Where to start

Welcome to the Talk about Autism community!

Hello and welcome to Talk about Autism! I’m here, along with our Community Champions, to guide you around the site, answer any questions and help you get the most out of the community.

The aim of the community is to provide a safe and supportive space where parents, carers, families and people on the spectrum can discuss issues surrounding autism.

• The Community Guidelines let you know what we do and don't allow on the site. We ask all new members to read them when they join

• Visit the Community News to make sure you're aware of all of new features, new activities, and all sorts of other news items relating to the community

• The Discussion Forums are where you can interact with the community

• You can request a Community Mentor if you'd like a helping hand with the site - we are more than happy to help!

If you're having difficulties with the website, you can email me at mike@talkaboutautism.org.uk

I look forward to meeting you all and chatting with you!

Mike Stuart
Community Manager

How to use the site

Below you will find step-by-step instructions for how to get started using the Talk about Autism community. If you would like a helping hand with any of this information, we have a team of friendly mentors who are ready and waiting to speak with you. Visit our mentor page to find out more.

1. Register to the community

To use the community you’ll first need to register - it's free and only takes a few minutes. Once you’ve registered, please start off by reading our Community Guidelines. You might also find the How to use the community page helpful for things like finding out how to start a discussion.

2. Join the discussions

Now you’re ready to join in the Discussions, where you can meet and talk with others. A good starting point for joining the discussions is to post a brief introduction about yourself.

What types of topics are covered at Talk about Autism?

Have a quick look around the Discussion forums and you’ll see that we chat about lots of different topics and issues. Or you can just relax and chat in the The Social section. We also have a Neurodiversity Room which is a discussion area especially for people on the spectrum. We've recently introduced an exciting new area of discussions where you can speak with someone on the spectrum. And we've got two different types of Member Q&A's where we get to know our members a little better.

Start a new discussion!

If the discussion topics aren’t quite what you’re looking for, you are welcome to start a new discussion – start as many as you like!

Keep up-to-date!

Visit the Community News discussion to make sure you're aware of all of new features, new activities, and all sorts of other news items relating to the community.

Questions? Need help?

If you have any questions about how to use the site, please post them in the Feedback and Help section or email me at mike@talkaboutautism.org.uk