Brunel resource centre

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The Brunel resource centre provides a range of activities and life skills training for adults with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome over the age of 18, including:

• life skills, such as cooking, food hygiene, budgeting and social skills
• office and administration skills
• vocational training, such as horticulture and valeting
• opportunities to complete Open College Network training units
• opportunities to access local training courses
• therapies such as occupational therapy, music therapy, drama, and speech and language therapy.

The centre is used by people who live at the Hayes as well as those from the wider community.

We meet with the people who use our resource centre to talk about what they need from us and to identify any concerns. We then plan programmes for each person which are risk assessed and based on their individual needs.

The staff team

Staff at the Brunel resource centre are experienced in working with people with Asperger syndrome. They will organise one-to-one sessions with people who come to the centre, and some small group activities depending on people's individual needs.

We evaluate each session and review people's individual development plans every 12 weeks.

Behaviour difficulties and interventions

People who come to our resource centre may have challenging behaviour.

The intervention we use is a low arousal approach, identified through Studio III Training Systems. Essentially, this approach means that staff do not confront people about their behaviour, particularly when a person is very upset or angry.

A confident, assertive but gentle and respectful approach can often resolve problems. This allows us to manage certain behaviours in the short-term, while continuing to work with people in a positive way to effect long-term change.

Referrals to the Brunel resource centre

Referrals to the Brunel resource centre are welcome from any agency or source. Our criteria are:

• people must have a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome
• people should be aged 18 or above
• people must be considered to have the potential to benefit from the service offered
• people must be considered to have the potential to integrate with others who already attend the Brunel Centre
• people must demonstrate a level of motivation to take part in our person-centred programmes
• funding must be in place.

Once we have received a referral form, two of our staff will visit the person to complete an assessment. Please send referrals to:

Brunel Resource Centre
9 Brunel Way
Thornbury
Bristol BS35 3UR

Tel: 01454 417 726
Email: brunel@nas.org.uk