Law and order!
As you may have read, we were recently named by Romford solicitiors Mullis & Peake as their charity of the year. We recently visited their Romford offices to chat to staff about autism, and what we are doing in the local area, concluding with a presentation by Autism Ambassador Robert Lamb. Here's the story from the M&P website www.mplaw.co.uk
On Wednesday 1st May, we had the pleasure of hosting a presentation by Steve Dixon and Robert Lamb from the Sycamore Trust, our charity of the year 2019/20.
Sycamore Trust is a great charity, who provides support, advice and workshops for people with autism. They work within the East London area, helping as many people as they can and providing necessary life skills for those who are on the autistic spectrum.
The charity runs many important clubs, events and classes such as youth clubs, which promote self-esteem, social skills and relationships; Life Skills, which teaches vital skills that many of take for granted, like use public transport and shopping; and SWAP, which allows children who are non-verbal to communicate using a system of picture cards.
The presentation was very insightful, telling us all of the great work they do within the local community.
Robert, who was diagnosed with a form of autism when he was 14, ran the group through an exercise to demonstrate how disorientating the disorder can be.
Clare Butcher was asked to stand and all the other members of the group formed a circle around her. When Robert instructed, all members of the group began reading news stories as loudly as they could at the same time.
When the exercise was over, Clare was asked how it made her feel. She said it was ‘disorientating and confusing’ and that she ‘couldn’t make out any of the information’. Robert said this is similar to how some people living with autism feel on a daily basis, doing basic tasks that most of us take for granted.
Mullis & Peake chairman Martyn Trenerry said:
“We are delighted to be able to support the Sycamore Trust as our charity of the year and would like to thank both Steve and Robert who visited us from the Trust to present to representatives of the firm’s specialist team. It was really interesting to find out more about the charity and the amazing work they do and the opportunities they give families, carers and friends of children with Autistic Spectrum & Asperger’s Disorders. The trust does some fantastic work with individuals to help build strong ties with their local community, and develop skills that are highly valued on the job market and to improve personal and life skills.”
We're holding a seminar next month on the important topic of future planning for the care of our children on the spectrum with our friends from Mullis & Peake. For more information; click here http://www.sycamoretrust.org.uk/latest/article/Providing-for-the-future