Autism & Me

Autism & Me has been nominated for Bailiwick Community Hero

Autism & Me, which has been nominated for the Bailiwick Community award, is an organisation supporting parents and carers of children with diagnosed or suspected autism.

The Facebook group was created in March 2023 by Lorna Higgins-Bare and Antonia Rainbow in response to a lack of government and community support for both the children and their guardians. Since then, it has amassed more than 450 members. It serves as ‘a place to ask questions, share experiences and to simply vent’ according to their Facebook ‘about’ section. It’s a private group and many posts are anonymous, allowing members to freely express themselves in a community which understands what they are going through.

‘It can be quite isolating to be a parent with an autistic child,’ said the nominator, who wishes to remain anonymous. 

‘Not many people “get it”. Time often needs to be taken off work for one thing, which can make things difficult. 

‘Then there’s trying to get care outside of term-time, the support just isn’t really there. 

‘But this group has definitely been a long time in the making, they’re creating a community where there was desperate need for one, and they deserve recognition.’

Other Finalists