Mindsight Autism Services

09/05/2025

Proud to be featured in this blog by Biopic Photography Ltd We can highly recommend Brian as a great photographer who put us at ease ☺️

Southam is home to a wealth of compassionate and dedicated professionals, and among them are Shelley and Vicky, the co-founders of Mindsight Autism Services and the Southam Speaking Space.   A Shared Vision for Support Shelley Natt and Dr Vicky Perry, came together through a shared pas

28/04/2025

The Autistic Girls Network have created this brilliant "student passport" resource. They say "A student passport can include the young person’s needs and worries and how teachers can assist them with these. It is co-produced by the child or young person, their parents, and the school. The document is then kept centrally, to be available to all teachers and support staff". You can check it out here:
https://autisticgirlsnetwork.org/Student_Passport_Template.pdf

24/04/2025

One top tip we often talk about with our ADHD clients is: try to make your tasks NICE.
If your brain finds it difficult to maintain attention on boring, monotonous tasks (such as putting away clean washing), try tweaking the tasks so they actually hook your attention. The ADHD brain is an interest-driven nervous system which means that tasks need to feel engaging to activate motivation and sustain attention!

Here’s how to make your tasks NICE:
🌀 N = Novelty – Try a new way of doing it. Change the setting, tools, or approach to keep it fresh.

🌟 I = Interest – Tie the task to something meaningful or fun. Make it personally relevant.

🔥 C = Challenge – Turn it into a mini competition. Set a goal or race the clock.

⏰ E = Extreme Urgency – Create a sense of “must do it now.” Use a timer, deadline, or someone counting on you.

When a task hits at least one of these, your brain is much more likely to stay engaged. Let us know if any of these tips work for you, whatever your neurotype!

02/04/2025

The House of Lords Committee on the Autism Act 2009 is asking for views on improving support for autistic people, in healthcare, education, the justice system and more. They want to hear from autistic people and their families, as well as professionals in this area. Lots more information here:
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/770/autism-act-2009-committee/news/206238/call-for-evidence-launched-to-mark-world-autism-acceptance-day/
The deadline is 2nd June. For any of our followers who are autistic, parents of autistic children or professionals working with autistic people please do consider contributing as this is a real opportunity to make sure autistic perspectives are at the centre of decision-making and policies that will affect all public services.

To mark World Autism Acceptance Day, the House of Lords Committee on the Autism Act 2009 is today launching its Call for Evidence inviting written contributions to its inquiry.

17/03/2025

Did you know this week is ? Aiming to help the world to understand, value and celebrate the talents of neurodiverse minds. There is a whole schedule of events available here:

We've created a diverse schedule of events for you to enjoy during Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025! All events are free of charge.

11/03/2025

Creating a more accessible version of our report for a dyslexic client with ADHD who has difficulty processing lots of written information. One of the perks of having a Speech and Language Therapist on the team!

26/02/2025

Did you know that until 2013, diagnostic manuals didn't allow for someone to be diagnosed as autistic and ADHD at the same time? Research and thinking has moved on significantly and people can now be diagnosed as being both autistic and ADHD. This video explains what being "AuDHD" can feel like and highlights the importance of clinicians considering both neurotypes when making diagnostic decisions. At Mindsight Autism Services, we always screen for both autism and ADHD in our initial stages of assessment to ensure we are thinking holistically about our clients and their strengths and needs.

10/02/2025

Grove is a wonderful organisation we often recommend to our younger clients and their parents. They offer lots of different support options including online mentoring sessions for neurodivergent young people aged 8-17 years . Check out their post below, their website https://www.gr0ve.org/ and page: GROVE Neurodivergent Mentoring & Education

How wonderful is this phrase from one of our current Mentees? It really made me smile!

"... you can leave the room now mum, it's Autistic time."

We have a wonderful team of Autistic Mentors and I spend time with the parents/carers to carefully match to the right Mentor. Where there happens to be availability to choose between a few Mentors, the parents/carers can also involve the young person in that choice as well.

Please feel free to have a look at our website for more information, to reach out to me via DM on here or email on jess@gr0ve.org.

Jess.

03/02/2025

Something that Shelley and I enjoy so much about our jobs is that there is always more to learn as new research and ideas are published informed by neurodivergent communities and their experiences. Last week, I enjoyed some brilliant training, "deep diving" into current knowledge of "executive function skills" (skills that help us to remember, organise, plan and regulate our attention) in autism and ADHD, and what strategies work best if you have a neurodivergent brain.

17/01/2025

Did you know the presence of another person can help minimise distractions and help concentration, making it easier to complete tasks? It’s called and lots of neurodivergent people with attention differences find it particularly helpful.
Here are some opportunities to try it out at the new coworking sessions taking place in Southam… Southam Business Community CIC

14/01/2025

All set for the neurodivergent women’s peer support group this afternoon at Southam Speaking Space. If any local autistic or ADHD ladies are interested in the group we’ll be happy to put you in touch with Rachel, a local person who started the group last month 🙂

09/01/2025

One of the things we are often get asked is about support groups for parent carers so we are starting to put together a padlet (digital clipboard) of the support organisations... it's a work in progress but you can see it here https://padlet.com/warwickshireparentcarervoice/send-support-groups-9izj8026ll8e4hes
We know that there are many more groups so please add any details below and we can get them added.

We've also had an enquiry about support for parents who are autistic - anyone got any links?