World Autism Awareness Day: Resources and More

by Zencare team

Published: April 1, 2024 by Zencare Team

This article uses identity-first language. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network says, “In the autism community, many self-advocates and their allies prefer terminology such as ‘Autistic,’ ‘Autistic person,’ or ‘Autistic individual’ because we understand autism as an inherent part of an individual’s identity...”. To support the larger autistic community that sees ASD to be a meaningful part of their identity, this article will use identity-first language.

World Autism Awareness Day was declared by the United National General Assembly to be celebrated on April 2nd. It is a day to celebrate autistic individuals and their achievements, while also spreading awareness of autism to reduce stigmatization and discrimination of those with neurological differences.

We have collected our favorite resources that help further the aims of World Autism Awareness Day, and to support autistic individuals and their loved ones. Below you’ll find helpful organizations in the autistic community, along with varied media like books, podcasts and autistic figures to explore. This is not an exhaustive list, so if you believe anything critical is missing, please reach out to hello@zencare.co !

How did Zencare Select Resources and Organizations?

There are many Autism organizations and groups out there, and it can be very challenging to figure out which ones are worth supporting, getting resources from or sharing as a resource for others. The Stimpunks Foundation is a mutual aid non-profit built by and for neurodivergent and disabled people — this foundation has a great DEI field guide, and one section dives into how to determine a good autism organization. The full article provides a lot of helpful information on how to educate yourself on how to identify which organizations are not harmful, and which are. Below are some identifiers pulled from their guide to keep in mind. All resources below have been vetted using these guidelines.

Signs of a Potentially Harmful Autism Organization

  • Two main telltales: They try to cure autistic individuals (eugenics) and impose non-autistic-oriented goals on autistic individuals(behaviorism).
  • Usage of cure and tragedy language.
  • Usage of pathology paradigm language, the idea that “something is wrong with you”
  • Usage of person-first language instead of identity-first language.
  • Endorsement of ABA, PBS/PBIS, and behaviorism.
  • Courting and amplification of Autism Warrior Parents.
  • They don’t have autistic people in leadership roles.
  • Usage of puzzle piece and “light it up blue” imagery.
  • They use inspiration exploitation / inspiration porn tropes.
  • They center the perspective and experiences of parents instead of autistic people.

Examples of Harmful Autism Organizations

Here are some examples of harmful autism organizations as listed in the StimPunks field guide. Looking for good and helpful autism organizations? Keep reading!

  • Autism Speaks
  • Age of Autism
  • The Autism Science Foundation
  • EASI Foundation (Ending Aggression and Self-Injury In The Developmentally Disabled)
  • Generation Rescue
  • Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs
  • The National Autism Association
  • The National Council on Severe Autism
  • The Autism Community in Action
  • VOR
  • Together for Choice

US-Based Support for Autistic Individuals

Autistic Figures to Follow

Books by Autistic Individuals on Autism

Podcasts by Autistic Individuals

Find a Therapist with Zencare

Whether you need someone to talk to about your autistic experiences, or you have other mental health concerns like anxiety or depression, or you’re interested in getting diagnosed (or not!), seeing a therapist can be a great first step.

Whatever you’re going through, having someone to help support you and figure out how to navigate your experiences can be extremely beneficial. If you’re looking for a therapist who is also neurodivergent, click the Identity filter on our search directory, and scroll to Neurodivergent. Selecting that filter will narrow your search to display therapists who identify as neurodivergent.

If you feel you are autistic, and that a diagnosis would be meaningful, or you want to speak to someone specializing in ASD, you can click our Specialties filter and select autism spectrum disorder to show therapists who specialize in ASD.

You can book free 15-minute consultations with any therapists that you want to speak to and get to know. Ask them questions about their experience with ASD, if they have any special certifications and licensing, and get a feel for their style. If you don’t click, or you’re not comfortable with them — you can absolutely choose not to move forward with them. Finding the right therapist may take time, and that’s okay! What matters most is you find someone who you feel comfortable with, and who you feel can help you with what you want to address in therapy.