Welcome to our about us page, we’d love to tell you more about our story, our dreams and why we’re committed to fulfilling them.
Our vision is: A society where autistic people can live happy and fulfilling lives.
We do this by providing a person-centred support to autistic individuals and those who love and care for them, and by developing organisations in the wider society that are aware and inclusive of neurodivergence.
We have been supporting autism for over 25 years, helping over 2,000 beneficiaries and 5,000 family members every year. Founded by Dr Hartley Booth OBE in 1997 during his time as an MP in response to families concerned about the lack of available support for autistic people and their families. With a miniscule budget and one paly group, the organisation started offering services to a small number of families in North London and grew.
We love getting to know each individual and exploring their passions and challenges – whether this be physical, emotional or social. We operate across Greater London and the West Midlands and are driven by an ethos of absolute acceptance of each individual exactly as they are; from a place of true understanding. We have found that this can take many forms; developing resilient parents and resilient children, hands-on training and consultancy, services centred around individuals interests and goals ranging from Music Therapy to Social clubs. We would love to tell you more in our services pages.
‘RfA has been positive [for me] in the fact that it has given me a place to socialise. Plus a place where people have a similar condition to myself and I am not judged. A place where I have made friends.’
Our Approach to Autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. The way that autistic people experience their environment can lead to areas of strength or difficulty that vary between individuals and may not be immediately obvious.
For example, autistic children, young people and adults can have:
- Strong attention to detail
- Above average technical or creative skills.
- Character strengths, such as honesty and loyalty
- Differences in sensory processing, including over- and under-sensitivity
- Difficulty predicting what is going to happen next
Every autistic person is different and our model of work does not subscribe to any specific discipline but is eclectic and bespoke to the individual need.