Life under lockdown!
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the lockdown had led to a slow period for the Sycamore Trust staff, but nothing could be further from the truth in the case of Emma Marston, who fulfils a number of different roles within the organisation.
A big part of Emma’s day is devoted to the social groups that are based at the Autism Hub, in Romford’s Liberty Shopping Centre. The Hub is a vital element of the London Borough of Havering Autism Strategy and provides crucial support for local individuals and families. Communication issues are common among the autistic community and Emma spends a great deal of time organising those social groups that are something of a lifeline for the service users, as for some of them, the Sycamore groups are their only form of social contact outside the family home.
Up until six weeks ago, that was all done in person, but Emma is now having to organise a great deal of her outreach work using facilities such as Skype and Zoom, as well as the good old-fashioned telephone. She is in regular contact with her group members, via telephone, text, e-mail and a group page on Facebook and the members have responded positively.
Emma explained “In so many ways, technology has made it easier for us to keep in touch, and texting is by far the most popular, because it’s less confrontational.” Emma continued “A number of autistic people find face to face contact, or even the telephone quite invasive. With a text they can process the question and plan a response.”
Individuals and families on the spectrum have been among the beneficiaries of social media and mobile phones over the past decade, especially those people who are non-verbal. Emma has been supporting quite a number of young people for several years now and a major element of her role is to make contact with young adults on the Autism Spectrum who are at risk of becoming isolated in the community. The next step is to get to know them and form a trusting relationship and in doing so, encourage the individual to join in with Autism Hub social groups as appropriate.
She said; “The first step is the hardest and by providing support to attend a group for the first time, the person may find they are comfortable to attend again.” In the long term, Emma has seen several friendships develop. She said, “We have seen friendships develop and continue, sometimes needing a little guidance but often completely independently. Our Peer Support Group, for example, remains a safe space where friendships have the chance to develop between individuals on the spectrum.”
If anything, life under lockdown has been busier than ever for Emma, as some group members have turned to her for stability and a familiar face in the face of so much upheaval. And with the current measures set to continue, her diary looks as if it will be very busy for the next three weeks at least!
Emma, dressed up in April for Dare to be Different day
