Service description
The Specialist Autism Team (SAT) is a multi-disciplinary team committed to supporting Autistic people, their families and other professionals to understand their Autism-related needs and make suitable adjustments to their care and support. The team provides support to autistic people aged 14 and upwards, including adults.
The team is focussed on supporting autistic people and/or their carers to ‘Understand their Autism’. We offer self-directed psychoeducation via an online platform called Guidance. Group workshops are also available. Individuals with more complex needs may be eligible for 1:1 interventions. Interventions are delivered on a sessional basis and are between 6-8 sessions following the assessment phase.
The team will also work closely with partner organisations such as education providers and social services where necessary to provide holistic care and support where it is needed.
First assessments may be conducted by video call.
The team offers a range of care and support, as set out below:
Routine Pathway
Self-directed psychoeducational workshops entitled “Understanding My Autism”. Workshop access is provided over the online platform ‘Guidance’.
Guidance is available for those individuals and their families exhibiting a minor/definite deterioration in health and wellbeing due to a lack of understanding around their autism.
This is a set of six psychoeducation workshops covering the following topics:
- Core features of autism
- Occupation and sensory approaches
- Communication and autism
- Executive functioning
- Autism and mental health
- Understanding behaviours
To attend these workshops, the person must:
- have a formal diagnosis of autism
- be 14 years of age and older
They do not need to have a Lead Professional to access the workshops.
Facilitated workshops delivered over MS Teams are also available for individuals who cannot access/make use of self-directed learning.
One to one interventions
After attending a workshop and assessment, the team may offer further one to one support, subject to assessment of need.
1:1 interventions will also focus on supporting the individual, their family and professionals to understand their Autism-related needs and develop strategies or approaches to thrive.
The 1:1 pathway attempts to meet the needs of the individual, which may include a range of the following interventions:
- Devising and recording ‘reasonable adjustments’
- Communication strategies
- Help with meaningful occupation – establishing routine & structure
- Help with nutrition & hydration – dietary support
- Improving physical health
- Understanding behaviours
- Support to understand family relationships and patterns
- Support to understand emotions/emotional regulation
- Support to understand sensory needs and appropriate strategies
In order to access 1:1 interventions the patient will need to have a Lead Professional in another LPT service e.g. Consultant Psychiatrist, CPN, psychologist, etc and meet the inclusion criteria for this pathway.
Other services
The team will also provide advice and guidance to colleagues from other agencies.
Referral criteria
The SAT supports patients who are 14-years-old upwards, who have a formal diagnosis of autism and must consent to the referral. SAT does not accept referrals for people who are in current crisis.