SIGNAL Family Support are a mutual support group for the families of autistic children and young people (ages 0-25) living in Lewisham. Established in 1993 by a small group of parents, from the original dozen families there are now over 400.
They provide access to inclusive activities such as trampolining and swimming and trips for families to socialise in a non-judgemental environment
Parents and carers benefit from meetings and workshops on all aspects of autism, plus a private Facebook group which is welcoming and supportive.
They provide opportunities for parents to socialise and share their experiences of local resources so that families are able to navigate through the complex education and health systems in order to get the best for their child and young person.
Annual membership costs £20 or £10 for low income families.
Once you are a member you will automatically receive regular emails about activities, meetings and so on, as well as anything autism-related that we hear about going on locally. You will also be able to join the private Facebook group which is a great way to get in touch with other members. The group is active, welcoming and supportive.
What they offer:
Evening Meetings & Workshops
They have regular meetings and workshops with speakers who are invited to come to talk to SIGNAL members about relevant topics, and aim to invite speakers who are themselves autistic wherever that is possible.
Swimming
We offer weekly swimming classes for our autistic children with a maximum of 2 children per instructor.
Family days out
We organise family days out during the school holidays, ranging from big venues like Legoland and the London Eye, to more low-key trips such as forest schools and a day at the seaside.
Coffee mornings
Our coffee mornings are a great way to meet other SIGNAL parents in a friendly and informal setting. If you are not a member yet, get in touch for more details.
FREE online Yoga Classes
We offer a free online yoga class for all members on Tuesday evenings, run by SIGNAL member and yoga teacher Mary McInerney. It’s a very relaxed class and everyone is welcome – no experience or equipment necessary.
Regular emails about anything autism-related
We send out regular emails about anything autism-related that we think might be of interest to our members, whether that’s an activity happening locally, an interesting article or news about autism, or a request for people to take part in a research project.
