We had a great session talking about autistic romantic relationships yesterday with the brilliant Holly Sprake-Hill.You can catch up with the talk here If video does not display you can watch and read here: https://ndsa.uk/forum/threads/autism-and-relationships-insight-from-holly-sprake-hill.1128/ IntroductionRelationships are an integral part of human experience. For autistic people, forming and navigating relationships—whether romantic, familial, or social—can be … Read more ..read more

On the Mental Health Awareness Day we announce the talk by Elliot Wasselle about Autistic Joy. Presenting: Experiences of Autistic Joy – findings from a participatory research project Elliot is an autistic researcher currently studying for a Masters degree in Autism at University of Birmingham. His academic interests include autistic joy, connections with nature and environmental activism, autistic spirituality, participatory research methods, Posthumanist theory, rapidly becoming the whole world. He is spouse, parent and companion animal in a 100% neurodivergent household and a trustee of n ..read more

Come join us as we explore the unique challenges and triumphs of being a Black adult with autism with the amazing Vanessa Swaby (Bobb) online. Tuesday 29 October at 7 pm. Welcome to our online event where we will explore the experiences of Black adults living with autism. Join us as Vanessa Swaby (Bobb) shares her personal journey and insights. This event aims to create a safe space for open discussions and community peer support. Whether you are on the spectrum yourself or seeking to learn more, this event is for you. Let’s come together to celebrate diversity and empower each other. Don’t ..read more

A comprehensive study involving more than 600,000 individuals revealed that people who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth are three to six times more likely to be autistic than cisgender people. Gender-diverse individuals are also more likely to exhibit traits of autism and suspect they have undiagnosed autism. Researchers define … Read more ..read more

Neurodiverse Self Advocacy Partnership CIC is a non-profit social enterprise dedicating to helping autistic people to realise their potential and achieve their goals. We are running a self-help information site and forum and innovative mentoring into employment programme that we call Tool Up. We won Innovate UK Women in Innovation award for one of our mentoring programmes and are now funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund. To help us manage the Tool Up programme we are looking for a Project Manager. This would be great for those looking to enhance their CV with a really solid professional exp ..read more

By Lucinda Herbert An 18 year old autistic man has set up a 3D printing press to make PPE for healthcare workers. Desperate to help out in some way, Jack Lowater used his own money to buy his first 3D printer, and in a few weeks has amassed 10 printers. “[The thing that] pushed me to start the project was the clear lack of protective equipment which medical workers were and still are crying out for.” With help from local bathbomb business Fizzy Fun, Jack was able to raise the funds to move forward. Having struggled to find work due to his inexperience, Jack was determined to find a way to help ..read more

“Spectrum 10K”, an autism study billed as the largest of its kind in the UK, has been launched. The very community at the heart of it are petitioning for it to be halted, but the wider implications should be a concern to society as a whole. Under the new study gene samples from 10,000 autistic people are being collected, and combined with samples already gathered from 90,000 autistics around the world, including questionnaires, medical and educational records. The autistic community fears that the study opens the door to “eugenics” without proper accountability and safeguards. Being autistic m ..read more

Volunteer opportunity The Treasurer is a director of NeuroDiverse Self Advocacy Partnership CIC (NDSA) and shares responsibility with the rest of the board for the governance of the organisation. Directors are required to attend board meetings, all of which are virtual. Some knowledge of, and interest in the field of autism would be helpful and applications from the autistic community are encouraged.  About you We are looking for someone who has a professional accountancy qualification, but this is not essential if they can demonstrate they have other significant practical and appropriate ..read more

Voluntary role If building a secure digital infrastructure for an exciting peer to peer support project which could make a huge difference to thousands of people excites you, talk to us. You could be located anywhere in UK as this is a remote opportunity. What will you be doing? You would need to be able to lead our digital infrastructure from the front on strategic and on hands on level (occasional coding), integrating a number of building blocks taking ownership of the progress.  – Responsible for developing the IT strategy for the organisation. – Responsible for developing and implemen ..read more

My name is Meredith and I am an 18 year old student. I have autism, dyspraxia, functional neurological disorder, chronic migraines, various still being diagnosed neurological symptoms, idiopathic intercranial hypertension, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), scoliosis, an essential tremor, a bowing of the mitral valve, and chronic pain syndrome. Most of my diagnoses can be traced back to hEDS. Ehlers Danlos syndrome is a collection of genetic conditions that cause various malformations of collagen, which is a crucial structural protein t ..read more