Click the button below to access a pdf of our Autism Friendly Event Guide.

Hi everyone, As you well know, there has been a change of government here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Whilst the coalition parties have been in negotiations, we have been spending our time speaking with incoming ministers and other officials.

Autism New Zealand are always putting our best foot forward in speaking with all parties and advocating as best we can for all sections of our Autistic and autism community. As we enter these talks, we remain committed to our core mission of empowering the Autistic and wider autism communities.

As it’s early days, we don’t yet have practical answers as to how the Autistic and wider autism communities will be affected by the change in government. That said, we are advocating for systemic change, with the goal of a distinct and accessible pathway for autistic people and their whanau to access the services and support they want and need. We will continue to update you on our progress.

To learn more about what is going on with Autism New Zealand, and the community, check out our Newsletter below:

Terminology is a powerful tool. Terminology can help change attitudes towards autism and Autistic people. Terminology has an important role in empowering and supporting Autistic people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

There are many different preferences in the Autistic community (Autistic people) and autism community (including family, whānau and wider support networks) for describing autism and Autistic people.

The preferences of the Aotearoa New Zealand Autistic community should be held central to all things autism. Any debate about preferred terminology should only be held within the Autistic community itself.

The terminology used for autism should always be informed by the preferences of the Autistic community, and the terms used for Autistic individuals should respect that person’s own terminology preferences.

Autistic people in Aotearoa New Zealand have developed this resource with the support of Autism New Zealand and the ongoing feedback from members of the Autism New Zealand Community Advisory Group.

The feedback provided by Autistic Advisors at Altogether Autism, ASK Trust, Te Pou Disability, and members of the New Zealand Autistic community has also played a vital role in developing this resource.

As this resource represents a living document, it will continue to be updated to remain consistent with the autism terminology preferences of the Autistic community of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Feedback on this resource is welcome from all members of the Autistic and wider autism communities.

The incorporation of suggestions from the community for additional terminology or modifications of the current content will be determined by Autistic people, consistent with the development of this resource.

Please direct any comments or suggestions for improving this resource to Autism New Zealand (research@autismnz.org.nz) to share with the Autistic creators and their Community Advisory Group.

Autism New Zealand is an essential participant of the Autism CRC. The Autism CRC is the world's first national cooperative research centre focused on autism. It takes a whole-of-life approach to autism focusing on diagnosis, education and adult life. Follow the link below to read about their research and support programmes

In 2009, a living guideline process was established to ensure the Guideline is updated annually to reflect new evidence.

The Living Guideline Group (LGG) is an advisory panel of sectoral experts including individuals with lived experience, educators, health professionals, and service providers. Every year, the LGG prioritises an area to be updated. A comprehensive systematic review of the topic is undertaken by independent researcher and living guideline programme director, Marita Broadstock (INSIGHT Research).

The LGG debates the quality and consistency of this evidence and its applicability within a New Zealand service and cultural context. The LGG then develop recommendations and directions for good practice - the key outputs for the work.

Following sectoral consultation, a full account of the entire process including the systematic review is published online as Supplementary Papers to the guideline.

Completed Supplementary Papers to date cover topics including including behavioural approaches, pharmacological interventions,  supported employment, gastrointestinal issues, implication of changes to autism diagnosis in the DSM-5, social skills groups, cognitive behaviour analysis, ethnicity, sexuality education, supporting school transitions, and soon to be released updates on physical activity, and music therapy.

The New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline was published in 2008 and a 2nd edition in 2016. Internationally recognised for its scope and quality, the guideline provides an evidence-based resource for people on the autism spectrum, their families and whānau, educators, service providers, policy makers, funders and researchers, both here and overseas.

The Guideline directs people toward practices that are known to work best, and away from those that don’t. Its recommendations for best practice aim to improve autism service delivery and coordination, and to ensure those on the autism spectrum lead better and more independent lives.

We are delighted to share that the Autism CRC have officially released full reports of our research project investigating autism diagnostic processes and post-diagnostic supports in New Zealand. It certainly has been a while since we started this project and shared initial results, so it’s very exciting to now be able to share the full research findings.

Key recommendations from the research focus on: (1) earlier identification of autism, (2) implementation of recommendations from the NZ ASD Guideline, and (3) access to post-diagnostic supports. We will keep you updated with our progress as we continue working towards these goals.

The Autism CRC release, including full reports can be found here.

A visual snapshot of the findings and the full Autism New Zealand report can be downloaded by clicking the buttons below.

Once again, we would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who contributed to and participated in this research.

Autism New Zealand is pleased to announce that we are offering a new professional development programme ‘Tilting the Seesaw for Teacher Aides’.

To check out what is happening in Southland click the download button below.

To check out what is happening in Otago click the download button below.