Aucademy Aucademy Aucademy in the news, Autistic Resources, Uncategorized

What are the outcomes for the Autism Act 2009 review, held 2025?

Aucademy’s Dr Chloe Farahar was invited to a closed session to contribute to the Autism Act 2009 review, held between April and June 2025 – and we wrote about what their session discussed, here, and the more detailed Westminster meeting notes and questions asked can be found here.

In this blog, we summarise what the 254 page report of the review sessions found.

Time to Deliver: Making the Autism Act Work for Autistic People

November 2025 | The Aucademy Team

The Verdict: Progress Without Purpose

A landmark House of Lords report has delivered a powerful verdict on sixteen years of autism policy in England. The message is clear: whilst awareness has grown, outcomes for Autistic people have not improved. It’s time for genuine transformation, not just tweaks around the edges.

When the Autism Act was passed in 2009, Autistic people were largely invisible to services. We fell through gaps between mental health and learning disability provision. The Act changed that – or at least, it was supposed to. The Select Committee’s findings tell a different story.

Simply put, the system isn’t working. Over 172,000 people are waiting for autism assessment, with many facing delays of two years or more. The NICE guideline says thirteen weeks. The reality? Some people wait five years. And when they finally get that diagnosis, post-diagnostic support is virtually non-existent. As one witness told the Committee: “You get your diagnosis and fall off a cliff.”

What Actually Matters: Beyond Awareness

The report exposes a fundamental problem with how autism is approached in public services. We’ve moved from invisibility to awareness, but awareness without acceptance is meaningless. Autistic people still face a 20-year life expectancy gap. Eight in ten experience mental health issues. Only three in ten are in employment. These aren’t just statistics – they represent lives constrained by systemic failures.

The Committee heard powerful testimony from Autistic people and those who support them. The message was consistent: public spaces remain inaccessible, healthcare is often traumatic, education excludes rather than includes, and support arrives only at crisis point. One particularly striking finding? Autistic children are five times more likely to be excluded from school. This isn’t about “challenging behaviour” – it’s about environments that disable.

A New Strategy: From Crisis to Prevention

The current autism strategy (2021-26) set ambitious goals but, after its first year, successive governments produced no implementation plan or funding. The Committee demands better for the new strategy launching in July 2026.

Their vision is transformative: a shift from crisis-driven to preventative support, from diagnosis-dependent to needs-based provision, from segregation to genuine inclusion. Importantly, they insist that Autistic people must be meaningfully involved at every stage – not just consulted, but leading the change.

Key Changes That Matter

The Committee makes over 80 recommendations. Here are the ones that could genuinely transform Autistic people’s lives:

Public Understanding: A government-led campaign to improve understanding and acceptance, with mandatory training for all public-facing staff. Aiming to move from “autism awareness” to creating accessible environments and challenging damaging misconceptions.

Healthcare Revolution: Digital flags in patient records, hospital passports, and mandatory Oliver McGowan training. The goal? Making reasonable adjustments standard practice, not special favours. The Committee also demands action on the shocking statistic that Autistic people die 20 years younger than non-autistic people.

Education Transformation: An end to off-rolling and illegal exclusions, whole-school approaches to inclusion, and accountability measures with teeth. Schools must become places where neurodiversity is valued, not punished.

Employment Support: A specialist jobs service, expanded supported employment, and incentives for employers to make genuine adjustments. The economic case is clear: every pound invested in employment support returns four pounds to the economy.

Community Support: Investment in preventative, stepped support that keeps people out of crisis. The Committee found that crisis-driven approaches cost more in both money and lives. Early intervention isn’t just humane, it’s economically essential.

Making This Information Accessible

At Aucademy, we believe information about Autistic people should be accessible to Autistic people. That’s why we’ve created two summary versions of this important report:

• Standard Summary: A comprehensive two-page overview covering key findings, recommendations, and implementation requirements. Perfect for professionals, advocates, and anyone wanting detailed insights.

24.11.2025 Autism_Act_Report_SummaryDownload

• Easy Read Summary: An accessible version using clear language, visual symbols, and simple tables. Designed specifically for people with a learning disability and/or Autistic people who prefer information presented simply and clearly.

24.11.2025 Aucademy Autism_Act_Report_Summary_EasyReadDownload

Please share them widely – this information belongs to our community.

What Now? From Report to Reality

Reports don’t change lives – action does. The Committee has provided the evidence, the framework, and the mandate. Now it’s up to all of us to demand implementation.

For Autistic people and our allies, this report is validation and ammunition. It confirms what we’ve been saying for years: the problem isn’t autism, it’s the disabling environments and systems we navigate. Use this report in your advocacy, your complaints, your campaigns for change.

For professionals, this report is both challenge and opportunity. It demands we move beyond awareness to genuine culture change. It requires us to centre Autistic voices, not just consult them. And it insists we stop treating reasonable adjustments as optional extras.

The Time is Now

The report’s title – “Time to Deliver” – captures the urgency. Sixteen years after the Autism Act, Autistic people are still fighting for basic rights and recognition. The Committee has thrown down the gauntlet to government, to services, to society.

As the report states: “Autistic people are as diverse as our country and represent an integral, valuable part of it.” It’s time that diversity was celebrated, that value was recognised, and that Autistic people could thrive, not just survive.

The new autism strategy launches in July 2026. Between now and then, we have a window to influence its development. The Committee has given us the evidence and the framework. Now we must ensure the government delivers genuine transformation, not more empty promises.

Because quite simply, Autistic people have waited long enough.

Access the Summaries

Download our accessible summaries of the House of Lords Select Committee report “Time to Deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy” from the Aucademy website. Available in standard and easy-read formats.

Reference

Select Committee on the Autism Act 2009. (2025). Time to Deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy (HL Paper 205). House of Lords.

About Aucademy CIC: Aucademy provides Autistic-led support, education, and advocacy. We believe in Autistic culture, community, and the power of lived experience to drive change.

autisticltd Autistic Resources, Book Reviews

Meghan Ashburn & Jules Edwards – I will die on this Hill

Book review by Katie Munday (they / them)

[Trigger warning: talk on filicide, suicide and death.]

Book cover: cartoon illustrations of Meghan, a white person, with long blonde hair, thick framed glasses, wearing a black hoodie. They are stood back-to-back with a light-brown skin Jules, who is wearing a black low-cut t-shirt. They are against a green grass back drop, with a slither of light blue sky at the top. Yellow text reads: I will die on this Hill: Autistic adults, autism parents and the children who deserve a better world. Artwork by Nathan McConell (Growing Up Autie).

Written by Meghan Ashburn and Jules Edwards, I will die on this Hill looks at the struggle between Autistic people, ‘autism parents’ and the children who often get caught in the middle.

Meghan Ashburn (Not an Autism Mom) is an educational consultant, trainer and writer, passionate about helping schools create more inclusive and accessible environments for children.

Jules Edwards (Autistic, typing) is an Indigenous Autistic mother of Autistic children, passionate about sharing knowledge, healing trauma, and building community in alignment with her cultural values.

Nathan McConell (Growing Up Autie) illustrated the front cover and pictures of individual chapter writers.

The book collects brilliant reflections from some of the most important people in Autistic advocacy and activism including Kieran Rose, Kristy Forbes, Tiffany Hammond, Cole Sorenson and Danny Whitty. These are sprinkled throughout the book, between Meghan’s and Jules’ chapters, under headings such as ‘The Worst of Each other’, ‘Let’s get to Work’ and ‘Where do I fit in?’.

Meghan and Jules reflect on the division between Autistic activists and ‘autism mums’ through their own relationship which began with consistent and often strained (mis)communication. Through this persistent need to teach and learn with each other Meghan and Jules were unwittingly creating a template of how we can all work together to protect and champion the lives of Autistic children. So, they wrote a book about it!

There are too many good parts of this book to list but I wanted to highlight two particular favorite chapters of mine, Cara and Danny Whitty’s chapters. Cara wrote of how her ‘mother’ struggled with looking after her Neurodivergent children and how this ultimately ended with her killing her son, trying to kill her daughter and then herself. This chapter is a brave confirmation of the very real harm that Autistic people face, often from within our own families. Cara finishes her chapter by saying “if you ever feel like you can’t parent them [your children] safely, get help.” (p.172). There is no shame in needing or asking for help, parenting is beyond overwhelming and difficult and we all need support some times.

Danny Whitty’s chapter was just as eye-opening, he wrote about the pathology around autism and being non-speaking and how this “harms whole families, not just the Autistic individuals. It deprives them of the opportunity to fully know and love their Autistic family member. Which is a tragic loss.” (p.114). Unfortunately, ideas such as ‘curing’ Autistic people are often filtered down to parents who believe autism to be a big baddy taking over their children. This can be worse still for Autistic people who have different ways of communicating and do not get their communication needs supported.

The writers throughout I will die on this Hill do not shy away from the interconnection of autism and trauma, they understand that being Autistic is another part of human diversity which comes with both unimaginable struggle and deep joy. Intersectionality is reflected on throughout the book, especially Jules’ Ojibwe heritage and culture.

I saw myself reflected in these pages, from Morenike Giwa Onaiwu’s view of being Autistic as neither good or bad: just being, to Kimberly Collins’ experience of being shut-down by other parents in parent groups due to being Autistic. Autistic and non-Autistic experiences of activism and support groups are explored critically, appreciating that they are equal parts powerful, frustrating, intimate, bleak and empowering.

I will die on this Hill can be read in stages and makes a great reference book, with key points and resources at the end of each chapter. I would recommend this as a go-to book for Autistic people and those who love and support us.

I will die on this Hill is an important – and sometimes difficult –  book to read. Meghan, Jules and the other writers look at our history of infighting and explore how this doesn’t help any of us. The writing is insightful, personal, intersectional and brutally honest.

Hopefully, this book marks a rise in all of us working together against the real enemy of oppressive, racist and ableist systems which hold us down whilst asking us why we can’t do better.

“Our children think autistically, feel autistically and live autistically.”

Meghan Ashburn, p.118
Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources, Explaining Autistic experience, Uncategorized

Autistic theories of Autistic experience

Find here explainer videos about the three Autistic-derived theories of Autistic experience: Monotropism theory (Dinah Murray), Double empathy problem (Damian Milton), and Autistic language hypothesis (Rachel Cullen):

Monotropism explainer video by Kieran Rose (The Autistic Advocate):

Double-empathy explainer video by Kieran Rose (The Autistic Advocate):

Reviewed by young people, double empathy explained:

Screenshot of the webpage from Frontiers for Young Minds: “Double Empathy: Why Autistic People Are Often Misunderstood”

Aucademy discussion on the double empathy problem from theory (Damian Milton), to evidence it occurs, to evidence of why it occurs (Rachel Cullen):

Aucademy discussion on the Autistic language hypothesis with Aucademy’s Rachel Cullen, educating Chloe and Annette:

Aucademy discussion explaining the monotropism theory with Fergus Murray & Tanya Adkin educating Aucademy’s Chloe and Ben:

Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources

Autistic April: Aucademy downloadable educational posters to share this April (& all year!)

Can you help Aucademy and #Autistic people this Autistic April (and all year actually!)?

Please print and/or share our education posters and ask your GP surgery; supermarkets; schools; universities; wellbeing centres; therapists; job centres; garden centres; councils; church; families; friends; daycare; nurseries; gyms – ANYONE AND ANYWHERE you can display them.

BLUE A3 POSTER: https://aucademy.co.uk/…/BLUE-A3-Aucademy-flyer-2.pdf.pdf

WHITE A3 POSTER: https://aucademy.co.uk/…/WHITE-A3-Aucademy-flyer.pdf.pdf

BLUE A4 POSTER: https://aucademy.co.uk/…/BLUE-A4-Aucademy-flyer-2022.pdf

WHITE A4 POSTER: https://aucademy.co.uk/…/WHITE-A4-Aucademy-flyer-2022.pdf

All four PDFs also found here: https://aucademy.co.uk/books/

#actuallyautistic#autismawareness#autismawarenessmonth#autismacceptance#AutismAcceptanceMonth#autisticpride#AutisticAcceptance#neurodiversity#nuerodivergent#neuroqueer#AutisticApril#aucademy#autisticinacademia

Picture of the PDF printable posters

Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources, Explaining Autistic experience, Identity-first language - A resource, Uncategorized

Resources supporting preference, but importantly wellbeing properties, of identity-first language: we are Autistic

The use of identity-first language to describe our Autistic selves, or be described by non-autistic people, is not up for debate with non-autistic people. But time and again it is demanded that we Autistic people – not “people with autism spectrum disorder” – provide “evidence” for the use of identity-first over person-first language.

Even more frustratingly – angering even – is that professionals do not expect the same level of “evidence” for the use of person-first language when interacting with Autistic people.

And so, find some resources here to demonstrate both preference for identity-first language, but more importantly the psychologically protective properties of being an Autistic person, not a “person with autism [spectrum disorder]”.

FURTHER NOTES:

Some people around young Autistic people will say they asked their young person about their preference – to be referred to as an Autistic person, or a “person with autism [spectrum disorder]”, stating that they went with their young person’s preference for person-first language – or even that the young person didn’t care about it.

The above scenario is not an acceptable reason to ignore the politics of a young persons’ life. Absolutely language should not be forced on the minority in question – but that does not preclude you from learning about the importance – the psychological and political importance – of identity-first versus person-first language regarding yourself, your young person, the people in your care, in your class, in your employment.

And there is growing evidence that humanising us via identity-first language and the surrounding, far greater Autistic community and cultural narrative, actually improves psychological wellbeing of Autistic people – a population where the greatest cause of death is suicide. And so, any help our community can get to reduce early deaths and a life of prejudice and discrimination should be deeply and critically considered.

That you were taught that person-first language is what you should use is no longer an acceptable response when told otherwise. As Dr Nick Walker says: “Sentences that start “person-first language is what I was taught to use” should end with “but now I know better & will never use it again”.

Be the change you want to see, importantly, be the change we desperately need. Thank you.

UPDATE: Oct 2023 – An extensive guide to humanising language has been produced by the Community Against Prejudice Towards Autistic People, and Aucademy welcomes its use, feel free to share.

captap-full-language-guide-documentDownload

These psychologically protective properties are somewhat demonstrated in Chris Bonnello of Autistic not Weird‘s latest survey with 11,212 respondents (7,491 of whom were Autistic, including non-speaking Autistic people), which demonstrated that those who identified as Autistic were more likely to like being Autistic, compared to those who considered themselves to be “people with autism”:

Chris Bonnello of Autistic not Weird‘s latest 2022 survey with 11,212 respondents (7,491 of whom were Autistic, including non-speaking Autistic people). These two tables show those who use identity-first language were more likely to like being Autistic than those who use person-first language.

Resources

ARTICLES/BLOGS:

SCREENSHOTS OF POLLS/SURVEYS:

Chris Bonnello of Autistic not Weird‘s latest 2022 survey with 11,212 respondents (7,491 of whom were Autistic, including non-speaking Autistic people). A marked increase from the 2018 survey (screenshot below) where 51.62% of Autistic people preferred identity-first language, compared with 76.16% of AUtistic people in 2022.

Screenshot of Autistic not Weird large survey 2018, showing 51.62% of Autistic respondents preferred Autistic person
As much as Aucademy detests autism $peaks, their poll with 16,151 votes backfired on them, as 69% voted for “I am Autistic” over “I have autism”

VIDEO SOURCES

YouTube video: Chloe Farahar: A rose by any other name would smell…of stigma (or, the psychologically important difference between being a “person with autism” or an Autistic person)
YouTube video: The importance of Autistic language – what’s in a name?
YouTube video on the important difference between the abstract “autism” and tangible Autistic experience.
YouTube video: Chloe Farahar: Why we should be fighting *prejudice* toward Autistic people, not “autism stigma”

SHAREABLE INFOGRAPHICS

navy background, lower right has the gold Aucademy logo, white writing over the top reads: "Identity-first language humanises Autistic people & acknowledges the importance of our Autistic experience of the world. We are defined, but not confined, by our Autistic-ness (Dr Melanie Heyworth, Reframing Autism). Sentences that start “person-first language* is what I was taught to use” should end with “but now I know better & will never use it again” (Dr Nick Walker, Neuroqueer) Identity-first language is more than identity politics, it has psychologically protective properties for Autistic people... "Where before we were isolated by our belonging to the group “people with autism”, we come to embrace the Autistic identity, culture, community, & space – we are no longer alone, we are connected – connected by one word: Autistic." (Dr Chloe Farahar, Aucademy) *person with autism Learn more: "A rose by any other name would smell…of stigma (or, the psychologically important difference between being a “person with autism” or an Autistic person)": https://bit.ly/3CuinUx " ALT TEXT END.
navy background, lower right has the gold Aucademy logo, gold writing over the top reads: “Understanding Autistic people outside of our objectification as “people with autism” may help to humanise our suffering and better focus research and clinical interest on our wellbeing issues, moving away from focussing on autism in the abstract.” - Dr Chloe Farahar Farahar, C. (upcoming, 2022). Autistic identity, culture, community, and space for wellbeing. In &. D. S. Ryan (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Critical Autism Studies. Routledge. ALT TEXT ENDS
navy background, lower right has the gold Aucademy logo, gold writing over the top reads: Autistic people are human, & so we should be fighting *prejudice* toward Autistic people - tackling the *perpetrators* of prejudice - not the "stigma" toward the abstract concept of "autism spectrum disorder". Our focus must be Autistic people and the system and structural disadvantages this [my/our] group are faced with – we must be focussing our efforts on the perpetrators and processes, not emphasising a target of “autism”. Why we should be fighting *prejudice* toward Autistic people, not "autism stigma": Chloe educates Aucademy https://youtu.be/hQrUckturTU ALT TEXT ENDS
navy background, lower right has the gold Aucademy logo, gold writing over the top reads: "Society needs to recognise Autistic experience from a cultural minority perspective, supporting our minority in similar ways to other cultural minorities; recognising differences in language and communication, and the systemic factors that lead to disadvantage. Society needs to foster and embrace our cultural minority and the strengths we bring." Dr Chloe Farahar - Aucademy Why we should be fighting *prejudice* toward Autistic people, not "autism stigma": Chloe educates Aucademy https://youtu.be/hQrUckturTU ALT TEXT ENDS
navy background, lower right has the gold Aucademy logo, gold writing over the top reads: Stigma [red cross next to the word]: • About illness, disease, disorder etc. • Stigma is toward individual characteristics – the problem is rooted in the individual, not the system Prejudice [green tick next to the word]: • About race, religion, culture etc. • Prejudice is toward group characteristics – the problem is rooted in the system e.g. structural disadvantage, not the individual Why we should be fighting *prejudice* toward Autistic people, not "autism stigma": Chloe educates Aucademy https://youtu.be/hQrUckturTU ALT TEXT ENDS
navy background, lower right has the gold Aucademy logo, gold writing over the top reads: Helping you move from the "stigma of autism” narrative, to tackling prejudice toward Autistic people. CALLS TO ACTION: Empower Autistic people: too long there has been a precedent of non-autistic people and researchers doing the research and the talking. Focus on Autistic people as a culture that experiences prejudice, do not focus on the stigmatisation of the abstract concept of “autism” (scrap the word “autism”, ASD, ASC etc. from your vocabulary, you’re usually looking for the phrase "Autistic experience"). Look into the prejudice literature instead of focussing on the stigma literature. ALT TEXT ENDS
“neurology is not an accessory” by identityfirstautistic.org
Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources, Explaining Autistic experience

Autistic gender & sexual divergence resources

Find here a growing list of resources for neurodivergent people and the intersection with gender and/or sexuality diversity.
NOTE: Aucademy does not necessarily endorse all of these resources, so please be critical and cautious, particularly when engaging with groups online.

Books

Blogs

JOURNAL ARTICLES

LGBTQIA+ AUTISTIC GROUPS:

VIDEOS:

Training and other resources

Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources, Uncategorized

Language for the bin (& what to use instead)!

Chloe’s short video on the importance of language – focusing on the identity first preference of Autistic people
In the binKeep, practice, and role model
Person with autism
On the spectrum
 Autism

Disease
Disorder
Illness
Mental illness
Problem
Issue
Deficit
Impairment
Pathological 
 
Challenging
 
 
Violent
 
 
Low functioning
High functioning
Severe/mild autism
 
 
Traits
Symptoms
Risk of autism
 
Cure
Treatment
Intervention
Strategies
 

Behaviour
 
 
Special interests		Autistic person
 
 

Neurodevelopmental difference
Neurodivergence
Difference
 
 
 

 
 
 
Challenged by e.g. the environment/ signs of distress

 
Anxious; distressed; meltdown
 

Support need/s – and be specific
 
 
 

Experience/s; expression/s
 
 



(JUST AVOID) Improve wellbeing (not change Autistic experiences)
 
 
Feelings/emotions – inner world
 

Specialisation/s/ dedicated interests/ passions/ hobbies

A rose by any other name would smell…of stigma (or, the psychologically important difference between being a “person with autism” or an Autistic person)…

This video accompanies an invited article for University College London

Question: Is identifying with social groups beneficial to people’s health and wellbeing? Whilst marking undergrad essays on this question back in 2020 – my mind began to wander, as it is prone to do, to Autistic things. Although my PhD was in the field of social psychology – where I attempted to reduce mental health stigma with the neurodiversity narrative – I had become so engrossed in my little sliver of the field I forgot about other social psychological theories and approaches. I researched the references my students were citing and made a short Twitter thread of my thoughts regarding the psychologically important difference between being a “person with autism” and an Autistic person. The difference between belonging to a stigmatised group, and the social cure properties of strongly identifying with an Autistic identity…article continued here.

Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources, Uncategorized

Why we’re all weird, but nobody is ill

Blog post – Chloe

Prof Peter Kinderman , someone I have had the pleasure of meeting, is a kind and empathetic professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool. His work seeks to address the real causes of psychological distress, placing the causes more accurately outside of a persons head and more firmly in social contexts.

This is particularly important when we consider the psychological distress many Autistic and neurodivergent people experience, where our neurodevelopmental difference is blamed for the psychological distress we experience, instead of placing the onus on the environment that led to the distress.

“Dr Peter Kinderman argues that mental emotional distress is not a sign of illness but a symptom of social causes and pressure. Depression, anxiety and even schizophrenia can be serious and debilitating experiences for people; but Dr Kinderman says the causes of these symptoms will not be found inside the brain but rather outside the person. Unemployment, bullying, child abuse, these are often the causes of mental distress – and the treatment he prescribes is for all of us to take greater social responsibility to address the situation…”

This quote was originally from a University of Liverpool podcast with Peter Kinderman, Episode 7: Is it really mental ‘illness’?, which sadly is no longer available, but you can listen to Peter here: https://getpodcast.com/podcast/the-wrong-kind-of-mad/episode-8-peter-kinderman-on-understanding-distress-without-pathologis_1c6a4ba21b

Aucademy Aucademy Autistic Resources, Uncategorized

Autistic communication – no deficit

Blog post – Chloe

One of the most important pieces of research for the Autistic community, and to educate non-autistic people, demonstrates that Autistic people do not have deficits in social communication, but that there is a translation issue between Autistic and non-autistic people (known as the Double Empathy problem by Dr Damian Milton – an Autistic academic). This important piece of research by Dr Crompton shows that communication between Autistic people is stronger than between mixed neuro type groups – Autistic and non-autistic groups.

This has implications such as not placing the onus on Autistic people having a problem or deficit, and asking that non-autistic people work to learn the language and communication of Autistic people.

See here a short video explaining the study, and the video below of Jac den Houting discussing the double empathy problem, as well as the neurodiversity paradigm to replace the medical paradigm.