20 Best Resources for Learning About Autism Spectrum Disorder

image with educational resources in the center

Every year, scientists are learning more about autism. This means that general understanding about autism changes. This is why it is important for you to have a library of resources that can help you deepen your knowledge. It is also important to listen to the voices of people with autism and their caregivers/parents. Not only as a source of information, but also to increase awareness to what it means living on the spectrum.

Understanding autism

To understand more about autism, there are many websites that provide information. For example websites from: nonprofits, autism associations in your area, or therapists can be a great source of information. I have listed two that I have found helpful:

Autism Associations around the world

Here are some of the links for Autism Associations in some countries, if you want more information about your local area, please reach out.

Autism in Girls

Autism in girls shows up in different ways compared to boys. If you are parenting a girl or are one (woman or gender diverse person), this is a great resource for you:

Support children in school/daycare

For Teens

This great initiative can help your teen (or yourself) get to know themselves better and understand how they (you) explore the world.

For Schools

School is an environment where many autistic children struggle. By giving teachers and schools tools to educate autistic children, they can make a great start toward change.

  • Autism CRC: Australia’s independent source of information about autism across the lifespan. They have information for different areas and also great resources for teachers. click here to go to page

Tools

I wanted to add some tools that I started using, but this is a work in progress. If you have more suggestions, please share them so I can add them to the list.

  • Social stories: We probably should make a whole post about social stories. But for now, social stories are narratives that explain social situations from the perspective of the author. These tools are helpful for explaining social interactions. click here to go to page
  • Apps: Notion is an app originally made for companies. But for me, it is my go-to for tracking, managing, scheduling and documenting our family’s information.

Online communities

Experiencing autism can be quite isolating, but it doesn’t have to be like this. I have found comfort in online communities dedicated to parents and autistic adults. Not only for connection, but they are also very helpful for tips and tricks on how to deal with certain situations. It has been here where I have felt that we are not alone in this journey.

I have listed a few examples of global communities, but if you don’t find one in your area, you can create one.

Autistic stories

Last but not least important is listening to people with lived experience of autism. I am thankful that more and more people are putting their stories out into the world. Also, at the end you can find a website that links books written by autistic authors.

  • Kaelynn’s Autistic Angle: Kaelynn’s space has been really helpful for tips and also to understand the why of many behaviours. click here to go to page
  • Orion Kelly – That autistic guy: A youtube channel with helpful insights for autistic adults. click here to go to page
  • The hidden 20%: I found it as a youtube channel but as I am doing more research for this post, I found out it is part of a bigger platform that includes a charity located in the UK. It has been helpful to listen to the stories of neurodivergent people and or their loved ones. click here to go to page
  • The autism books by autistic authors project: I found this website thanks to this post. This is a great resource if you want to support autistic authors to either read about their story or just enjoy their art. click here to go to page

How to evaluate online resources

It is important that you identify if a website is suitable for you and your needs. Autism CRC has a guide that can help you decide if a resource is suitable for you or not. Access guide here