NAS... Any good for you?

[troutsprout]

Can I ask those with children with asd ( with or without dx)... Do any of you actually get any help or support from the NAS?
The ' help' courses/ conferences seem to have dried up around here and the only contact we ever seem to have is them phoning asking for money.
Tbh we have had more help and support from Crossroads. Just wondered what everyone else's experiences were?

I can't really judge how good my local branch is, as they were sufficiently unwelcoming re:Ds not having a DX, that when he didn't get a full DX, just traits at the MDA a few months later, I didn't dare go back.

the website used to be q good for basic but sensible information re:behaviour/communication etc. But I find it harder and harder to navigate.

I think inappropriate and others have raised a v v important point in general re:the unholy mix between state and voluntary sector, and potential conflict of interest that goes a lot wider than NAS.

We used the NAS befriending service. The (paid) coordinator rang & we had the following conversation

Her: good news I have the perfect person for your son
Me: great
Her: yes she says she loves taking kids out to coffee shops and she can't wait to take your son
Me: we if you look at what I have written on the form I filled in you will see my son is severely autistic he can't really go to coffe shops
Her: what do you mean by severely autistic
Me: well he's non-verbal he can't talk
Her: what? Not at all? But he can sign or something can't he?

Hello wall, meet head.

She then turned up an hour late (FFS - you are not late with autism). She came from a friends house - we were on the phone to each other with our kids screaming in unison.