What makes good support?

When I was younger, I didn’t have many friends. I went to a youth group for autistic people called ‘I Am’ and they really helped me to make friends and take part in activities together. I Am do weekly drop-in groups where there are things to do such as art, computers, game consoles and music room.

I also do days out sometimes, such as when I went to the safari park, camping and walking groups. I really enjoyed these, and it is nice to visit new places.

I went to school at Manor Academy. My girlfriend Sally went to Manor with me, and I have a lot of friends from Manor who I often meet with. They have also been to my youth groups and supported internships with me.

Work and employment

United Response’s Supported Employment service and particularly my job coach Alice have been very helpful. I am grateful to them for helping me get my job in the council by letting me know about the Kickstart Scheme and supporting me in my job. Without their support I would still be looking for jobs.

My work team at Trafford Council are a pleasure to work with and they are very supportive of me in my role. I like to support my team as well by helping out with tasks. Socially it is good too – I really enjoy going to Christmas and leaving dos with them. My work team let me know about St Antony’s Centre, where they provide training and do English, Maths and IT courses.

The staff at St Antony’s have been very supportive too. It has been a great opportunity to learn and get my Level 2 qualifications which will make it much easier for me to get promotions and new jobs. I even let one of my friends know about St Antony’s Centre and he was interested in taking the courses.

My advice to others with autism who are struggling to meet people is to join similar groups in their area. This will help them to find new friends with shared interests and take part in hobbies and days out.