“For many adults on the autism spectrum, diagnosis is a profound and liberating moment of self-recognition. But it’s also just the first step on a journey that lasts a lifetime. This encouraging book, enriched by a diverse range of personal perspectives, can help readers orient in this new world and find other members of their tribe.”

Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People who Think Differently

Available now, our book Being Autistic – Nine adults share their journeys from discovery to acceptance contains the stories of very diverse autistic adults who share their responses to discovering and accepting their autism. It offers an insider view of the autism constellation to people becoming aware they inhabit it.

​If you are an autism diagnostician or autism lead and might be interested in purchasing copies, get in touch so we can send you a sample to help you decide whether to purchase a bulk order to give to patients.

Please note that hard copies of Being Autistic can only be posted to the UK mainland. However, if you would like to download a PDF copy of the book and leave us a donation, you can do so on this page.

Please not that we don’t have an automated confirmation email on receipt of your order. For UK orders, we aim to dispatch your book within a week. Occasionally, order emails go astray, so please contact us if you’ve not received your copy 2 weeks after making your order.

Learn More

Most of our groups are for people living in the Reading area. We do offer an online Queer group for people living anywhere in the UK, and also sometimes run our Exploring Being Autistic programme online, and offer places to people outside of Reading.

Our groups are welcoming spaces where you can meet other autistic adults in a supportive, autism-positive setting.  We run a variety of groups depending on the resources we have available and the interests of our members. We currently run weekly mixed and women’s peer support groups, a craft group, an LGBTQ+ group, and we have an allotment. 

Most of our groups currently meet online on Zoom, although we are now beginning to resume some in-person groups too. Please note that because of the way we are funded, we are currently only able to offer these groups to people who live in and around Reading.

When you contact AutAngel about joining us, we’ll offer you an informal introductory chat, either in person or online, with one of our staff members, just to get to know you a little and so that you can ask any questions you have about us.

After joining AutAngel you can decide which groups you’d like to attend. Most of our members also participate in our “Exploring Being Autistic” programme, which does require the commitment to come to10 sessions, and also means that participants get to know others in the programme, and in AutAngel, quite well.

Whilst we would love to be able to offer free access to our groups, our funding constraints mean that we ask members to make a contribution – we suggest between £5 and £50 a month according to your means.

For people who live in and around Reading

If you prefer a day-by-day list of our groups, you’ll find one here.

Online groups

Mixed peer support group – this currently runs weekly on Zoom at 7.15 – 8.15 pm on Thursdays.

Women’s peer support group – currently runs weekly on Zoom at 7-8pm on Tuesdays. Does not run online on the evening of the in-person women’s group.

Crafty Cuppa (used to be online craft group) – currently runs weekly on Zoom at 11am-12.30pm on Tuesdays.

Queer peer support group – a safe space for members who are LGBTQ+, this group currently runs on Zoom on alternate Tuesdays from 7-8pm.

In-person groups

Most in-person groups (with the exception of the allotment group and mixed peer support group) are held at our office at 12A, Southview Park, Marsack Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 5AF. We share a space with Stepping Forward, so if you see their signage, you’re in the right place. There is an AutAngel doorbell by the Stepping Forward door.

Mixed peer support group – monthly on the 2nd Thursday of the month 7.30-9pm. This is held at Park United Reformed Church, Palmer Park Avenue, Reading, RG6 1DN.

Women’s peer support group – monthly on the 1st Tuesday of the month 7.30-9pm

Craft group – alternate Thursday mornings 10.30-12.

Monthly Saturday drop in – an informal drop in group at the office, this runs from 3-5pm on the 4th Saturday of the month.

Choir – We are currently piloting a choir group until December, with a view to continuing if there is sufficient interest and we can get funding. The group takes place on Thursday evenings at our office. If you’d like further information, please contact us at info@autangel.org.uk.

Allotment group

A weekly group meeting at our allotment in Reading, now meeting on alternate Thursday and Sunday mornings. Individual members of the group are also welcome to visit the allotment and do a spot of gardening, harvesting and watering! The allotment group is currently open to new members. Please email us at info@autangel.org.uk if you are interested in joining us.

For people outside our area

Our online queer support group (see above in Reading groups) is also open to people who don’t live locally to us. Please contact us if you’d be interested in joining.

This ten week programme offers autistic adults the opportunity to explore how autism affects them, together with a group of peers. An important element of the programme is the chance for participants to share their responses to knowing or discovering they are autistic with peers, and have the space and support offered to process these responses.

You can see a detailed outline (coming soon) of the programme, read some FAQs and/or listen to and read feedback from some previous participants.

We have now run two iterations of Exploring Being Autistic as an online programme, in addition to a number of previous in person versions. You can sign up to be on the list to join a future course.

We are delighted that the research paper about our Exploring Being Autistic programme has been published; it can be found online here. It was led by Dr Laura Crane, Associate Professor at UCL Institute of Education and Deputy Director of the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE).

Exploring Being Autistic is a very popular programme, so we operate a waiting list.

If you live in or around Reading, and would like to be added to the waiting list, please sign up here, and we will be in touch when a space becomes available.

If you live outside the Reading area, please sign up here for updates about when a course might become available.