High Five is our parent/carer support group. Whether your child is a pre-schooler or approaching adulthood, the challenges and complexities of navigating life with a dependent with additional needs can be isolating.
Through High Five, En-Fold are able to provide a supportive environment to talk through any challenges that you are going though, and also be a safe space to get away from things.
High Five started some 14 + years ago, before En-Fold began, when a group of parents approached our founder and asked if she could help facilitate a group. In many ways High Five was the start of the En-Fold journey, and where Diane identified her own traits as autism rather than the mental health labels that had been applied in teenage years. Going on to have her own children, it was soon apparent that a diagnosis for them and herself would be helpful and so the journey became more personal.
Having the knowledge and the personal experience, and seeing the huge gap in services Diane was encouraged to set up more support around Autism, and so En-Fold was born… Several years in the charity status and governance structure and support that En-Fold had meant it made sense for High Five to become a part of it.
High Five meets once a month the St Andrew’s Church rooms, Kettering (opposite Sainsbury’s).
We also have regular family events. Parents/carers and siblings as well as the autistic young person all get together to take part in a range of events in the school holidays. These include zoo trips, farm, bowling, pottery, Think Tank, Cadbury World, Twin Lakes, archery, and water sports etc.
These activities are all subsidised by our fundraising and grant applications to ensure they are affordable. It is important to us that families are able to come and try something and not feel they need to stay the ‘whole day’ to get the value. It is about making opportunities accessible and manageable.
"The two activities that we have joined in with ( bowling and roller skating) were amazing. It did not spike my anxiety knowing that I would be around like minded people who would accept me and my children regardless of looks and behaviours displayed. It has given me a real hope for family days out in the future where my children can dip in and out as they are able and enjoy activities in a safe environment. It’s been wonderful to meet adults who don’t look sideways at my children when they are struggling with the environment, instead give encouraging looks as I parent them and help them. It has really broadened their options for activities outside the home."
The activities high-five/enfold provide for our family are invaluable! My 2 asd boys find it difficult to understand each others needs and these activities allow us as a family to enjoy a day out around other parents that are our support network! My 13 year old doesn’t like to leave the house at all! But if I tell him to we are doing a high five activity he enjoys coming out with us so without high five this wouldn’t happen! The boys favourite activities have been camping, snow dome sand roller skating!!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us xx
(I feel its important to add our experience x )The recent activity we went to reminded me of the past where my child was able to leave the house and be around people. It gave me a glimmer of hope for the future.
I can't put it into words what this activity meant to use, to me. My child was able to be around people and interact without going mute or be consumed by anxiety. We didn't need to leave after 5 minutes, we was able to get out the car and enter the building! That doesn't often happen. I was able to relax and enjoy the activity knowing that my child wasn't going to be consumed by anxiety. It has been several years since we was able to go out and enjoy ourselves. So much so that she said she would go to this same activity again.
It's moments like these that gives me hope for the future x
To find out more and be able to book onto the activities join our Facebook group using the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/412516238822618
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We are registered as a charity in England and Wales (1180998)
En-Fold, 15 St Giles Street, Northampton, NN1 1JA
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Disclaimer: En-Fold does not endorse treatments, interventions and therapies but lists them so people can make informed choice. This site is for information purposes only and is a starting point for readers to look into options that may fit or resonate. Remember, therapies for autism, like any condition, should be discussed with a trusted medical practitioner or certified therapist before use. All information, data and material contained, presented or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of En-Fold, or as providing legal or medical advice. All treatment decisions should be made by the individual in consultation with a health care provider. Case studies provided are done so in good faith, and based on the personal experience of the individual submitting them. En-Fold are in no way endorsing the establishments that are mentioned but offering peer reviews to inform readers.