On Wednesdays we wear pink, and in April, we celebrate World Autism Month.
World Autism Month is a global celebration of the autistic community and the beautiful weirdness, laughter, sensitivity, and love they bring into our lives. As a design and branding company committed to accessibility, we celebrate this month by sharing with our readers a treasure trove of 70+ resources to support and cherish the autistic community and all its friends.
These resources include infographics aimed at deepening the understanding and acceptance of autism. They also include organization, productivity, and sensory aid apps. We have also highlighted individuals and organizations doing god’s work in amplifying autistic voices, championing the cause, and pushing the boat to make the world a much more humanistic and inclusive space.
Let’s start.
Infographics to Understand Autism Better
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodivergent condition that affects a person’s behavior, interactions, communications, and even their ability to identify and regulate their emotions. While ‘people with autism can’t feel empathy’ has proven to be an absolute myth, challenges remain that make life difficult for autistic people.
One of these challenges is the lack of education and acceptance associated with neurodiversity, in this case, autism.
We usually fear what we don’t understand. While that’s not an excuse for anything, it can be a place to start the work. And that’s what we want to do with the help of the infographics below. Go through them to understand what is autism, how it manifests, and how it can be an extremely fluid disorder in its symptoms and challenges.
1. Autism 101
This is a valuable resource to understand the autism spectrum disorder, including its fluidity, early signs, impact on families, and popular treatment options.
2. Early Signs of Autism
This infographic is a to-the-point, short chart that you can probably place in a classroom, on your kitchen counter, or hang in your doctor’s office as a handy tool.
3. Possible causes of autism
Autism is a neurodivergent disorder with several possible causes. Scientists, researchers, and the medical community are trying to understand its causes and treatments. Use this guide to keep you up to date on common possible causes of autism spectrum disorder.
4. Early detection and diagnoses of autism
This is a precious guide to detecting autism at different developmental stages during the child’s first two years. Know the signs to look for when the child is 6 months old, and go all the way to the 24-month milestone.
5. Official diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder
Families can have a hard time separating myth from fact when dealing with a child with ASD. This infographic provides official diagnostic criteria for families and teachers to understand autism better and respond to ASD children more helpfully and healthily.
6. ABCs of Autism
This is a handy checklist for parents to quickly go through the ABCs of autism, from understanding it to exploring common treatment options.
7. Overlap of autism and ADHD
As you learn more about autism, you’ll discover that it overlaps greatly with another medical condition called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD affects a person’s ability to focus and self-control.
This infographic gives a quick look at the intersection of the two.
8. Autism awareness vs. acceptance
Recently discovered a loved one has autism? Use this infographic to approach them full acceptance and empathy instead of surface awareness.
9. Autism is fluid
Popular culture may paint autistic people with a rigid brush stroke of limited emotional growth and communicational barriers. However, autism is fluid, and multifaceted, and may manifest differently in individuals.
10. Helping autistic children with play
Not all leisure and playtime activities help children with autism. This infographic guides you to play strategies that autistic children might enjoy.
11. Solving misbehavior in children with autism
The behavioral modification that works on other children might not work with children with autism. Learn through this tool how to best approach misbehavior with children and fix it with patience and care.
12. Addressing the wandering of children with autism
Children with autism have a high tendency to wander. Use this guide to put strategies in place on how to prevent it, and the actions to take if it happens.
13. 10 Myths about Autism
Do you think you have some idea of what autism is? Take a look at this infographic to know for sure.
14. 5 Tips to design better for people with autism
Good graphic design is characterized by its accessibility to people of varying abilities, conditions, and situations. Elevate your design skills by learning how autism presents itself in people, and how to create design environments that cater to autistic individuals better.
Image Source: DesignMantic
15. Helping autistic women thrive in the workplace
Modern organizations with strong diversity, equality, and inclusion goals could use resources like these to start making their workplaces more supportive of neurodivergent employees.
Apps for Neurodivergent People
Daily activities can be a challenge for people with ASD. They can struggle with organization, prioritizing tasks, and getting things done on time. They can also be prone to distractions and misplacing things.
As an autistic student or professional, this can lead to trouble in school or at work.
To stay in control of your organization and productivity, these apps can be a great tool to work with. Some of these apps address organization and productivity challenges, while others aim to assist in times of crisis or emergencies. Apps like Moodpanda and Relax Melodies can offer help when you feel a sensory overload is coming in.
All these apps are available on Android and iOS systems.
1. Time Timer
Time is an abstract concept and can seem even more so for people who learn differently. Time Timer is an app that turns this abstract concept more physical with physical representations of the time left to do a task.
Those with ASD can use the Time Timer app to set themselves reminders and schedules and use their time with more focus and efficiency.
2. Habitica
Learning new routines and habits can often be a challenge for people with autism. Habitica is a fun app that gamifies your life. Set yourself a goal, a daily challenge to build a habit or a to-do list. Earn rewards for fulfilling tasks and unlock features like special suits, armor, magic skills, and quests.
Play with friends to stay accountable and motivated.
3. Tiimo
This is a time-management, productivity-boosting, habit-building, and focus-assistance app, all built into one. Use it to plan your day, complete a project, or form a habit. It offers daily focus sessions with body doubles to help you stay motivated. AI-powered checklists break down tasks into simpler lists so you can get more down with dedicated focus. It’s design-driven with an emphasis on assistive icons and colors to help people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more to learn and work better.
4. MyHomework
If homework planning is a struggle for you as a student with autism, download the myHomework app.
This digital homework planner keeps track of your classes, homework, tests, and projects. Use it to add details about your homework like due date reminders, task priority, and project category.
5. The Miracle Modus
When life gets tough and the sensory overload too much, find your favorite sofa and click on the app. Take refuge in mathematically patterned rainbow colors and the sound of soft bells. Interact with modes to find the ones you like the best and take your mind off of things to reclaim your center.
6. GoNoodle
Fun and interactive app featuring movement and mindfulness activities to support focus and relaxation.
7. Relax Melodies
Customizable app offering soothing sounds and music to aid in relaxation and sleep.
8. Headspace
Meditation and mindfulness app providing guided sessions to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
9. focus@will
Music streaming service scientifically designed to enhance focus and productivity.
10. EmergencyChat
Communication app designed for individuals who may have difficulty speaking in emergency situations.
11. Route4U
Accessibility app that crowdsources information on wheelchair-accessible routes and places.
12. MindMeister
Collaborative mind mapping tool to visually organize thoughts, ideas, and projects.
13. Proloquo2Go
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app for individuals with communication challenges.
14. Speech Blubs
Speech therapy app using interactive games and activities to improve speech and language skills.
15. Otsimo
Educational app offering personalized learning experiences for children with special needs.
16. Starfall
Interactive learning platform featuring educational games and activities for early learners, including those with neurodiversity.
20 Autism Advocates and Influencers on Instagram
Nothing helps us feel more understood and accepted than bonding with other people who share our struggles. With a huge majority of autistic adults unemployed or struggling with other forms of social acceptance, raising our voices for autism awareness and acceptance has not been more urgent.
In the list below, you will find 20 powerful voices doing just that. These include education specialists, rights advocates, nutrition specialists, behavioral experts, and those with lived experiences of autism.
Read their stories, find inspiration, identify opportunities, and expand your tribe.
1. Leann Libas — Disability Rights Advocate
2. John Robison — Neurodiversity Scholar
3. Chris Bonello — Author & Autistic Advocate
4. Paige Layle — AuDHD Video Creator
5. Lauren Melissa Ellzey — Autistic self-advocate & YA fiction author
6. Autism Sketches
7. The Autistic Life — An Instagram Blog
8. Lyric Rivera — Autistic Educator, Artist, & Author
9. Broady and Matt — AuDHD Couple
10. Taylor Linloff — Autism Advocate and Speaker
11. Undercover Autie — An Instagram Blog
12. Joy F. Johnson — Advocate, Behavioral Analyst, & More
13. Neurodivergent Lou — An Instagram Blog
14. Emily @21andsensory — Illustrator & Graphic Designer
15. Autistic & Unapologetic — Writer
16. Jeremiah Josey — An Autistic, 24-Year-Old Pastry Chef, & More
17. Autism Happy Place — Artist & Studio
18. Lisa Wright — IEP Special Education Coach
19. Brittyn Coleman — Autism Nutrition & Picky Eating Expert
20. Krys — Personal Blog of a Neurodiverse Family
Organizations & Support Groups
As critical as it is to have individual connections within the autism community, it’s even more important to strive for collective action. Organizations and nonprofits that study and fund research to investigate autism, to find better solutions, and to uncover truths we didn’t know before are extremely important.
You can support these organizations through your time, money, and stories. Your experiences and expertise can help families deal with new diagnoses in a better way and a supportive environment. You can also do your bit to help pass legislation and social infrastructures that support inclusion and equality.
In times of need, these nonprofits can emerge as the lifeline you can rely on. Take a look below to learn the great work these organizations are doing.
1. Healis Austim Centre, Singapore
2. Neurodivergent Insights
3. NeuroClastic
4. Autism Speaks
5. Michelle Swan
6. The Little Black Duck
7. Aut Gems
8. HIA Autism Centre
9. Association for Science in Autism Treatment
10. Autistic Self Advocacy Network
11. National Autism Association
12. Autism National Committee
13. Autism HWY
14. Association for Autism and Neurodiversity
15. Autism Navigator
16. Autism Research Institute
17. Autism Society
18. Disability Scoop
19. My Autism Team
20. Organization for Autism Research
21. The National Professional Development Center
22. National Association of Special Education Teachers
23. Wrights Law
24. Sesame Workshop
25. The Arc
26. Autism 360
27. The Color of Autism Foundation
28. Brain Foundation
29. Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network
30. Flutie Foundation
Conclusion
People with autism and other neurodivergent conditions live with challenges that need to be studied and understood further. The resources we have shared in this article help support this cause.
As an accessibility-minded business, we strive to create inclusive conversations and spaces. Because we believe the alternative is lazy and boring.
So, join us in celebrating the International Month of Autism Awareness and Acceptance, and share the stuff you like in this article with those you love. Happy Autism World to all!
