An autistic woman from Preston who has dedicated her life to helping people with the condition – even before receiving her own diagnosis – is now running a support group in the city.
Denise Edwards says she wants to help plug what she describes as a ‘huge void’ in support for autistic adults who do not have additional learning difficulties or mental health conditions.
The Autism Peer Support Group meets on Tuesdays between 1pm and 3pm at The Haven in Blanche Street, Ashton-on-Ribble. We caught up with Denise to find out more.
“I became involved with autism professionally before I really knew what it was,” says Denise. “About 40 years ago, when I was a teacher, I got a job in a school for autistic children because it was part-time and fitted in well with my family life. I didn’t know what autism was – and very few people did at the time.”
Denise went on to work with people with special educational needs in mainstream schools and college, eventually moving into behavioural support. She later qualified as a counsellor, with her final role supporting adults who were newly diagnosed with autism.
It was during this time that Denise began to question whether she might be autistic herself.
“Some of the autistic adults I was counselling would assume I was on the spectrum,” she says. “I asked my boss if she thought I was, and she said yes. So I decided to get a diagnosis – it felt unfair to the people I was counselling not to be sure.”
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Receiving a diagnosis later in life brought more understanding.
“It was a very late, but I’d always felt an empathy with autistic people,” Denise says. “Looking back, I hadn’t realised how much I’d struggled, particularly in work situations. I masked my condition and, because I couldn’t read the signs, I was the last person to realise I was being bullied. Things escalated so much that I had to call the Union in to help me. Everyone else knew but me.”
Now retired, Denise remains determined to support others.
“I know we can become very isolated, because being autistic can mean it’s hard to socialise and meet new people. I want to offer an opportunity for people to get together and form connections. Together, we can work out solutions to some of the challenges we all face.”
Sessions at The Haven are informal and relaxed. Attendees might play a board game, but most of the time is spent chatting in a supportive environment. Denise is keen to reassure anyone who may feel worried about attending.
“I understand it can be difficult to walk into a group when you’re autistic,” she says. “People are welcome to bring somebody with them – a parent, partner or friend. I can also meet beforehand for an individual session so they can get to know me and become familiar with the building.”
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While committed to running the group, Denise is also passionate about the need for wider change. She hopes that by bringing people together and highlighting the gaps in provision, she can play her part in influencing those in authority to improve services for autistic adults.
“There’s a lot of interest in autism at the minute, but not enough in-depth understanding of what it’s like to live as an autistic person,” she says. “Support often comes from people used to working with physical or learning difficulties, where needs are more obvious. Autism is complex and requires properly trained professionals. There just aren’t the jobs in the community.”
In the meantime, Denise hopes the group will offer comfort and connection.
“I want to provide a place where people can get some enjoyment and relief for a couple of hours,” she says. “Somewhere they can meet like-minded people, make friends and feel supported with the issues we all face.”
To find out more about the Autism Peer Support Group at The Haven, email Denise at denise@ideaslancashire.com or call her on 01772 750880 or 07707 954592.
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