Autism support group
What is this?
Our monthly, evening autism support group is open to parents, carers and family members of autistic children and adults, autistic adults and professionals who work with autistic people, to meet to exchange experiences, skills and understanding. Guest speakers are occasionally invited.
Attendance at meetings must be booked in advance.
Those attending must be members of the NAS South Hampshire Branch. Membership of our branch is free (a form can be downloaded from our website or complete a form on your first visit).
Meetings are held at Bishopstoke Evangelical Church, Stoke Park Road, Eastleigh, SO50 6DA.
Our Resource Library will be open at these meetings for Branch Library members.
We ask for a donation of £1 per person at the door towards our running costs.
Meeting dates and details
Please note: Your place at each meeting must be booked in advance - we cannot allow entry on the door without a pre-booking. Booking for each meeting closes at 6.00pm on the day of the meeting. Places are limited due to the space available.
To ensure the safety and security of all attending, please note the following:
- Please DO NOT ATTEND if you feel unwell or have symptoms of COVID-19.
- If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 during the meeting you will be asked to return home.
- The wearing of face coverings inside the building is optional – please respect people's choices*.
- All discussions that take place during this meeting are confidential and must not be repeated outside the room.
*Please note: we may have to impose tighter restrictions if there is a significant increase in COVID-19 cases locally.
Monday 20 May 7.30–9.30pm
We welcome, as our guest, Naomi Pearson, who will be giving a presentation on Developing Social Communication. Naomi is a speech and language therapist with 24 years’ experience working in both the NHS and independent sectors. Naomi is due to complete a PhD in 2024 investigating the effectiveness of Talkabout, a social communication programme. She is also the Managing Director of Speaking Space (Romsey) Ltd, based in Hampshire. In her spare time, she enjoys days out with her family, gardening and cycling.
The meeting will also include the Annual General Meeting of our Branch.
Monday 17 June 7.30–9.30pm
Monday 15 July 7.30–9.30pm
Please note: If, after booking, you find you are no longer able to attend, please contact us as soon as possible so we can make your place available to others.
Previous meetings:
On Monday 18 March, Alison Vasey, a qualified Occupational Therapist and parent of two autistic daughters, and Wendy Link, a qualified Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner, gave a presentation about Sensory Awareness which is available to view here.
See what it is like to visit our face-to-face Autism Support Group in 360° view
(click on image to play, then drag to move around)
This 360° view has been produced by What's It Like?
An initiative which involves a team of autistic people developing a pioneering project to support autistic people and those who live with anxiety. This project is being developed to help these people manage to get used to places they want to or need to visit by using virtual tours, walkthrough videos and virtual reality.