How do we get autism support right in Aotearoa New Zealand? - Community summary

Based on international approaches and current community engagement we aim to understand the importance of a national autism strategy and other forms of accountability to ensure inclusion and the provision of supports for autistic people in Aotearoa. [...] 17 How do we get autism support right in Aotearoa New Zealand?Community summary Suggestions to help implement the Guideline Participants who were aware of the guideline and its content were asked to rate the helpfulness of possible future strategies to improve implementation of the Guideline. [...] The identified areas in which further training was required, either overall or for specific professionals and groups, included: • neurodiversity • autism presentation in females and non-binary people • the contents of the Guideline • autistic masking and catatonia • augmentative and alternative communication • training in hiring neurodivergent individuals • the relationship between autism and pare. [...] Autistic people highlighted the importance of including autistic members of the LGBTIQA+ community and autistic women in the development of future initiatives. [...] Thank you to the autistic individuals, parents of autistic children, family/whānau, professionals, and researchers who completed the survey and shared their experiences of the autism support system in Aotearoa and suggestions for how we can get autism support right in the future.