Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, the mental health and learning disability service provider for Nottinghamshire, will be establishing two new services for adults with, or suspected of having, Asperger’s syndrome.
Asperger’s syndrome is a developmental disorder on the autistic spectrum. Around 1% of the population are thought to be on the autistic spectrum, the majority of which will not have a learning disability and may be diagnosed as having Asperger’s syndrome.
People with Asperger’s syndrome experience difficulty communicating and interacting with others. They can have difficulty forming and maintaining friendships and relationships. Whilst they may be interested in forming relationships attempts at doing so may be awkward or inappropriate. This can make the person prone to bullying or social isolation, and at risk of mental health difficulties. A person with Asperger’s syndrome may have difficulty with eye contact, and may find it difficult to understand non-verbal interaction such as body language and facial expression. People with Asperger’s syndrome often have a need for routines, and may have very specific interests, which can impact on other areas of their lives, such as maintaining employment. The needs and difficulties of people with Asperger’s syndrome may not be obvious, and so they may have difficulty accessing support.
The new services, which will have a city base and a county base, will be launched in April 2009.
The Nottingham city team consists of:
- Nurse Manager
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Social Worker
- Support Workers
This is a fully funded team and is based at the Department of Learning Disabilities, Highbury Hospital, Nottingham.
The Nottinghamshire county team consists of:
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
We work with adults over the age of 18 years who have, or suspected of having, Asperger’s syndrome, and do not have a learning disability. We are able to undertake multidisciplinary diagnostic assessments, and help the individual with Asperger’s and their carers identify and access the support they need. This may include information and support following a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, support with maintaining their home, college placement or employment, support accessing social and community activities, and support accessing other care services such as mental health care.
