Autism support

New to DMU is an event for new students to get to know the university, meet the Autism Team and spend the night in student accommodation before the academic year starts. The event runs before the start of term so that students can get to know the campus while it's less busy. New to DMU is a great opportunity to make some friends, have fun and experience a night in student accommodation. Attendees are welcome to come along for the daytime portion of the event only if they prefer not to spend the night.

Every Thursday the Autism Team meets outside Gateway House at 6pm for a social activity. Our previous social activities have included trips to the cinema, bowling, crazy golf, quiz nights, comedy festivals, board game cafes and lots more.

You're welcome to join us; it’s a great way to some new acquaintances and socialise in a supportive environment.

If you have any ideas for a social activity, please let us know!

Our lunch socials are a chance to meet with others, talk about your week and play games.

Lunch social times:

• Wednesday, 12pm - 1pm with Tabitha: In person, at The Breathing Space (located in Portland Building)
• Thursday, 12pm - 1pm with Adam: In person, at The Breathing Space (located in Portland Building)
• Friday, 12pm – 1pm with Lee: In person at The Pod (located on the first floor of the Campus Centre)

The Autism Team offer mindfulness sessions every Tuesday at 12pm until 12.30pm. These are remote sessions on MS Teams, available to book through MyGateway. Recorded sessions are available on the DMU Autism Padlet (link below) for you to access any time.

Access our Padlet

Autism Life Hacks is a schedule of weekly training sessions that autistic students might find useful, covering various aspects of life. Examples include:

• Making friends
• Energy accounting
• Imposter syndrome
• Avoiding scams & many more

We offer a different topic each week. Sessions can be booked through MyGateway. We also have a dedicated Padlet with pre-recorded Life Hack sessions.

Access our Padlet

The autism team offers Future Proofing sessions aimed towards final year students to support with their next steps after university. There is no need to book onto these sessions; you can just turn up on the day. These sessions occur in Gateway House 0.21 on the following days:

• First Thursday of each month with Adam
• Last Friday of each month with Clare

The Autism Team include specialist autism mentors and study skills tutors who provide 1:1 support as part of DSA provision. Mentors and Tutors can support you to develop strategies to increase your independence and achieve your academic goals.

Do you have a quick question you need the answer to? Is there something you’re unsure of? Book an "Autism Team Quick Query" appointment on MyGateway.

Appointments available 9am to 10am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.