Dear AMASE members,
Welcome to the AMASE October 2026 newsletter.
Like a flash, the days are noticeably shortening, and we are starting to see the colours changing. This month is dedicated to awareness for various things of relevance to many of us. This includes October being ADHD Awareness month and International AAC Awareness month (Alternative and Augmentative Communication). We also saw World Mental Health day on the 10th of October.
We continue to see on-going narratives across media claiming Autism and ADHD are being overdiagnosed and dismissing the significant struggles that so many in our community face day to day. We have also seen misleading headlines about the UK Government’s Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report published on the 9th of October, claiming the opposite of what this report shows. The report looked at England, but we consider the findings to be generalisable. They included the real increase in mental health issues; greater rates of diagnosis, due to factors such as better awareness and previously missed groups (not meaning increased prevalence); and that support should be based on need, not diagnosis.
Thank you to everyone who came to the AGM on Saturday the 26th of September. There have been a few changes to the Committee, with three members standing down and others taking on new positions. You can see the current make-up of the Committee below.