Latest News for Parents & Carers

Derby College Freshers’ Fairs are the first chance students get to see what student life is really like. Every year the Freshers’ Fairs see thousands of students coming to find out about support services available, grab promotional materials, speak to local businesses and sign up to Clubs and Societies.

• Tuesday 21st September at The Roundhouse on Pride Parkway
• Wednesday 22nd September at Broomfield Hall nr Morley, Ilkeston
• Thursday 23rd September at Joseph Wright Centre in Derby City.

All Freshers’ Fairs run from 10.00am until 2.00pm.

The likelihood that an autistic person has another condition correlates strongly with the age at which they received their autism diagnosis. Also, autistic girls are more likely than non-autistic girls to have other conditions, to a degree not seen in autistic boys. The study assessed whether an autistic person’s age, age of diagnosis or birth sex changed their chance of having any of 11 commonly co-occurring conditions, including epilepsy, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The findings may suggest that young men and women are not diagnosed with autism unless they also have another condition, the researchers say. Still, they urge caution when interpreting the results.

Research conducted by the consumer group Which? has found that disabled customers are struggling to access bank services due to branch closures and poor access to buildings, ATMs and online banking. The consumer champion surveyed nearly 1,500 disabled banking customers about their experiences and spoke to case studies from the Disability Horizons community. It has found that four in 10 (41%) of disabled consumers are suffering as a result of bank branch closures. This makes it increasingly difficult for them to access cash and vital everyday financial services. By the end of the year, the situation could be worse as nearly 4,300 UK branches will have closed since 2015.

Contact has welcomed the inclusion of children and young people in the National Autism Strategy for the very first time. The government’s refreshed strategy sets out how it plans to support and improve the lives of autistic adults and children in England over the next five years. It now includes a whole section on autistic children and young people, along with commitments to improve their education and support for ‘positive transitions’ into adulthood.

Welcome to our very first newsletter called ‘The Positive Post‘ It aims to ring you the latest good news and feedback from happy families and professionals that we have supported recently. We also have a plain text version.