About
Action for Autism Barnsley, also known as AfAB, is a small charity based in Barnsley Town Centre. We run weekly sessions for adults who identify as being neurodiverse. We are a welcoming and friendly organisation with a membership of adults aged 18 - 62.
Being a member of AfAB is an opportunity to meet new people who have similar life experiences, build friendships and social connections. Attending weekly sessions is a way to give your week some structure and focus and is a chance to enjoy a range of interesting and fun activities
Some of the benefits of attending AfAB sessions (according to our members):
Chance to meet new people
Makes me feel like I belong somewhere
Chance to meet new people
Gives my week some structure
Somewhere I can be myself and don’t need to mask
Helped me become more confident in social situations
Supported me to become better at communicating with other people
Listening to people who have faced similar difficulties as me has been affirming
The sessions are a valued opportunity to be sociable
A healthy way to spend time away from too much time alone overthinking things
A place where there is ‘no pressure’ acceptance
There are opportunities to try new things and I feel I have the freedom to fail
The sessions can be a motivating when life is stressful
Ease my loneliness
Knowing there are other people out there with similar life experience as me
Gives my week some structure
Somewhere I can be myself and don’t need to mask
Helped me become more confident in social situations
Supported me to become better at communicating with other people
Listening to people who have faced similar difficulties as me has been affirming
The sessions are a valued opportunity to be sociable
A healthy way to spend time away from too much time alone overthinking things
A place where there is ‘no pressure’ acceptance
There are opportunities to try new things and I feel I have the freedom to fail
The sessions can be a motivating when life is stressful
Ease my loneliness
Knowing there are other people out there with similar life experience as me
Want to get involved?
Want to get involved?
The sessions are free of charge and there is no formal referral process. We like to have a chat to everyone before they attend so we can help them decide which of the sessions might suit them best and answer any questions.
If you, or someone you know is interested in getting involved, please fill in the contact form and we’ll be in touch to arrange a time for a chat or a meet-up.
What the group say…
I discovered AFAB in November 2023 while struggling with a friendship and feeling lonely. AFAB has helped me with all of this. I attend groups on Thursday afternoons now. AFAB has also helped me feel less embarrassed about my additional needs. Katrina and Carol are amazing people who have a great understanding of how to help those with autism. I love being part of AFAB, and I will always be a member of AFAB!
Abby (group member)
All the team are all just so lovely, inviting and inclusive to us all which makes any of the activities we do all the more engaging. Hopefully we all continue for years to come and gradually get to know more new people that want to join. I thank everyone involved for giving me this opportunity to get involved with every week and to be a bit more social than I otherwise would be.
John (group member)
What Support Workers Say…
My daughter and I attend the Friday session of AfAB. She really struggles in social situations, just getting her out of the house can be hard but attending this group has helped her build some confidence and interaction skills with other people. It’s great to see the difference in her and she looks forward to it every week. As a parent I am fortunate that the group are comfortable with me attending the sessions with my daughter. I feel I have learned so much, and still am, about autism and how it affects people in many different ways.
Sara (parent)
I’m a support worker for Robert who attends AfA Barnsley, It has been such a great help to have somewhere for us to go, I was looking for activities for Robert and was beginning to despair at not being able to find anything for his age group, most of the activities I found were for children with autism or older people with dementia. From the very first session Robert felt part of the group, he enjoys the variety of activities and the comradeship of group. As his support worker I have seen a big improvement in his interest in life since attending the sessions, he really looks forward to them and always says how much he has enjoyed himself.
Beth (support worker)
