Welcome to the discussion

Welcome to the National Centre for Autism Collaboration’s Research Blast! The National Centre for Autism Collaboration is an initiative of Autism Alliance of Canada that delivers the Alliance’s policy and research projects. 

This is our newest newsletter and the best way to stay up to date on the important work being conducted by our research and policy teams. This work is driven by community priorities and is aligned with priority areas identified in Canada’s first National Autism Strategy. 

You will receive a Research Blast when there are new reports, infographics, academic papers, or any outputs from our research projects that we would like to share with our membership. There may also be future opportunities to get involved in our work.

Our website will also have more in-depth details and descriptions of the projects if you would like to know more.

We are excited to share our work with you and hope you enjoy staying in the loop!

The Canadian Autistic Adult Needs Assessment Project

Why we did this work: Autistic adults are rarely the focus of research and policy, and this Autistic-led project, conducted by our Research Associate Dr. Mackenzie Salt, aimed to bridge that gap by focusing on the lived experience of Autistic people aged 30 or over.

What we did: This was a two-part project. In the first phase, funded by and in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, we did a survey with over 1900 Autistic adults in Canada to better understand their needs. As a part of this survey, participants identified mental health and community-based social support as the most important areas for researchers to focus on.

Click here to read the full report from the first phase of this project

Autistic adults are rarely engaged meaningfully in research and policy. The project’s second phase, funded by and in partnership with the Sinneave Family Foundation, filled this gap by conducting a series of direct conversations with over 60 Autistic adults to dive deeper into their experiences with mental health and social support services including their needs and barriers to accessing necessary supports. 

What we can do now: As one of the largest studies engaging Autistic adults to date, this project brings systematically collected data to support what our members know well: Canadian society should prioritize the allocation of resources and attention to developing better and more comprehensive services to support Autistic adults. It also reinforced the fact that to authentically support this community, they need to be involved in the design and evaluation of the services that are meant for them. Collaboration is key to creating solutions that truly address the most pressing needs and make a lasting impact.

Members can use these data and reports to further their own advocacy efforts, inform decision-makers, and develop projects to address priority areas to advance our collective mission of improving the lives of Autistic Canadians and their loved ones across the country.

Click here to read a two-page snapshot of the project

Want to know more? Click here to read our full report