Latest News for Parents & Carers

An 11-year-old boy has become the youngest honours recipient on record after completing a series of fundraising challenges during the pandemic. Tobias Weller is joined by Max Woosey, 12, who has become the second youngest person known to have been honoured. Both boys have received the British Empire Medal (BEM) for charity fundraising work.

Of all the brain chemistry that autism researchers study, few molecules have garnered as much attention as the so-called ‘social hormone,’ oxytocin. Some autistic children appear to have low blood levels of oxytocin, which has led several teams to test oxytocin delivered intranasally as an autism therapy. So far, though, such clinical trials have yielded inconsistent results.

Helen Evans is the openly autistic CEO of the PDA Society, which supports people with Pathological Demand Avoidance, widely but not universally acknowledged as a profile of autism. She is also a single mum to an awesome autistic son and part of a wonderful neurodiverse family. She lives in Oxfordshire with her son and their dog Lizzy. This visible autistic Leader leading the way for others to live authentic lives.

How do you beat the winter blues if you have a disability or health condition? The weather is getting colder and the nights are drawing in. For many people, this can bring on the winter blues making you feel sad, isolated and less motivated. Disability Horizons shares different ways to beat the winter blues if you have a disability or health condition.

The Derby branch of the National Autistic Society was formed by a group of parents and professionals with an interest in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Please feel free to join. Here are their meeting dates for this year so far:

• Thursday 13th January 7.00pm – The Farmhouse, Mackworth
  Tuesday 1st February 7.00pm – Quad, Derby
  Thursday 17th February 7.00pm – The Farmhouse, Mackworth
  Tuesday 1st March 7.00pm – Quad, Derby
  Thursday 17th March 7.00pm – The Farmhouse, Mackworth
  Tuesday 5th April 7.00pm – Quad, Derby

Further meeting dates, themes and/or speakers will be confirmed nearer the meeting date.