Autism charity on the move to a new home

A CHARITY which helps autistic children across the south Wales Valleys is on the move to a new home.

ASD Rainbows is set to move into the former Perthcelyn Flying Start building in Mountain Ash from its current base at Cwmbach Primary School.

ASD Rainbows is a social enterprise which provides early intervention therapies for children with autism spectrum disorder to help them reach their full potential.

Children come from across Rhondda Cynon Taff, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath and Caerphilly to use the service.

It provides daily nursery sessions for two to five-year-olds, after-school provision for five to 16-year-olds, support groups managed by parents, autism awareness training, parent-child sessions and a consultancy service to provide training for teachers and staff in mainstream schools. It hopes to open an independent centre supporting people affected by anxietyrelated conditions.

Children can be referred to the service by parents or health staff and they don’t need a diagnosis as the service will support those undergoing assessment.

A council report says it will enable ASD Rainbows to actively sustain and transfer its service from Cwmbach Primary School after its tenancy ran out last month and the school needed the space it was using.

The proposal is for the group to register with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) for up to 12 children, but the group currently has 31 children and seven on their waiting list for September.

The panel which looked over the group’s business plan said ASD Rainbows is capable of delivering a quality service and that the building would be economical to run and suitable for its needs.

The panel also said there is no similar bespoke provision across RCT, with others focusing on those aged 16 and above.

ASD Rainbows is run by a board of 12 trustees including nurses and teachers and others with experience of nursing, childcare and education. It has six full-time and part-time staff who run the day-today operations.