Every year we hold a fundraising event at Stoke-on-Trent Reparatory Theatre, to raise funds for Lifeworks so we can continue to support our clients and carers.
From Spiders Web play in February 2022 we raised £343 in total.
Thank you for supporting Lifeworks Staffordshire.
31st January 2022
The Lifeworks office is now open for booked appointments only. To make an appointment, you must be a client or carer of Lifeworks. You can request an appointment by phone, email, or text. To make a new referral please contact us
To protect our staff, trustees, volunteers, and clients, we are not running any drop-in appointments or groups so we can limit numbers and maintain social distancing.
You must not attend if you feel unwell or have a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss/change in your sense of smell/taste.
5th January 2022
Lifeworks hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. The office is closed and staff are working from home until further notice. If you need support please contact us on the mobiles or by email.
10th December 2021
The Lifeworks office is now closed. If you need support please contact us on the mobiles or by email. Staff will be working remotely till the 23rd December.
September 2021
The Lifeworks office is now open for booked appointments only. To make an appointment, you must be a client or carer of Lifeworks. You can request an appointment by phone, email, or text. To make a new referral please contact us
To protect our staff, trustees, volunteers, and clients, we are not running any drop-in appointments or groups so we can limit numbers and maintain social distancing.
You must not attend if you feel unwell or have a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss/change in your sense of smell/taste.
The carer and client groups are taking place remotely on Zoom or in the community.
Carer Groups:
Client Groups:
For more information see Calendar
Working with Keele University students Lifeworks produced some leaflets giving advise and guidance regarding how to cope during the pandemic.
Lifeworks Survival Guide On ADHD Brochure
StokeonTrentTogether - Community Support Network https://corona19.vast.org.uk/ 01782 234234. communities@stoke.gov.uk
Newcastle-under-Lyme - Covid-19 Helpline - Realise Charity - Covid-19 (realisefoundation.org.uk) Call: 01782 717717
Staffordshire County Council
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Coronavirus/Help-and-support/Help-and-support.aspx
South Staffordshire - The South Staffordshire COVID-19 helpline: 01902 696499 Email: Covid-19@sstaffs.gov.uk https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/environment/coronavirus.cfm
National Autistic Society:
Emergency 999 NHS 111
Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, the film blends Higashida’s deeply personal descriptions of his autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five non-speaking autistic people from around the world as they go about their daily lives.
More detailed information about the film is available here - www.reasonijump.film and links to advocacy and education resources that we have created to accompany the film can be found here https://thereasonijumpfilm.com/learn/.
World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on 2 April every year. There are events all over the world to raise awareness to improve the lives of people on the spectrum World Autism Awareness Day - EN | United Nations
The National Autistic Society have World Autism Week, they provide resources such as quizzes and information sheets to raise awareness. What is autism
Lifeworks consider Autism as a spectrum which includes many other conditions including OCD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia etc.
Poster Lifeworks Co-occurring Difficulties Autistic Spectrum
Lifeworks would like to show the Artwork and creativity our clients shared for World Autism Day. Please see our gallery in the link below.
As part of our Big Lottery Project Lifeworks organised an Autism Spectrum Conference at Keele University which took place on the 5th October 2017. The purpose of this was to raise awareness and to help professionals, students and anyone else interested in autistic spectrum conditions to understand and engage with people on the spectrum more effectively. We endeavoured to highlight the challenges individuals on the spectrum face on a daily basis.
Presentations by our four speakers:
Dr Donna Berry (School of Psychology, Keele University).
Dr Pamela Wood (Snr Clinical Psychologist, Autism Spectrum Assessment Service).
Dr Luke Beardon (Autism Centre, Sheffield Hallam University).
Louise Zandian (Lifeworks CEO).
To end the conference the speakers formed a panel to enable a question and answer session. Donna's presentation focused on Autism and Policing, Pamela spoke about the Autism Assessment Service, Luke gave his thoughts on how unhappy autistic children can be supported to become happy autistic adults. Louise's presentation was about the development of communication support and mentoring for people with above or average IQ on the Autistic Spectrum.
The video below is Louise speaking during the conference.
Lifeworks Staffordshire on BBC Midlands Today talking about our funding issues and how Covid-19 can effect people on the spectrum more than others.
Louise Zandian (CEO), Janet Robson, Joan Blackhurst and clients interviewed at our premises in Newcastle under Lyme.
The Autistic Spectrum
A Better Understanding
The Autistic Spectrum is complex and diverse. We at Lifeworks hope the following information will help you gain a more in-depth understanding of this condition and those that may co-exist with it e.g. Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to name just a few.
See below how Autism and other co occurring conditions overlap
Autism – What is it?
Due to the ‘hidden’ nature of the condition it is difficult to recognise someone on the spectrum. People generally show no outward sign of disability, therefore some individuals are considered more able than they are. This of course, leads to confusion and misunderstanding. However, it is important to remember that people are all different and it is vital not to focus on the negative and what people on the spectrum find it difficult to accomplish but consider what they can accomplish. Indeed, many individuals on the spectrum make hard working, conscientious members of the workforce. Many famous people such as entrepreneur Richard Branson and television personality Guy Martin have a diagnosis. Individuals with extreme proficiency in certain areas are referred to as ‘Savants’.
What differentiates Lifeworks Staffordshire from other services? We are unique in that we look at all conditions that present in an individual, not just the autism. Staff and volunteers at Lifeworks have personal experience of autism and the way this affects individuals and their families. It is this aspect which makes us so passionate about the work we do. Lifeworks aims to help people to build strategies in order to navigate and improve quality of life. Individuals on the autistic spectrum need to be given the chance to reach their full potential.
This will not be achieved without better understanding!