The support group Speak Out was formed by Allison Clarke in September 2003 with other local parents within the East Birmingham area. The group has grown from strength to strength by forming links with many agencies that provide professional support for anyone who is involved with Autistic Spectrum Disorder(ASD) We are now proud to announce that the group has now evolved into the first ever Birmingham Branch of the National Autistic Society. We have monthly meetings to hear guest speakers and to meet other people who share their concerns, experiences and ideas.

A parent member recollects their first ever visit to Speak Out; “We recently had our five-year-old son diagnosed as being autistic and we were just given a few leaflets and a couple of telephone numbers and then left to fend for ourselves. We didn’t know the first thing about autism and we were going through almost like a period of grief as if we had lost our little boy but physically he was still there” “We found Speak Out’s web site on the Internet and spoke to Allison. She invited us to the next meeting and we were relieved that we were not on our own. The group has given us confidence and the knowledge in dealing with our special little boy and getting the best possible provision for him.” “They have given us hope for the future”

Discover our Sensory Room!

We have a fully fitted sensory room for all who need to introduce the experience of a calm, quiet environment for their children who may have high levels of anxiety and sensory arousal. Our room consists of bubble tubes, wall and floor pads, mirage projector and fibre optic “Sparkle Flex” We believe that our sensory room and range of equipment provides a comfortable and stimulating environment for any person with additional needs. Listed below you will find a description of all the equipment used to create our room.

Softplay Floors and Walls

These are 100mm deep floor cushions, covered in easy to clean flame retardant cape vinyl. The colour we chose was Ocean Blue. Acrylic Mirrors There are 4 safe acrylic mirrors in our room, 2 situated immediately behind the bubble tube in the corner and 2 on the other side of the room to create a “mirror image”.

Musical Hopscotch Pad

Each time a coloured square is pressed or stood on, a corresponding colour square illuminates on the wall panel and a simultaneous musical note or tune is played. There is a selection of nursery rhymes and effect sounds to choose from that you can experience and enjoy.

Bubble Tube and the Fibre Optic UV Sparkleflex.

The Bubble Tube has five pads around it which will change the tube column. The Interactive Bubble Tube is set up in the corner of the room. The softy cushioning all around the Bubble Tube provides a safe comfortable cushion to sit or lay on, allowing access to both the Interactive our to red, yellow, green or blue. You can also stop and start the bubbles. Fibre Optic UV Sparkleflex: Imagine a fibre optic cascade that glows in UV light and still gives the excellent effect we expect from fibre optics. That is exactly what Sparkleflex does. Two effects in one! The fibres glow furiously in UV light, and twinkles as a conventional fibre optic side glow so both effects are used together.

Mirage Projector

This is a versatile visual tool which transforms walls and ceilings into an amazing sensory experience of lights and pictures. The rotating effect wheels that are available to use at present are: Clouds, Under the Sea, and Fireworks. Sparkling Net This hangs comfortably from the ceiling in the Sensory Room. The 150 white lights can be set to sparkle and change into various sequences and patterns. Bean Bags The ever popular Bean Bag filled with expanded polystyrene beans that mould to your body, covered in multi coloured cotton.

Sensory UV Tub

Our box kit contains a wide selection of equipment, from stimulation items to encourage movement: Tactile items which will offer contrasting experiences such as warm/cold, soft hard, smooth/rough etc: Visual UV toys which offer a whole range of bright attractive toys which will encourage participation, movement, vocalisation, hand-eye co-ordination, tracking skills and visual attention.

Relaxation Music

We also have a music system with a selection of CD’s to choose from:- Ocean Sounds All the soothing sounds of the Ocean which incorporates soft passages of keyboard music. The Way of the Dolphin Deeply peaceful instrumental melodies with gentle sounds of Dolphins and Whales that creates an uninterrupted environment of perfect relaxation and serenity. Spirit of the Rainforest Sounds and music of the rainforest recreated with flute and panpipes.