If you live in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and BaNES see below. If you live in South West England but not one of the four listed authorities please see our support available through the South West Hub for Autism Central.
If you are an autistic adult looking for support click here.
Support in Bristol & surrounding area:
We are a registered charity (1186287) which exists to provide support, advice and information to parents and carers of autistic children, diagnosed or suspected, in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and BaNES.
Bristol Autism Support was set up in 2012 as a way to bring parents of autistic children (age 18 and under) together to share knowledge and make new friends. It began as a small pub meetup group and quickly grew! This page provides information on all of the services and support we offer.
Facebook group
We have a main Facebook support group with over 3,000 members. This group is very busy and active. Members use this to ask questions, get advice, rant and share successes. The group is only open to parents and carers of autistic children, diagnosed or suspected, living in BS postcodes. Click here to join the group or search Facebook for Bristol Autism Support.
In Person Support groups
We have a term time weekly support group meeting at the Imperial Sports Ground on Thursday mornings from 10-11am. Booking is essential, click here to book. Want to know what to expect from out support group? Click here to learn all about it. Once a month we have child friendly support groups held at Super Sense. Click here for more information on Super Sense sessions.
Helpline
Contact our team via our helpline if you have a question or want to talk to one of our advisors. You can call /text and leave a message for one of our team to get back to you on 07835727394 or get it touch by email on helpline@bristolautismsupport.org
Webinars and information sessions
We put on a wide range of webinars and other informational sessions. We run a monthly All About Autism session, and sessions on supporting distress, food issues, sleep, supporting non-verbal children and more. Keep an eye on our What’s On page for more details.
Support blocks
We run special 6-week support group blocks for specific topics, for example new to autism, anxiety & masking, sensory differences or parents of non-speaking children. Click here to learn more.
Coffee Mornings
We host coffee mornings where parents and carers can get together for an informal chat. At present we have coffee mornings in Easton, Bedminster, Keynsham, Gloucester road alongside meet ups for BAS Grandparents and BAS Dads. Keep an eye on our What’s On page for more details.
Membership
Any parent or carer of an autistic child, diagnosed or suspected, living in and around Bristol may access our main Facebook group, in-person meetings and information sessions. However, to access a greater level of support and to be the first to know about new activities, we urge you to become a member. Membership is free and comes with a lot of perks including phone support, mentoring and a private member’s Facebook group. Click here to learn more and join.
Family socials
When we are able to, we have epic family socials! These are casual events where the whole family can join us for a fun activity, playing and socialising. We’ve done all sorts from animal handling, forest school, drumming, dancing, soft play and a evening at the aquarium. Keep an eye on our What’s On page for more details.
BAS Dads group
We have a Facebook group just for dads and unpaid male carers. Click here to join or search Facebook for BAS Dads. The group is facilitated by Loren Snow.
Wellbeing activities
We love the parents we support and want everyone to be happy and healthy. We put on wellbeing events such as yoga, mindfulness, meditation and luxurious pamper days. Keep an eye on our What’s On page for more details.
Events calendars
To find out what events we are running ourselves, click here for our calendar. We also run a Facebook page where we post every autism and SEND event that crosses our paths. Click here to go to the page or search Facebook for @bristolautismevents
Mailing list
Joining our mailing list is the best way to learn about all of our activities. We send regular emails with information about what’s on and how to book. Many of our activities fill up so quickly, we don’t have time to post them anywhere before they are all booked up! Click here to join our mailing list.
Website
This website is packed with a huge range of articles and information to help parents and carers to support their autistic children. Click here to see all of our posts.
Autism Central & 1-1 sessions
Bristol Autism Support are the Regional Hub for the South West for Autism Central. This is a new programme, co-designed to provide high-quality and accessible autism information, education and coaching for families, and carers, and co-delivered by autistic people, families and carers. You can book group or 1-1 sessions with our team. Find out more here – South West Hub for Autism Central.
