About Us
The Group
Taunton Autism Support Group is a support group for parents and carers of children and young people with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome in the Taunton area.
It was established in 2005 by a group of professionals involved in the field, who felt that there was a need to provide peer and professional support to parents and carers of children with Autism and Asperger’s in the vicinity. The group is now predominately run by parents / carers with support from professionals.
We have around 60 people registered but many of these parents / carers are unable to attend meetings for a variety of reasons. This is why we feel that a website is imperative for the group to initiate contact with as many people and as effectively as possible.
The aim of this website is to both maintain links with members and to provide links to services and other relevant groups and organisations. We also want to provide useful general and local information and peer experience.
We hope that the website will be able to act as a vital resource and point of reference for families with children and young people on the Autistic Spectrum in Taunton and surrounding areas, both at the point of diagnosis and beyond.
Our Meetings
We meet monthly on a Tuesday morning at 10am till 12 noon, usually on the last Tuesday of the month.
The venue alternates between County Stores Upstairs Café, in North Street, Taunton (where we have a drop in coffee morning) and the Methodist Church Hall, in Lisieux Way, where we usually have a guest speaker covering topics that we hope are of interest to members of the group.
Lisieux Way Meetings
We endeavour to make it an informal morning and depending on the topic, encourage interaction from those parents and carers who wish to contribute with questions or responses. This can be an opportunity to bring concerns to the attention of relevant presenters, but is in no way compulsory and we welcome individuals who would rather just listen to the speaker and do not want to talk about their own experiences or ask any questions.
At least one “professional” such as Social Worker, Social Work Assistant, Carer Support Worker or Educational Psychologist usually attends meetings and this is an opportunity to find out who is who, seek advice from them or pass on information.
We provide a free tea or coffee at these events and usually a biscuit or two and some fruit!
We would be pleased to hear suggestions and recommendations for future speakers.
All talks are free and all are welcome.
Drop in Meeting at “County Stores”
The aim of the meeting in “County Stores” is for people to stay for the morning or just pop in for a quick drink and a “natter” - whichever suits best!
The emphasis is on a social opportunity to share experiences and ideas as well as to relax and chat.
A Friendly Welcome
We understand that it can be daunting to walk into a room or coffee shop looking for a group of people you do not know!
It can also be difficult following a recent diagnosis to talk to a group of strangers about your family situation!
We understand this and are an inclusive, welcoming and friendly group and would encourage anyone to come along to a meeting and try us out!
Alternatively, feel free to phone or email for a chat instead and get to know one of us prior to considering attending a meeting.
We all have similar and yet very different experiences and sharing ideas and information can be useful. Many members have found the realisation that you are not alone and that others share similar highs and lows can be beneficial too.
Organisers
Angela Smith
Angela is a lone parent with two children on the Autistic Spectrum. She has been ‘living with Autism’ since 2000 and has a variety of experience - particularly in early intervention, educational issues, coping, behavioural and communication strategies.
She is a parent representative on the Services to Families sub committee. She is also currently investigating, mainstream secondary provision in Somerset for children on the Autistic Continuum.
Her daughter is severely affected and goes to Special School. Her son is high functioning and currently attends mainstream primary.
She was fortunate enough to obtain funding for the children to go on an extremely successful Applied Behavioural Analysis Home Programme (ABA/Loovas). The primary purpose of this early intervention is to teach children how to learn and the curriculum covers language, play, academic, intellectual, self help and social skills. Targeted skills are broken down into small attainable steps and built upon. Instruction is highly personalised and is supervised by experienced practitioners.
Her children are also on a Gluten and Casein free diet, which she feels has made a significant difference in improving concentration and reducing self stimulatory activities.
Angela co-runs TASG with Maryann Hollebon.
Maryann Hollebon
Maryann and her husband have three children, two of which are on the Autistic Spectrum.
Her two boys were diagnosed in 2002 and 2004 - the eldest is high-functioning and, after
attending mainstream school, is now studying at university.
Her other son has Asperger’s Syndrome and, after attending mainstream school, is currently
studying at A-level.
Maryann’s husband often works away during the week and, with no other family to rely on,
meeting other families and parent/carers with Autistic children really helps.
Maryann has found that supporting and setting up self help groups has given her the chance
to develop and learn strategies to better cope with her family’s special needs.
Maryann is a member of the NAS and has attended various NAS workshops.
Along with Angela Smith she runs the TASG and previously helped to set up a local activity group, ESCAPE, which supports and encourages families, carers/parents of children with all disabilities to get out and about.