This comprehensive glossary of terms about autism and everything related to it defines key terms, names, medical words, behaviours (such as stimming and masking), as well as names and acronyms associated with official support systems and UK laws. It explains all that often-baffling jargon and empowers autistic people, their families and friends, care and health professionals, and everyone in the community to engage more confidently in important conversations about autism diagnosis, support, and well-being.

This article explains what happens as you age because autism is a lifelong journey where different traits can evolve. While strengths like established routines and special interests can help you, there are also challenges like accessing appropriate healthcare and avoiding social isolation. Planning ahead for future support, housing, medical care, and finances is essential, and using tools like Autism Hospital Passports and getting advocacy can help you make sure your needs are met and you keep your independence.

This article explores how autism presents differently in girls and women, often leading to under-recognition or misdiagnosis due to masking and socially acceptable interests. It highlights internal struggles like high anxiety and exhaustion from masking, and the negative impact of diagnostic bias. It aims to help parents, educators, and professionals understand these differences, promoting timely, gender-sensitive support and improved well-being for autistic girls and women.

This article explains why connecting with other autistic people is vital for reducing isolation and finding validation in your daily life. You can find your community through online forums, local support groups, or clubs based on your special interests. Discover how these places can offer practical advice, emotional support, and a shared understanding of sensory and communication differences, allowing for authentic, unmasked interactions and a true sense of belonging in your community.

This article explains the vital role of Special Educational Needs (SEN) teachers in supporting autistic students. It covers their key strategies like creating visual aids, adapting the curriculum, managing sensory needs, and developing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). We aim to gives parents and professionals alike a clearer understanding of how this personally tailored educational support works, ultimately creating true collaboration and successful, happy students.

Writing from both personal and professional experience, autistic social care worker Peter J Clark argues for the urgent replacement of 'Special Needs' with more helpful and inclusive language. Labels like 'Special Educational Needs' are stigmatising, divisive, vague, and patronising. They focus on perceived deficits rather than acknowledging people as individuals who simply have some different requirements. Find out about more precise and empowering language, such as 'additional needs' or 'different access needs'. It's not about "political correctness" - it's about inclusion, respect and dignity for everyone... and that includes you!

This guide explains how to recognise possible autistic traits in others, detailing their various differences in communication, behaviour, and sensory needs. However, it warns against amateur diagnosis, detailing how other conditions can seem similar to autism. This article aims to foster empathy, encouraging a shift from judgment and bias toward patience and kindness, so you can deal more fairly and inclusively with people of all kinds of neurodiversity.

This article explores how technology can support autistic people in daily life. It covers communication aids like AAC apps, tools such as visual planners, PECS, and text-to-speech systems, as well as sensory regulation technologies like noise-cancelling headphones. It provides practical knowledge about how these tools can empower you, enhance your independence, help with learning, and manage anxiety for a better quality of life.

This article explores the ongoing discussion about identity-first ("autistic person") and person-first ("person with autism") language, explaining the rationale behind each and highlighting the twin ideals of identity and respect. It will help you understand the various viewpoints and promote respectful language, leading to a stronger understanding of autistic people and their preferences, as well as a more accepting and respectful society.

This article explains the Neurodiversity Movement, which advocates that brain differences such as those found in autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are simply natural human variations, not 'disorders' as such. The movement's agenda is to promote acceptance, challenge stigma, advocate for rights and accommodations, and shift away from a 'deficit-based model'. Discover insights about diverse thinking, inclusion, and the role of autistic self-advocates in shaping a more equitable society.

This is a book for autistic people, by an autistic writer. It helps you understand and embrace your autism and focus on all its positive sides (and all your strengths that come with it), as well as how to calm yourself in troubled times, and how to live a full life that's even happier, more fulfilling, and more meaningful, as part of your community. There are hundreds of practical ideas and advice for going out and enjoying life, meeting new people, making new friends, and maintaining existing relationships. It really is a guide to becoming the very best version of yourself!

DJ Merryweather is autistic, and shares his life experiences of autism - always trying to fit in, masking his differences at every turn - and how it led to his ultimate burnout, after which he began dismantling his autistic masking habits, one by one. The book explains why you're masking, how bad it can make you feel, and why you probably feel like you're stuck with it - from social rules and situations to 'faking' emotions and learning to 'perform' feelings in socially expected ways. But most of all, it's an inspiring message about the value of unmasking your true self and living a happier, more fulfilling life.

This is a comprehensive guide to addressing bullying whether it's at home, school, work, in clubs, in public, or online. It provides safe and ethical strategies to handle all the different bullying tactics from subtle manipulation to outright harassment and physical threats. It equips you to recognise bullying, deal with it safely but assertively, set proper boundaries, and document and report bullying wherever it finds you. Learn how to use support networks, safe ways of reporting bullying, and understand your legal rights to protect yourself and find the right way to deal with bullies without starting a war on your own doorstep!

Written by an autistic author, this book aims to help the friends, family and carers of autistic people, as well the general public, educators, healthcare providers, employers, authorities, and anyone else who might interact with autistic people. It clearly and concisely shows them what autism can 'look like', how to recognise it, how to sensitively offer support, and how to advocate for greater awareness and acceptance in society.

This essential handbook is for those who care for and support vulnerable people and those with disabilities. If you want to move beyond 'task-focused' routines and deliver truly compassionate, person-centred care, this is the toolbox that will make all the difference to you and to those you look after. Written by an experienced social care professional, it provides practical strategies, reflective tools, and human insights that improve dignity, respect, and autonomy for those in your care. It emphasizes the need to honour the unique identity, humanity, preferences, needs and challenges of each person being supported. Learn to manage challenging behaviours with empathy, navigate the pressures of 'the system' and prevent yourself 'burning out' with dozens of self-care techniques. Use it to improve on the care and support you provide and make a genuinely compassionate, person-centred difference.

The Autism Manifesto, written by autistic author and social care worker Peter J. Clark, provides a vital 'lived perspective' on autism and advocates for greater understanding, inclusion, and integration for autistic people in society. The manifesto challenges outdated views of autism as a deficit or something to be 'cured', instead presenting it as a natural human variation, and highlights the fact that different ways of thinking only serve to enrich society. Its core lies in the 10 Pillars of Inclusion, which offer direct, practical steps that everyone can take to improve the lives of autistic people in every walk of life, at home, at work, at school, in the community, in government, and in the authorities and legal systems.

This is your essential guide to campaigning and advocating for a fairer, easier, and happier world for autistic and neurodiverse people. It's a blueprint for societal transformation which explains the many problems autistic people face in everyday life, then outlines The 10 Pillars of Inclusion and the Manifesto Principles for concrete changes across critical areas like home, healthcare, education, work, law, public spaces, and government. This free-to-download book is a quick summary of the complete book, 'The Autism Manifesto', which is available from the Autism Info Center.

This is a 14-page simplified summary of The Autism Manifesto in official Easy-Read format, designed to help people with learning difficulties or disabilities to understand what Autism Info Center is campaigning for, how it will help autistic people all over the world, and how they can get involved as self-advocates too. It begins with a brief summary of what autism is, and what challenges autistic people often face in society. It then outlines The 10 Pillars of Inclusion which lay out the necessary changes for life areas such as home, healthcare, education, work, law, public spaces, and government. This free-to-download book can be printed, copied and shared freely.

In this Autism Infocast, you'll learn to challenge common preconceptions about autism. We cover crucial facts, replacing myths about savant abilities, empathy, and causes like vaccines or parenting. You'll gain insight into why autism is a diverse spectrum condition, not a mental illness, and discover how it means a person's brain functions differently. We'll help you understand the real challenges autistic people navigate, from social communication to sensory differences and the need for routine. This comprehensive discussion aims to foster greater acceptance and respect, empowering people to create more inclusive and supportive communities where autistic people are valued.

In this Autism Infocast, you'll learn how to recognise possible autistic traits and respond with kindness and respect in everyday situations. We cover common differences in communication, sensory sensitivities, and the need for routine that people might experience. We'll give you practical tips, from communicating clearly to being patient, that can help you support autistic people. You'll gain a deeper understanding of autism as a lifelong spectrum condition, often hidden, and how behaviours might be a form of communication. We'll help you to promote better interactions in your community, fostering a more inclusive and understanding environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Discover how your small actions can make a significant difference.