Self-Advocacy

Self-advocacy is an invaluable skill, as no one understands the autistic experience better than autistics themselves. Self-advocacy can be at the individual level where you stand up for what you need, or at the group level where you work towards improving conditions for the autism community.

Speaking for Ourselves is an organization run by and for people with developmental disabilities to help develop leadership and self-advocacy. They can help with advocacy at both the individual and collective level. The Arc is another organization focused on building self-advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, while also providing services to increase community involvement and enact policy change.

There are different services and aids that autistic people can seek out. ASAN's Guide for Self Advocates is comprehensive, helping people attain their goals such as home and community access and healthcare. Personal assistance is another option, which the University of Kansas' Step by Step Guide walks through how to determine your needs and find personal assistants.

Many adults are undiagnosed or underdiagnosed. The Adult Autism Diagnosis Toolkit from Milestones Autism Resources can be helpful if an adult diagnosis is something you or a loved one is interested in.