Welcome to the Online Community Help Page

This guide is here to help you use the Online Community. If you’re stuck or unsure, you can email our friendly moderation team at communitymanager@nas.org.uk. We’ll do our best to get back to you within 10 working days. 

On this page:

Getting started with your account 

How to Create an Account:

  1. Go to community.autism.org.uk
  2. Click join now (usually at the top right)
  3. On the next page, click sign up now. 
  4. Enter your email address and choose a password.
  5. You'll receive an email with a verification code. 
  6. Copy the code from your email and paste it into the box on the website. 
  7. Click create account. You'll be taken to a welcome page. 

Tip: If you don’t see the email, check your spam or junk folder. 

How to add or change your profile picture:

  1. Click your profile icon (top right corner). 
  2.  Select Profile, then click Edit Profile. 
  3. Click Change next to your picture. 
  4. Choose an avatar or click Upload to add your own image. 
  5.  Click Save. 

Make sure your image follows our community rules (no personal or identifying photos). 

How to edit your profile:

  1.  Click your profile icon → Profile → Edit Profile. 
  2. Type your information into the biography box. 
  3.  Use formatting tools if you want (bold, italics, etc.). 
  4.  Click Save Profile.
     

How to change your username: 

  1. Click your profile icon → Profile → Edit Profile. 
  2. Edit the username in the box at the top left-hand corner.  
  3. Click Save Profile 

Managing notifications 

To view notifications: 

  • Click the lightning bolt icon (top right). 
  • A small box will appear showing recent alerts. 
  • Click View all to see everything.
     

To turn on notifications for a thread: 

  • On the thread page, click Turn Reply notifications on (right-hand side).

To change notification settings: 

  1. Click your profile icon → Settings. 
  2. Go to the Notifications section. 
  3. Tick the boxes to choose how you want to be notified (email, live alerts, or both).


Bookmarking threads 

  1. Click the bookmark icon (top right, near your profile picture). 
  2. Select Bookmark this forum thread. 
  3. To view saved threads, click View all. 


Changing your email or password: 

  1. Click your profile icon → Settings. 
  2. Scroll to Email address or Password. 
  3. Make your changes and click Save. 


Deleting your account: 

  • Email communitymanager@nas.org.uk from the email address linked to your account. 
  • Let us know you’d like to close your account. 


Forgotten password? 

  • On the login page, click Forgot password. 
  • You’ll receive an email with instructions to reset it. 

Using discussions 

Browsing topics: 

We have 7 main discussion areas: 

  • Autistic adults 
  • Health and lifestyle 
  • Introduce yourself 
  • Mental health and wellbeing 
  • Miscellaneous and chat 
  • Parents and carers 
  • Women and girls 

You’ll find these listed on the right-hand side of the homepage. 


Starting a thread:

  1. Log in to your account. 
  2. Choose a topic. 
  3. Click Start a discussion. 
  4. Add a title and write your message. 
  5. Click Post when you’re ready. 


Replying to a thread:

  • Click Reply under the post you want to reply to. 
  • Type your reply in the box. 
  • Click Reply in the box to send your response. 


Editing Your Post:

  1. Under your post, click More → Edit. 
  2.  Make your changes. 
  3.  Click Reply to save or Cancel to discard. 


Deleting a Post: 

  • If no one has replied: Click More → Delete. 
  • If others have replied: Email communitymanager@nas.org.uk with the link and reason. 

Safety and reporting 

Blocking users:

  • Blocking isn’t available. 
  • If someone is being inappropriate or offensive, click More under their comment → Flag to moderator. 
  • Or email communitymanager@nas.org.uk with a link or screenshot. 


Reporting a post you feel is inappropriate, offensive or against the rules: 

  • Click More under their post → Flag to Moderator. 
  • The moderation team will review it. They may contact you for more info. 
  • The person who created or shared the content will not be told who flagged or emailed us about their content. 
  • Users in breach of the rules may have their content edited or removed and we may contact the user in some cases.  
  • Our moderation team are unable to discuss details of any action taken which relates to another user.
  • When content is reported, moderators may inform the user that their content has been reported and explain any moderation action taken. We do not disclose the identity of the person who reported the content, and we do not share details of complaints relating to other users.  

If you have concerns about an Online Community user: 

  • Email us directly at CommunityManager@nas.org.uk with a link to the thread or a screenshot of any concerning private message. 
  • Our moderation team will respond as soon as possible. Please note that the Online Community is not moderated 24 hours a day, so it may take some time for us to respond, but we will always follow up.  
  • Visit our Urgent Help page for support resources. 


Staying Anonymous:

The Community is public. Avoid sharing: 

  • Real names 
  • Addresses 
  • Phone numbers 
  • Email addresses 
  • Social media profiles 
  • Photos of yourself or your home 

Moderators may edit or remove personal info to protect your privacy. 

Privacy Notice 

 
Meeting Others or Connecting on Social Media: 

 
Age Restrictions: 

You can also check out our Autism Services Directory 

If you are under 18 and worried about something you have seen

Ask a trusted adult to help you contact the Community Manager. Tell us where you saw the content and include a link or screenshot if you can. A moderator will review it, and we will not tell the person who posted it who made the report.

If you think we handled your report wrongly, contact the Community Manager and say that you want to make a complaint. You can ask a trusted adult to help you.

If you need support now, visit our Urgent help page.

Private Messages and Friends 

Sending a Friend Request: 

  1. Search for the user’s name. 
  2. Go to their profile → Click + Connect → Send request. 
  3. Or hover over their name → Click ⋯ → Request friendship → Add a message → Send request. 

 
Removing a Friend:

  1. Click your profile icon → Profile → Friends tab. 
  2. Click Edit → Tick the friend → Click Unfriend all. 
  3. Or hover over their name → Click ⋯ → Unfriend → Confirm. 

 
Viewing Friend Requests:

  • Click the lightning bolt icon → Find the friend request. 
  • Click Accept/Reject → Choose your action. 

 
Sending a Personal Message: 

  • Hover over the user’s name → Click Send personal message. 
  • Or go to their profile → Click Connect. 

 
Changing Message Settings: 

  1. Click your profile icon → Settings. 
  2. Scroll to Allow private messages from. 
  3. Choose: No one / Friends only / Everyone. 

We recommend choosing “No one” or “Friends only” for safety. 

Moderation Team 

About our moderation team:

  • Moderators have the NAS logo and “Mod” in their username. 
  • They help keep the Community safe and respectful. 
  • They may contact you privately if needed. 
  • The National Autistic Society does not currently operate a crisis or emergency service. Contact 999 or any of the mental health crisis lines listed on our Urgent Help Page if you are at risk of immediate harm. 

Guidelines for Trusted Flaggers 

Reports from trusted flaggers are treated as top priority. Trusted flaggers are organisations whose reports of harmful or illegal content are prioritised due to their official role in public safety, financial security, or law enforcement. 


Reporting process: 

  • Email: communitymanager@nas.org.uk 
  •  Subject line: “Urgent Report” 
  • Alternatively, use the Flag to Moderator feature on the platform. 

What staff will do: 

  • Treat all trusted flagger reports as high priority. 
  • Maintain confidentiality and follow safeguarding protocols. 

Feedback and Legal Info