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Service Spotlight: Autism Support Ayrshire 🔦

For this Service Spotlight, we’re highlighting Autism Support Ayrshire, part of the National Autistic Society - a service providing free, confidential advice, information and guidance to autistic individuals, families and professionals across Ayrshire.


We spoke with Patsy Devlin, Manager of the service, who shared how their work helps people feel informed, supported and understood at every stage of their journey.


Who Are Autism Support Ayrshire? 💙

Autism Support Ayrshire began in 2013 and has grown into a trusted, community‑rooted service that families and professionals rely on for clear, compassionate guidance.


Their core mission is simple:

✨ To make sure autistic people - and those who care for them - have access to the advice, information and understanding they need.


They work with:

  • autistic adults

  • children, young people and families

  • professionals supporting autistic individuals

  • anyone who self‑identifies as autistic


And importantly, no diagnosis is required. People can access the service based on identity, not paperwork - a hugely important step toward true accessibility.


What They Offer 💜

Autism Support Ayrshire provides:

  • information and advice

  • guidance around school, work and daily life

  • support with understanding autism

  • help navigating services and resources

  • signposting and community links


Support is available throughout the lifespan, from birth onwards, recognising that autism is lifelong and needs may change over time.


Patsy shares that the service is shaped by something powerful:


“Every member of staff lives in Ayrshire and has lived experience of autism.”

This lived knowledge allows the team to offer empathy, insights and support that truly connect.


How to Access the Service 💚

There are several ways to get in touch:

2) Phone: 07500974323 (you can either leave a voicemail or text)”  


Patsy emphasises:

“There’s no right or wrong way to get in touch.”

The aim is to make accessing support as easy and flexible as possible.


Once someone reaches out, the team focuses on understanding what the person needs, without judgment, assumptions or pressure.


Why Their Work Matters 💚

Patsy shared that although the word neurodiversity is more widely used now, there is still a lot of misunderstanding about what it actually means.


The service works to:

  • increase public understanding

  • reduce stigma

  • reassure people that autism isn’t something to fear

  • celebrate strengths

  • ensure autistic people feel recognised and accepted


Their message is simple but powerful:

“If you are struggling at all and looking for autism‑specific advice, don’t suffer alone. Get in touch - we are a friendly bunch.”

There are no silly questions. If something matters to you, it matters to them.


Watch the Video 🎥

Hear directly from Patsy about Autism Support Ayrshire.



📄 Read the Full Transcript

The full transcript of Patsy’s video is available below for accessibility and ease of use.

📝 Full Video Transcript


Autism Support Ayrshire Service Spotlight – Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 – Full Video Transcript


My name's Patsy Devlin and I am the manager of the Autism Support Ayrshire Service.

Autism Support Ayrshire Service is part of the National Autistic Society.

We have been running since 2013 and we provide free and confidential information, advice and guidance on anything in connection to autism.

Our only stipulation is that you need to either live or work in Ayrshire.

We provide information, advice and guidance to autistic adults, families of anybody with a connection to autism and also professionals who may be working with an autistic individual.

You do not need a diagnosis to access our service. We are happy to work with anybody who self-identifies with autism.

Autism is a lifelong condition, so we have no age limit, so we cover from birth to death

There's several ways to access our service.

You can telephone us, you can text us, you can e-mail us.

We also have a website. If you go into our website, there are self-referral forms that you can complete. If you wish to self-refer, you can come on to our website and complete a form which will come directly to one of our members of staff. Otherwise, you can either pick up the phone, call us, text us, or drop us an e-mail.

There's no right or wrong way to get in touch. Once you've made contact, we're happy to help.

One of the things that helps us to stand out for other services is that all members of staff at the Autism Support Ayrshire Service are local. We all live in Ayrshire and we all have lived experience of autism and we all have connections to autism. And we bring that knowledge to the service and we share it with our service users.

I think it's important whether it's autism or any other neurodiverse condition is recognised, accepted and understood.

I think a lot of people in society have heard of neurodiversity but they don't always know what it means and I think it's really important that we help the general public understand it's not something to be frightened

I would just say that if you are struggling at all and you're looking for some autism specific advice, don't suffer alone. Get in touch we are a friendly bunch. We're here to help.

There's no such thing as a silly question.

If it's important to you, it's important to us.

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