My sister was 9 years old when she was diagnosed with autism. Up until that point I believed she was gifted, extremely anxious and often demand avoidant, but never autistic. As a SEN teacher with additional responsibility for ASC provision at the time, I had been arrogantly confident that my sister could not be autistic as too many of her personality traits did not fit with the autism profile I had long understood.

The Spring edition of Spectrum - news and views for all Autism Together team members is out now.

Our former employee Dale Mills, age 37, has been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 32 months in prison. Dale was part of our Finance team and had been a highly-regarded member of staff prior to his resignation in December 2016.

Brimstage Brewery, famous for its locally produced beer, has partnered with Wirral-based charity Autism Together in a creative project which encourages people on the autism spectrum to enhance their woodwork skills.

Chester Zoo are launching a new exhibition, Lego: Big Cats, an interactive exhibition with Lego building sessions and talks with Zoo rangers.

Three service users from Autism Together have successfully achieved their bronze National Navigation Award by working on our narrowboat in Cheshire.

In December 2016 Autism Together informed the Merseyside police of a suspected fraud. Since then we have worked closely with the police and have also conducted our own detailed investigation to understand the full extent of the issue. We've also kept the Charity Commission, the Care Quality Commission and relevant local authorities up to date.

Staff at Hug A Mug, an independent coffee shop in Gateacre, Liverpool, are launching a new autism-friendly yoga class in partnership with Mitchy Titch Inclusive Kids Yoga, to encourage mindfulness and relaxation techniques.

Wirral’s Port Sunlight River Park is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative, to build fencing to ensure the successful breeding of Skylarks.