A chat with Autism Initiatives UK
We’re celebrating the local services that empower autistic people this Autism Awareness Month.
Autism Initiatives UK run a One Stop Shop for autistic adults in Edinburgh and the Lothians. It provides free social opportunities, one-to-one advice, and support on a range of issues.
We asked Rachel from Autism Initiatives UK to tell us more about the Number 6 One Stop Shop and how it’s empowering autistic people to connect and build self-confidence.
What we do
At Autism Initiatives UK, we work positively alongside autistic people, their families and carers providing specialist support tailored to each person.
Our Number 6 One Stop Shop is for adults 16 and over who have a formal autism diagnosis without a learning disability. We aim to have a central location so that anybody from Edinburgh, the Lothians and Scottish Borders should only need to take one bus to access the service.
We meet with people for one-to-one appointments, to develop strategies and provide problem-solving support. We can help with anything from wellbeing and relationships to employment, housing, benefits, and more.
We can also connect people with social activities – we have activity groups for everything from women’s peer support to creative writing, football, gaming, yoga, wellbeing, cultural groups and more.
Number 6 launched in 2005, and it’s expanded a lot over time, especially over the last five to ten years. The demographics of individuals using our services have changed over time – I’d say this is largely due to improved access to assessment and diagnosis, for individuals of varied ages and gender. There’s a lot more self-exploration of people’s neurodivergence, and that’s where we can help.
Some autistic individuals experience isolation with a lack of social or family connections. Number 6 can provide an opportunity to build new connections within a supportive community.
The difference we’re making
At Autism Initiatives UK we listen and learn from the people we support, and we’ve gained a lot of knowledge about autism over time.
When a person comes in, they don’t have to figure out a way to explain their entire life to us, for us to be able to help them.
That can help people to have confidence that this time somebody might be able to help them understand themselves more and to build strategies that help them cope better. As someone who used our service shared: “You understood me before I understood myself.”
We support individuals to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, and their autistic needs. Working with them to identify the skills they already have and helping them to develop new strategies when needed. It’s important for people to have strategies which are specific to their own needs so they have autonomy over their own lives.
How I look after my mental health
I like to take time out to do something creative, because it means I have to slow down.
I also like to stop and take in the moment and be more present if I can, whether that’s doing an activity or just observing what’s going on around me. Because if you just keep going, then you don’t get the chance to stop and pause.
Find out more about Number 6 One Stop Shop.