How to Find Autism Resources and Local Support on autismsociety.org

autismsociety.org is the Autism Society of America's main site, and it organizes help into a few clear paths: Screening and Diagnosis for identification and evaluation questions, Resources by Topic for subject-specific support, and Find an Affiliate for local connections in your area. Start with whichever matches your immediate need — a diagnosis question, a topic like education or safety, or a local group near you. The site also links to news, events, and a store, but those are secondary to the resource and support pathways.

The three main entry points

The homepage surfaces these as distinct calls to action, so you don't have to hunt through menus.

Screening and Diagnosis

This section is framed around the diagnostic journey rather than general information. According to the site, it covers identifying Autism and related conditions, diagnosis broken out by life stage, and educational evaluations. If your question is "does this sound like Autism, and how would we find out," this is the starting point — including for adults, since diagnosis is organized by life stage rather than assuming childhood only.

Resources by Topic

This is the broadest entry. The stated goal is to "influence meaningful change in support of the Autism community," with resources organized by subject so you can go straight to what's relevant instead of reading everything. Use this when you already know your area of concern — for example, a school-related issue, a safety question, or a transition at a particular age — and want material specific to it.

Find an Affiliate

The affiliate network is how the national organization connects people to local support. The site describes it as getting "connected to affiliates in your area," and the affiliate program sits alongside public policy efforts, training, and safety under the "Get Involved" umbrella. If what you actually want is people nearby — a local group, regional events, or someone who knows your state's services — this is the path, and it's separate from the topic resources.

Beyond the core resources

The site also functions as a hub for ongoing content, not just static resource pages:

• News and events — the site describes itself as "your connection to resources, news, events, and support for the Autism community."
• Public policy efforts — advocacy work is listed as one of the organization's programs.
• Training and safety — grouped with affiliates and policy under ways to get involved.
• Voting Guide — a resource offered to help prepare for Election Day 2026.
• The Autism Is campaign — invites Autistic individuals to share their own experience, built on the idea that no two Autistic people have the same lived experience.
• Online store — branded shirts and tote bags; purchases are described as supporting the mission.

Choosing your path

• If you're at the beginning of the diagnostic question, go to Screening and Diagnosis first.
• If you already know the topic you need help with, go to Resources by Topic.
• If you want local people and services, go to Find an Affiliate.
• If you want to act or contribute — advocacy, training, or sharing your story — look under Get Involved and the Autism Is campaign.

The site's own framing is that "the experience of Autism is not one thing," which is why these paths are separated rather than merged into a single resource list. Pick the one matching your situation now; you can always move to another later.