We are proud to be developing a mental health module to help professionals, parents and carers better support autistic young people aged 13 – 18 years-old. Garfield Weston Foundation for funding this project, and making it possible to release this module, for free, for 12 months.

Autism is not a mental health condition. But many autistic people face mental health issues and our autistic supporters have told us it’s their top priority. 

In a 2019 survey, 76% of autistic adults reported reaching out for mental health support in the preceding five years, yet only 14% said there were enough mental health services in their area to support their needs.  Our research suggests that this situation is driven by insufficient social care and mental health support in the community, as well as a lack of understanding of autism and how to adapt and adjust support to meet autistic people’s needs.

We are committed to changing this, by campaigning and wider work including upskilling and informing professionals, parents and carers. This online training module is one way we will do this and equip them to better identify and support young autistic people.

Driven by autistic people

We will be asking autistic people about their mental health priorities to help shape the content of the module and ensure it reflects their experiences and needs. The module will cover topics such as common mental health conditions, the risks and consequences of mental ill-heath, and offer practical strategies to support mental wellbeing. The module will launch in Autumn 2023 and will be available for free for 12 months via our online training website.

It is being designed and delivered by our award-winning training and consultancy team, who collectively have over 50 years’ experience of working with autistic people, their families and professionals.  

Rachel Townson, Online Training and Development Manager, said: “We are thrilled to have secured funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation for this online training module and believe this will help thousands of autistic people and their families.

"Our autistic supporters tell us that their top priority is improving mental health support. This module will help professionals gain deeper insight into autistic people’s experiences of mental health problems, including the barriers so many face getting appropriate help, and ultimately improve support for autistic people. All of our online training modules are shaped around autistic people, with all stages of development being heavily autistic led and created, which makes our online training unique.

“It’s vital autistic young people, their families and professionals get good mental health support and advice, when they need it.”

Please stay tuned to our website for the launch of our module, coming late Autumn 2023.

Further information

• download our free good practice guide for professionals delivering talking therapies for autistic adults and children
• read our guide to asking for reasonable adjustments and use our template for sending a letter or an email
• if you’re autistic or a parent looking for information and advice about autism and mental health, check out our information and guidance
• join our online community to meet like-minded people and share your experiences
• for advice and support about mental health hospitals in England.