The National Autistic Society have launched a new campaign, You Need To Know, which is about ensuring that all children with autism are able to enjoy good mental health, just as everyone else can. That means help to promote emotional well-being and prevent mental health problems developing in the first place. It also means the right support at the right time for those children who do develop mental health problems.
As part of the campaign, NAS Branches and local autism groups are asking families of children and young people with autism who have also experienced mental health problems to tell us about their experiences of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
If you are the parent of a child with autism aged 21 or younger and have had, or tried to access, support for your child’s mental health within the last three years, we want to hear from you.
Please tell us about your experiences by completing this short survey which should take around 5 to 10 minutes to complete and returning it to us at the address below. If your child or young person with autism would also like to write or draw something about their experiences of mental health services, there is a space at the end for them to do so.
The information gathered will be used to make sure that mental health services are effective in meeting the needs of children with autism, both locally and nationwide. This could include sharing the overall findings and aggregated data (but not individual responses) collected with decision-makers or the media.
Remember, your answers are anonymous, and names and other identifying information will not be linked to quotes or other data provided. However if you are happy for us to contact you again, please enter your contact details in the form at the end of this survey. The NAS is bound by the Data Protection Act.
Definitions
- When we talk about CAMHS, we mean any NHS or local authority service provided to deal with mental health issues in children and young people aged 0 to 19.
- When we talk about autism we mean all conditions on the autism spectrum, including Asperger syndrome
- If you have more than one child with autism, please complete a separate survey for each child.
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your views and experiences, it is much appreciated.