TESTIMONIALS:
"Amanda has been essential in my education of autism and autism in me. After receiving my diagnosis in 2021 (aged 29) I had a steep learning curve to better understand myself. Amanda's patience and willingness to repeat sections as she took me through the education process of what autism is, is a testimony to her experience as an educator and working with autistic individuals. Throughout the 9 months of education/coaching/navigation I felt supported in each session and knew with confidence I could ask questions. The wealth of knowledge Amanda has accrued is essential within the 1 to 1 sessions as she was able to pull real anonymised examples which for someone with autism is so important. I need to understand with a real example because bridging the gap between theory and application is something I have struggled with all of my life.
I have actively recommended Amanda to other friends who have received an adult diagnosis or their children have received their diagnosis. On a personal note the confidence I've built because of the new understanding of myself has been life changing. I still have a long way to go in terms of application of everything I've learned however the confidence I've gained to have difficult conversations with my employer is unmeasurable."
Adult female
"Thank you for everything. Seeing you saved my sanity and enabled me make sense of so many things I could never have understood on my own."
Adult female
"As parents, you know that your child is different and reacts differently to everyday situations. People often say he/she is quite clever, but you know that there is more to it than that! You suspect that your child could be autistic, but feel that you don’t want to have them ‘labelled’, as long as you can manage and they are doing well at school. Quite often the managing goes on for a considerable length of time, but then an ‘event’ takes place and the managing becomes more difficult or even near impossible and you realise that a diagnosis of your child’s condition is necessary and professional help is required!
This then becomes a ‘steep learning curve’ for not only the child, but also the parents! If the diagnosis is later, in teenage years or even older, then the child/adolescent/adult often has difficulty in coming to terms with the diagnosis as to them, its normal the way they are, because that is the way they have always been and even to their friends, who have accepted them the way they are! For the parents/family, it is about understanding the condition and learning why the child/adolescent/adult, behaves differently and that you need to learn the tools and techniques to help you manage and adapt your approach. This is where an autism counsellor becomes invaluable. We found that the support we had for our son and the support and understanding we, his parents had from Amanda at Autism Support Cumbria was invaluable and enabled our son to ‘find himself again’ and decide what he wanted to do with his life and the career he wanted to follow, which he is now doing. We his parents now feel that after a number of very difficult years, very significant progress has been made because our son has decided to go back to university, but this time it is different as he has the diagnosis of autism and the support and understanding is in place at the university to help him should he require it.
We can certainly say that without the counselling and support that our son has received from Amanda that, we would not be in the position now to say that our son now has a bright future again to look forwards to!"
Parents of male adult
"On starting meeting with Amanda our teenager daughter had recently been identified as Autistic. She was angry, confused and lonely and we, as her parents, felt lost as how to help her begin to accept herself and rebuild her confidence.
​Amanda has been our greatest find! Starting with explaining the autistic brain and how it functions in a language she understood and then working with her to build a detailed profile of her and her strengths and challenges. Detailed emails and communications allowed us as parents insight into how we could change our behaviours and patterns to help our daughter day to day and communicate better.
​The profile they have built together acts as a daily reminder for us as to what our daughter needs and how things look and feel for her and is foundations of her EHCP to attend college.
​Amanda was also a friend to our daughter and I know they discussed and shared things that were confidential between them. It was so important for her to have someone other than Mum and Dad to talk to – especially as a teenager and to have someone who understood her.
​Amanda is great at what she does and we would all be still in a very difficult and dark place without her."
Parents of female
"A few words about Amanda…
I met Amanda at a very interesting time. My son, who was in high school, had just been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. He was nearly 12 years old at the time. As parents, we didn’t have a clue but we managed to attend a series of classes which helped a little. We also found SHOUT, a parents support group. As for my son though, he was virtually left to sink!
He was very confused, anxious, and had no-one to really talk to about his Autism, who understood it. Luckily his school had Amanda Denwood, who visited and supported him with a series of one-to-one meetings. From having a boy who was mis-understood, confused, over whelmed and having meltdowns, we now have a son who has a greater understanding of autism and how it affects him.
Now my son has much more confidence. He will say when he doesn’t like something, rather than trying to cope. He will ask questions, rather than say nothing, even putting his hand up in class now, where as before he never used to. He now wants to ‘go out’ with his friends. He even wants to go abroad to visit a football stadium! All these things were simply not on his radar before he met Amanda.
As parents we are also involved. We get regular feedback from there sessions (with my son’s permission of course), and I can also drop in to a free one-to-one session with Amanda (at Owl Blue), or drop an email to her, if I feel there is a problem that I don’t understand, and would like advice about it.
I can honestly say that Amanda has made it possible for us to have a more normal life as a family. Yes, we still have are ups and downs, but the bumps are now more manageable, and we all have the tools to help get problems resolved now. So, I can definitely recommend Amanda to help your son or daughter and your family with the trials that autism brings with it.
Thanks so much for all your support and advice Amanda. We couldn’t have done it without you!"
Parent of male
"After sitting down with Amanda, it became very clear to me, very quickly, that I had been living my whole life with the wrong set of instructions.
Amanda explained to me, and showed me, that what I see, think, process, and believe to be true and real, can be misleading. And explained why.
​I believed I was a freak, thick, stupid, slow, vacant, and incapable of holding on to a relationship. To be brutally honest I'd lost all hope in myself, to the point that I just didn't want to live anymore.
​Amanda explained to me what my thought process looked like, compared to the thought process of a neurotypical brain.
​In short this was a revelation to me, and at the end of each session I left with another page of the right instructions, for ME, enabling me to function better in a very confusing world.
​This increased my confidence and gave me some real hope, as well as considerably reducing my anxiety and stress levels.
​Thank God that Cumbria has somewhere like this available. The term lifesaver is an overused phrase today, but that's exactly what Amanda at Autism Support Cumbria has been to me. It has saved my life, given me hope for the future, and explained to me clearly why I've had the struggles I've had throughout my life."
Adult male with autism
"Amanda provided invaluable support during a time of crisis in my son’s life. She helped him understand his autism and explained why he found certain aspects of his life hard. As a parent I really appreciated having someone to talk to who understands autism and all that it entails!"
Parent of adult male
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"I'm very grateful to Amanda for sharing her personal knowledge of autism with me. She has helped me view and understand myself by shedding light upon many areas of my life which until now have been confusing and frustrating.
I'm 25 with Asperger's and now have a better idea on how to proceed from now on."
Adult male
"I came to Amanda with an ASC diagnosis but very little background information on what the condition means for me. She taught me the differences between a neuro-typical brain and an autistic brain, explaining things in a way I could understand, and she considered how it can affect me personally.
​During our sessions Amanda successfully helped me prepare for a job interview and the following employment challenges. I've since settled into a new role and have a good bank of knowledge to rely on for everyday demands.
Thanks for helping me understand what it means to be an adult with an autistic spectrum condition."
Adult male
"Thank you for all your help! I really cannot express the impact you've made on getting me started off on the right path again and helping me through such a difficult time! I have also thoroughly enjoyed working with you, and you've been very easy to express my ideas towards thanks to your consideration, humour and understanding.
I hope the future finds you well and helping others young and old find their path as you have helped myself."
Adult with autism
"I have found Amanda’s knowledge and first-hand experience invaluable. Our meetings have provided me with strategies and tools to use with my daughter. Amanda’s open and supportive approach have given me the reassurance and confidence to implement them out at home. Thank you!"
Parent
"It really helped talking to someone who also has a child on the spectrum, it made it easier to talk about issues which may seem trivial or embarrassing to others. Amanda's help with the minefield of benefits claim forms was invaluable, she went through it step by step and made it much less daunting."
Parent
"Amanda helped us during a particularly difficult time. Our child found the transition form primary to secondary school extremely challenging. Amanda pointed us in the right direction to get help, without this I am not sure what we would have done. She also helped us in our successful application for the DLA and provided help and support to explain the additional support that our child was eligible to receive at school. She was always there to listen when we needed it and provided a friendly and useful service."
Parent
"As a ( part time worker) parent of 8 children imagine my horror to learn one of my children was dyspraxic and on the autistic spectrum. My daughter is now 17 years old and it has been a constant battle with school to get help, the biggest problem was getting them to admit she's special. First contacted Amanda recently to try and help my daughter with English key skills; I was delighted to find a Gold mine. Amanda is totally on my daughter's wave length, which up to now, there were only 3 others of us! She's kind, caring, helpful, funny and more importantly clever , my daughter's confidence in herself has blossomed under Amanda's guidance. Amanda is just what we've been waiting for. Thank you Amanda."
Parent