Callum's Journey: Achieving outcomes

Callum is very interested in trains.

So when he told the staff at Mundy Street Day Services that he wanted to go on train visits and see all the different train stations, his support workers did everything they could to help make Callum's desired outcomes a reality.

Staff began driving him to the local train station on days when he wanted to go, discussing with him every step of the way what they would do.

"He picked up things really quickly," said Lisa Bradbury, Acting Manager of Mundy Street Services, "and he takes everything in."

For some autistic people, planning a journey can be a struggle. With public transport there are many stressors to consider, such as:

• Noise levels
• Number of people around
• What times the trains arrive
• What to do in case of delays
• Where to go
• Walking or commuting to/from the station
• Peak and off-peak times, especially when it's busy

It is no wonder that service users such as Callum can take some time to become comfortable using public transport or opt not to use it entirely. But Callum wanted to go on train visits, so he and his staff worked out a plan.

Callum's Big Day

Lisa shared with us Callum's incredible progress, as he took several big steps towards his desired outcomes last week.

Callum wanted to do some train-spotting at Nottingham station.

He planned his journey before leaving Mundy Street, checking the timetables and cost of travel to make sure he could afford the trip.

Realising that he could not afford the train there and back, he took a bus to Nottingham and spent the day train-spotting at Nottingham with his staff, taking a packed lunch.

Then he purchased his own train ticket from Nottingham to Heanor.

These were huge steps for Callum and showed what a marked improvement he had made since first arriving at our day service in Mundy Street.

"He was so excited when he came into the office," said Lisa, "he was telling us all about the different trains he saw!"

Autism East Midlands offers many services for autistic adults, helping them find the support they need. That could be accommodation, employment, day activities or just their own space to be themselves.