Many autistic people struggle to know what they can ask for when offered help. For this reason we often suggest the use of an accommodations checklist. This resource outlines some of the things you might consider putting on a checklist.

Autism NZ is pleased to be taking over the delivery of early support service Raupī te Raupō from 2025.
Raupī te Raupō is a free, world-leading and neuro-affirming programme for young children who are autistic or showing signs of autism, and their families.

To date, the programme has been delivered by Victoria University of Wellington from Autism NZ’s Autism Resource Centre in Petone, Wellington. Shifting the provision of services to Autism NZ enables families to navigate services more easily, with simple access to outreach, diagnostic and other services, all housed with the same accessible building.

Evidence clearly shows that early support – before age five – is essential to ensure that autistic children have the opportunity to achieve their future goals, including the most success possible within schooling and beyond.

Autism NZ is proud to already be delivering EarlySteps and Let’s Play from Auckland, which are both programmes for young children who are autistic or showing signs of autism. Autism NZ also delivers Way to Play to hundreds of whānau and professionals nationwide every year.

Way to Play is an education programme designed to encourage joyous play with autistic tamariki. Further, Autism NZ is an appproved provider of the Ministry of Education funded SELO (Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities) for ECE professionals.

Adding a further early support service to our provision is an exciting step forward as we work to meet the huge need for services for autistic children in New Zealand. Expanding our provision into Wellington is also an essential and positive step, as we work to ensure that children nationwide have equitable access to services.

The reality that many whānau across New Zealand face is extended waitlists or a complete lack of services in their area. In other cases, parents are directed towards strict, outdated styles of intervention that autistic adults identify as harmful at best, and traumatic at worst.

Raupī te Raupō was developed by Victoria University of Wellington in collaboration with an autistic and Māori advisory group, alongside professional experts. This ensures a programme that truly supports autistic children’s needs.

We are grateful that our close partnership with Victoria University of Wellington will ensure that Raupī te Raupō will continue to be part of research projects that affirm the need for autism-specific support services. This research helps us to continue to advocate the autistic and wider autism communities to have access to essential and affirming services.

Autistic children hitting puberty and adolescence can be scary, for both children and their caregivers.

Talking to any teenager about sex is awkward, and it can be even more difficult when the teenager is autistic and sometimes struggles to understand social concepts.

This resource outlines a few things to keep in mind when talking to your autistic teenager about pornography.

For autistic children and their families, homework can be a huge source of stress and conflict. This resource outlines some potential techniques and strategies that may make homework easier to deal with, for everyone in the family.

School can be an overwhelming place for autistic and other neurodivergent children. This resource contains tips for making your classroom an easier place to be for children with sensory sensitivities.

There are many groups of people for whom low sensory events are beneficial or even necessary. This resource addresses low sensory events in the context of Autism.

An autistic child or teenager taking their clothes off or touching their genitals in public can be humiliating, upsetting, or scary for those around them.

Stopping this behaviour relies on understanding the reasons behind it, which can vary widely depending on the child’s age and level of maturity and understanding.

This resource lists some of the common causes of inappropriate sexual behaviour, and what you can do about each one.

Finding and getting a job can be overwhelming so don’t be afraid to take things one step at a time.

The first step to getting a job is deciding what kind of work you’re looking for.

This resource pack details the ways the autistic experience when applying for jobs, interviewing, and employment.

It’s common for autistic children to wander off or run away. Often they will wander or run off without any warning, and sometimes without being able to explain why they did it or where they were trying to go.

There are a wide variety of reasons that some children run off, and the strategies used to keep children safe will depend on why they are running away.

This resource will go through the most common reasons for autistic children to wander off or run away, and some strategies to try for each reason.

(A note about terminology: wandering or running off is often referred to as ‘elopement’. This resource does not use that term because many autistic adults find it unnecessarily pathologising; many autistic adults have been told that they were ‘eloping’ and that it was a problem to solve when they were going for a walk, or leaving an uncomfortable situation – things that a non-autistic person would be allowed to do without any questions.)

Recognising what you’re feeling is the first step in learning to regulate emotions. For some children, this comes naturally and will develop on its own; others, including many autistic children, may need a bit of help learning to recognise when they’re having an emotion, and/or what the emotion actually is.

This resource details ways your child can understand their feelings