There has been a massive increase in demand for the services of Perth Autism Support since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to its founder.
The charity was started more than a decade ago by Angie Ferguson after her son was diagnosed with the condition.
The aim was to support autistic children and young people and their families.
Angie said: “My son was diagnosed as autistic at the age of five in 2008.
“We tried many after-school activities for him, but could never find something that he had a positive experience with.
“An incredibly academic boy, he had significant differences in the ways he communicated and socialised.
“While everywhere was welcoming to him, there was never anywhere that had the autism understanding or resource to be able to support him in the way he needed.
“He continued to be socially motivated, but we couldn’t find the right ‘fit’.
“At this stage, I thought it would be worth reaching out to see if there were other families in the area in the same situation that we could connect with to develop a peer network for him with like-minded young people.”
Beginnings of Perth Autism Support
The group held its first event at Easter in 2012 – football sessions – with 10 other children attending.
Just a few weeks later, Angie gave up her job to focus on Perth Autism Support.
The following year, the charity occupied premises in Market Street which had a small activities room, a computer room and an arts-and-crafts room.
But it quickly became obvious a bigger space was required, with about 100 young people registered for services.
“It took us a while to find something that suited our needs,” Angie said.
The group moved into its new home on New Row in February 2022.
“It is four times bigger than our previous centre, with a garden, dedicated family support room, sensory room, computer room, activities room for children, youth hub for young adults and a training space.”
More than 1,100 people are now registered with Perth Autism Support, which has 32 staff. It also delivers outreach activities in Pitlochry, Blairgowrie, Crieff and Kinross.
In addition, Perth Autism Support developed and started its Dundee services in 2021 and its early-years service in 2022.
Angie said: “We have achieved a huge amount in terms of our development.
“We take a full-family approach and support children from early years right through to their transition to the next stage of their adult life.
“We support the increasing of understanding of autism through our training services, which we deliver to organisations across Scotland.”
An ‘unprecedented demand’ post-Covid
The charity now takes on around 15 new referrals every month.
“I don’t think I ever anticipated that Perth Autism Support would grow as significantly as it has,” Angie added.
“All service areas are in demand, but post-Covid we have seen an unprecedented demand in our one-to-one support for children, young people and families – particularly for education support.
“Mental-health support continues to be an area of increased demand as do our training services and employers’ support.”
The operation is predominantly funded by grant funding through trusts and foundations, national and local government funding and community/corporate fund-raising.
The largest funders are Perth & Kinross Council, the Gannochy Trust, National Lottery Community Fund and the Scottish Government.
The charity will be launching its new strategic approach for 2023-2026 this spring.
Conversation