The fragmentation of Autism Charities

mrs.snooks said:

I am feeling more and more strongly that the NAS needs this group to continue its strong presence in the future years.

There is an autism charity in my area which has been prominent in voicing its concerns for the needs of children and young people with high support needs. It is regularly in the media and in some cases has helped families take legal action. Being a smaller concern than the NAS and covering a small geographical area, it deals with many enquiries by telephone, as well as email. Some of the support offered by this charity is similar to that offered by the NAS but it is better placed to respond on a personal basis in many cases. It doesn’t have such a vast array of resources online as the NAS. 

I don’t have experience in all the ins and outs/for and against the fragmentation of support multiple charities provide but I thought this was interesting and it provided food for thought: https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charities-have-been-marginalised-because-the-sector-is-too-fragmented.html

My questions are: Is the NAS marginalised/becoming marginalised in social and political debate? 

Does the NAS have the solutions to problems and if so, is it prevented from making more of an impact because the autism sector is too fragmented?

Does the NAS have a clear voice and if so, how does it capture the national mood?

Should/could the NAS seek more opportunities to engage with other charities so they can speak with one consistent voice?

ArchaeC said:

Does the NAS have the solutions to problems and if so, is it prevented from making more of an impact because the autism sector is too fragmented?

I think the needs of autists are so fragmented, complex and vaired that it is incredibly hard to advocate for "solutions" rather than just flexible care. 

Other charities probably have their own perspectives, angles and opinions, maybe looking at more local solutions or specific niches. NAS is a bit of a monster in size terms and is probably missing a load of the needy autisits out there because of this, but they can still offer services like this forum and the help pages that work for most of us.

There is space for more of these charities to work hand in hand I think, if they would co-operate and avoid trying to cover the same ground as each other. NAS has the opportunity to be more of a voice for the local charities on the national stage.

Iain said:

I think the needs of autists are so fragmented, complex and vaired that it is incredibly hard to advocate for "solutions" rather than just flexible care

I agree, and there is a shortage of care for many people in need, autistic or not, but we need autism to be kept to the front of public debate in a positive way. 

The online resources are invaluable because they include pretty much everything there is to know about autism or links where people can find the information they need. Not everyone can access these but at least they are there in an age where there is much misinformation about autism. 

Iain said:

NAS has the opportunity to be more of a voice for the local charities on the national stage.

The NAS has high profile patrons who raise awareness of the needs of some groups of autistic people in a way that the smaller charities can’t. I’m thinking of the singer Cat Burns who appeared on Celebrity Traitors, Chris Packham and others.

The NAS has been outspoken in correcting some myths about autism and diagnosis that have been perpetuated by politicians and the media. They often issue statements similar to other charities, but I can’t remember if they ever collaborated in a single statement or not. 

I can’t undervalue the worth of this online community. It is a magnificent resource and we are an impressive community.

I remember the last time all these charities were mentioned, I looked at about half of them and gave up as they seemed to have little or nothing to offer me, I'm too old, I don't live in England and I couldn't work out what some of them were for

I don’t know. The questions in my first response in this thread didn’t come from any knowledge of the NAS. I just reversed some of the text in the link to make questions, a technique I used as a student. 

Maybe this was the first time they've done it?

I only know NAS, I don't know the other ones, but I've not looked into things like this.

Oh yes! That looks like collaboration to me.

Before that, there was a statement about the queuing system at a theme park with possible collaboration. I just can’t recall the details but it looks like it reversed the discrimination 

I hope this is okay, I just remember looking at the list and all the different logos. I mainly remember because of the logos.

I hope this is okay, I just remember looking at the list and all the different logos. I mainly remember because of the logos.

I remember the last time all these charities were mentioned, I looked at about half of them and gave up as they seemed to have little or nothing to offer me, I'm too old, I don't live in England and I couldn't work out what some of them were for

I don’t know. The questions in my first response in this thread didn’t come from any knowledge of the NAS. I just reversed some of the text in the link to make questions, a technique I used as a student. 

Maybe this was the first time they've done it?

I only know NAS, I don't know the other ones, but I've not looked into things like this.

Oh yes! That looks like collaboration to me.