ADHD & Autism Support

8 September 2017, 15:01 | Updated: 6 September 2018, 13:28

The Centre for ADHD & Autism Support (CAAS) provides support to children, young people and adults affected by ADHD and Autism in North West London.

Over 700,000 people in the UK are autistic, which means that nearly 3 million people have a family member on the autism spectrum. People affected by the condition can struggle socially and feel incredibly lonely, while the impact on their families or carers can be immense.

CAAS offers a range of free services led by people who have first-hand experience of family members affected by the condition.

At the charity, young people with ADHD or Autism can access services including counselling, workshops, book groups, creative writing courses and drama therapy. For their families and carers, the charity provides support groups and specialist workshops too.

If CAAS sounds familiar, that’s because they featured in the Channel 5 documentary “My Secret Past” about Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, which showed him working with the charity to support a young man with ADHD.

The charity has helped children like Lewis, who was 8 years old when he was referred to the Drama Therapy Project, because his mum was struggling to manage his behaviour. Lewis learned to express himself through music and art, and his mum has seen continual improvements in his general sense of stability and wellbeing.