Online Resources for Family and Friends of Individuals with Autism

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online college about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5@gmail.com.

People with autism are too often stigmatized as disabled individuals with limited lifestyle options. The truth is that autistic individuals live enriching, fruitful lives just as much as any other person, disabled or not. However for those uneducated in autism, initial understanding of the illness can be tough. Luckily the community supporting autistic individuals, their family and their friends is very large and welcoming. The more people educate themselves about autism and autistic individuals, the better the environment we can make for our autistic friends and family. Here are some great resources for enlightenment regarding autism and the issues facing autistic individuals and their supporters.

Autism Society

The Autism Society is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to the spread of autism advocacy with the goal o better the lives of autistic individuals at any cost. You may recognize their ribbon on cars and windows; it’s the ribbon designed to look like it was assembled with puzzle pieces. The Autism Society increases the national awareness of autism and its effect on the lives of everyday people through programs aimed at addressing people who don’t know the basic facts and myths of autism. The Autism Society has chapters all over the U.S. so it’s easy to get involved and volunteer for a local event in order to help with the cause.

Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is another advocacy group that spreads awareness for the autism community. This organization works to isolate scientific evidence for treating autism and also devotes much of its funding towards researching a cure. The organization also participates in advocacy to help familiarize people unfamiliar with the disability through national campaigns. Their site features a huge archive of articles detailing the latest research and scientific breakthroughs regarding autism—you can browse around quite a bit and gain information that you may not have otherwise gained regarding autism. The thorough empirical data on autism would be quite an enlightening read for those interests in the science behind the disability.

ASAT

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) is a non-profit organization that aims to spread autism awareness by sharing scientifically reliable data with uninformed individuals. The group emphasizes a push towards higher accountability for professionals who are supposed to help better the lives of autistic individuals and their friends and family. ASAT strives to bring enlightenment to those who can most effectively address the problems surrounding autism, whether it’s education of the disability, research to its cause, or interaction with the individuals affected. The organization is a great resource to refer to a professional who may need educating on the nuances of autism.

Autism Community

The Autism Community, like its name suggests, is a community made up of individuals with first-hand experience regarding autism and its effects. The site offers indispensible resources for people who seek it out; the resources are categorized by the groups most likely to seek them out: parents, educators, and professionals. The site also features recommended books for those who want to read up on narratives related with autism. The people in the community welcome newcomers with a patience and understanding that you won’t likely find elsewhere on the web. The Autism Community would be the best site to start on if you’re looking for friends and mentors who can relate to your experiences with autism.