenting sessions – safe spaces to explore neurodiversity and mental health in family life
- Regional peer-led meetings – online and face-to-face gatherings run by families, for families
- National learning platform – high-quality resources, available anytime
- Community connections – coffee mornings, drop-ins, and conversations that reduce isolation and build belonging
Your child does not need to have a confirmed diagnosis of autism for you to be able to access support from Autism Central
To find out about what Autism Central’s offer, click the following link:
Autism East Midlands – a support service for autistic people and their families
Autism East Midlands (AEM) has been supporting autistic people and their families since 1968.
Formed by a small group of parents in Nottingham, the charity now provides support to autistic people and their families, across the East Midlands region – including, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – plus Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire.
They offer a range of services at a range of costs. Services include those related to employment, accommodation, education, benefits
They run a number of family support hubs around the region – including some in Leicestershire and in Leicester City.
Some of these hubs run children’s groups and there are also some ‘teen support hubs’ for over 11’s. Children do not need a formal autism diagnosis to access these. There are various ‘family support hubs’ around the East Midlands including areas of Leicestershire and Leicester City.
Follow this link for more information about the family support hubs
https://www.autismeastmidlands.org.uk/child-services/family-support-hubs
Autism East Midlands run some online courses, covering subjects such as autism awareness, autism in the workplace, autism in women and girls, autism and mental health.
Corporate training packages are also available.
For details of courses, click here
For information about other services provided by Autism East Midlands, click this link:
Or call this number: 01909 506 678
Leicestershire Autistic Society
The Leicestershire Autistic Society (LAS) provides information, advice and support to autistic people and their families – in Leicester city, Leicestershire county and Rutland.
It is a volunteer led organisation, where the vast majority of the volunteers are parents or carers of an autistic person. It has been established for over 20 years.
The LAS aims to raise awareness and acceptance of autism and to provide autism-friendly activities and support for families – including some regular groups.
Who is it for?
The Leicestershire Autistic Society is open to autistic children, young people and adults, family members and professionals.
It has no eligibility criteria. It is for anyone living in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland who wants information or advice about autism.
Cost?
The annual membership Fee £5.00 –
Members have priority access to leisure activities, conferences and workshops.
Contact details
To find out the most up to date information about the Leicestershire Autistic Society you can email them here: Leicestershireautisticsociety@gmail.com
Website and Social Media
You can also find out more by viewing their social media pages
Website – click here: Leicestershire Autistic Society
private Facebook group – click here: Leicester Autistic Society Facebook Group
To join the private Facebook group, you will need to answer the following 3 questions:
- Are you the parent or carer of an autistic person?
- Are you an autistic person?
- Do you live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland?
Leicestershire Empowerment for Autism Today – LEAT – for autistic young people and adults
LEAT provides a range of specialist support services to autistic young people and adults in the city of Leicester and county of Leicestershire. They are a charitable organisation, though they do charge a fee for their services.
They offer comprehensive and flexible support to our clients, as well as training in Autism Awareness to professionals and employers. Services are tailored to meet individual needs and include supporting people in and with work, education, volunteering, independent living, activities of interest, and (often new) social situations and environments, as well as accessing services, appointments, the wider community, and other such essential areas. They aim to empower greater independence, confidence, connection with others and personal wellbeing.
They offer 1:1 autism support/coaching to adults and young people age 16+, covering both city and county locations; group support in the form of a weekly autism social gathering, held in venues across Leicester city centre; and informal training/consultancy to individuals, professionals and local organisations seeking our input.
They charge an hourly rate for all services. Some of their clients pay for this themselves, others may get funding from Local and Health Authority care packages (for example, via LCC Direct Payments) that they then choose to spend on LEAT services.
For general information about LEAT, visit their website here
To find out details about LEAT’s services and costs, you can get in touch with them by clicking here and completing the contact form.
It’s Olivia’s World – Autistic led organisation, advocating for autism awareness and promoting diversity
It’s Olivia’s World – Autistic led organisation, advocating for autism awareness and promoting diversity
It’s Olivia’s World runs projects supporting autistic and disabled people, provides autism training and workplace accessibility training, and works to improve employment opportunities.
For more information, visit the website here:
Other resources and support services
Resources to support communication for autistic people
Resources to support communication
Resources to support communication
National Autistic Society – click this link for more information:
www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/about-autism/autism-and-communication
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists – for more information, click the following links:
www.rcslt.org/members/clinical-guidance/autism/autism-guidance/
More Than Words – a resource for health care professionals about how to adapt communication to meet the needs of autistic people.
This resource is for health care professionals. However if you are an autistic person who finds your communication needs are not being well met by any health care professional or service, you can consider sharing this document with them
Click here for the More Than Words booklet
Autistic SLT – Emily Lees is a trained Speech and Language Therapist who is also autistic (and ADHD), works using a neuro-affirmative approach and has a website containing useful information and advice. You can find this by clicking this link:
Autistic SLT | Neurodivergent-Affirming Speech and Language Therapy
Building communication confidence
You can help your child develop confidence with communication and social interaction by:
- Following their lead. This supports language and interaction skills.
Click this link for more information: Children who Lead Get the Language they Need
- Using Intensive Interaction. This strategy involves joining in with what your child is already doing and enjoying.
Click this link for more information: Sheffield children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- Supporting joint attention. This means helping your child share attention with you, like looking at the same toy together.
Click this link for more information: Joint attention – Hanen
- Exploring local resources. Leicestershire Partnership Trust’s Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service have a range of information and resources.
Click this link for more information: LPT Children’s Speech and Language Resources
Selective mutism information and resources
Autistic people may be more likely than non-autistic people to have situations and times where they are unable to speak. This is commonly known as ‘selective mutism’ and increasingly also as ‘situational mutism’. These terms are often shortened to ‘SM’.
People with SM can speak in some situations but not in others. They do not choose when they will speak and when they won’t. They want to speak but are physically unable to speak in some situations for anxiety-based reasons.
To learn about SM and how to offer the best support, click the following links:
Selective Mutism Information & Research Association (SMIRA)
All About Situational Mutism: A Guide for Allies – Reframing Autism
Resources to support sensory processing needs
Resources to support sensory processing needs
Resources to support sensory processing needs
For more information on interoception, click here to view Kelly Mahler’s website:
Click here for a poster by Kelly Mahler (shared with her kind permission):
If sensory processing difficulties are causing a person problems, you may want to ask your doctor about the possibility of a referral to an Occupational Therapist (OT). OTs are the experts in assessing a person’s specific sensory profile and working out useful adaptations and interventions.
In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, a health care professional (including GPs) or a school-teacher can make a referral to Children’s Occupational Therapy to ask for a parent education video workshop – for parents whose children have difficulties in their daily life caused by sensory processing problems. They would need to complete and submit the following form:
Click here to access the families, young people and children’s service referral form
The It’s Not Rocket Science report published by the National Development Team for Inclusion focuses on meeting sensory needs in mental health inpatient settings – and contains excellent advice that could be adapted to any environment. Click this link to read the report:
www.ndti.org.uk/resources/publication/its-not-rocket-science
A book you may find helpful: Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Signals by A Voss:
Autism LevelUP! has a resource to help you consider a person’s sensory needs and how to accommodate these.
Click here for their downloadable PDF: Autism LevelUP! sensory resource
Find out about ‘Sensory diets’ and ideas to try. Click here for more information:
https://www.sensorysmarts.com/sensory_diet_activities.html
For information on how to help your child with sensory processing related problems in school click this link:
www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/education-and-employment/sensory-processing-issues-in-school/
NHS England have produced a sensory-friendly support pack for local health systems to use to support their autistic citizens. Click here to download the pack:
www.england.nhs.uk/publication/sensory-friendly-resource-pack/
Misophonia is being extra sensitive to particular sounds – example triggers include the sound of other people eating.
For more information on how to support with this, click this link: soundslikemisophonia.com/all/misophonia-nhs
Resources to support relationships
Resources to to support girls
Autistic Girls Network
A small registered charity working to support, educate, and bring change.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Leicestershire Partnership Trust cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy on linked sites or pages. The Leicestershire Partnership Trust cannot control and is not responsible for the privacy practices of any site to which a link is provided. It is recommended that you read the privacy policy of any site you visit, particularly if you are asked to give personal data.
