Who are we

mASCot is a parent led peer to peer support network for families who have an autistic child/children or young person. mASCot brings families together and enables them to connect with others in similar situations as themselves.

We are all families from the Brighton and Hove area, but over the last couple of years our membership has spread more into East & West Sussex.

We all benefit greatly from being able to share our experiences and swap strategies and knowledge as well as provide many projects which benefit our families.

mASCot is a resource that is always available; there are many opportunities for families to learn, socialise, access therapies and to take part in activities that are all specially geared for our families with autistic children & young adults. mASCot is all about celebrating our wonderfully diverse families and allowing our children to be themselves whilst learning the skills to grow and thrive in the world.

To mASCot

Make sure you read 

Our Ethos & Commitment

"There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do,

 instead of what he cannot do”

-Dr. Temple Grandin

What we are

We have evolved over the years and we now have over 1.4K members and our membership is growing daily and the areas we cover grow daily.

mASCot has a hard working group of Directors, and a committed sub-group of parents, all of whom have an autistic child/children or young adult, we are continually working hard to improve the services for our children within B&H.

We are continually planning new projects which include activities, talks, clubs, workshops and meet ups for our mASCot children and families. The best thing about mASCot is that we are all there for each other. We are all busy families, so we understand that having a place where we can share problems, solutions and advice is so important.

Being able to access a network of support whenever you need is amazing. Just being able to just share a story is great. There will always be someone to listen and be there for you in mASCot.

On the mASCot website, the term ASC is used to refer to autism, many accompanying neurodivergent disorders come under this umbrella, such as Speech and Language disorders, behaviour disorders, Tourettes, DCD (dyspraxia), OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder), ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), PDA (Pathological demand avoidance) and any medical conditions. 


We also have a lot of our families whose children are diagnosed with more than one of the above conditions and some families who have more than one of their children diagnosed with one or more of the above. 


mASCot welcomes any discussions on the forum regardless of which child or which condition. We believe in the holistic approach to supporting families.

How We Help Each Other

Collective voice

mASCot works closely with the Local Authority, Services and Schools to raise awareness, standards and understanding of autism and the difficulties families face every day.


Families come to us with many stories of situations they have experienced and many worries about how their children's needs are not always being met.

We also hear stories of good practice and we are striving for this to become the norm in Brighton & Hove and that families become empowered to push and insist things change for the better. 


For us at mASCot to be able to feedback to the many meetings and boards we attend we need to build up data of all the current, continuing and new issues that families are experiencing. We need to get feedback on what families are dealing with whether it's good or bad so we can build up a clear picture of awareness in Brighton & Hove. 


If you have any feedback, however small it sounds, whether it's positive or negative, please fill in our Feedback form giving us as many details as possible by clicking the button below.


Our Feedback Form

Becoming a member​

By becoming a member of mASCot you will have access to our private members only Facebook group and inclusion in all we do. You will become a member of a strong community that support each other and are there for each other.  


We work hard to raise awareness and to promote the acceptance of Autism. We also work to inform and improve schools and services -  to better provide what our families and our autistic children/young people need and are entitled to.


When you become a member, you will get much needed support but you also help strengthen the mASCot community by adding to our collective voice, as well as having access to all we do.


If you wish to become a member, follow the link below and send us your details. Once we have received your form we will join you up to our members only group.


All our main communication is done via our Facebook group, so if you haven't got an account please set one up.


Join mASCot

What we do

  • Zoom meet ups
  • Coffee Mornings
  • Pub meets for adult time
  • Meet up in the holidays
  • Support and be there for each other
  • Groups and Clubs for the children covering many interests
  • Courses and training for parents
  • Guide with school issues
  • Become a vital community for families in an ASC world
  • Expand our knowledge on Autism so we become the experts on our children
  • Swap advice and ideas
  • Create opportunities for our children and young adults
  • Share success stories
  • Share info on the services available in B&H
  • Continually pushing to raise money to support our families
  • Become good friends
  • Signpost families to relevant places
  • Share problems
  • Solve problems
  • Online workshops
  • 1-1 support sessions
  • Care about each other


Quotes from Members

Follow us on twitter 

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