Dartford: Mother launches club to help autistic girls

An after-school club for autistic girls has been set up in Dartford

A mother of two autistic children has launched an after-school club for girls with autism or ADHD in Kent.

Mandy Cook founded the charity Autism South East as a way to help families like hers find a support network.

She has started monthly group sessions in Dartford specifically for neurodivergent girls aged eight to 18 and their parents or carers.

Ms Cook said autistic girls are "very often forgotten" and there is "very little support" for them.

She added: "It was really important that autistic girls had somewhere they can come, they can meet other autistic girls and feel empowered, so they didn't think they were weird or odd. They can meet other people and realise their strengths."

During the sessions, girls are offered the chance to socialise with peers, play board games, learn to write poetry, or sit quietly and draw.

The charity is looking to expand the sessions to other parts of the South East

Parents said the club, which is free to attend, is proving transformative for the self-esteem and mental health of their children.

Ed, mother to 11-year-old Rosie, said: "When we came before, [Rosie] was very quiet and very shy. She didn't want to get involved."

"Then she sat behind another girl and made a friend, which was really nice because she wouldn't normally go and talk to strangers."

Jane said the group sessions have helped her 10-year-old daughter Abbey embrace her diagnosis.

She said: "I really just wanted to give her positive role models and get her to be in a place where she didn't feel the odd one out."

Ms Cook says boys are diagnosed with autism more frequently than girls, but believes this may be because girls are more likely to hide their symptoms.

After her first session, Ms Cook said she had to expand capacity due to high demand from families who felt their daughters were not being catered for elsewhere.

The charity is looking to take the sessions to other parts of the South East, where families have already been in touch.

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