Who we are

Support has always been at the heart of our existence. We first began as a peer support group with seven members back in 2019. Our ethos remains true to these routes, and we continue to provide peer support and a safe space for our members, run by volunteers. 

Our groups are all private and moderated and members tell us that they highly value the one or more platforms they use for a mixture of support, sharing of thoughts, questions and concerns, wellbeing, personal development and social aspects.

Members should identify as autistic but no formal diagnosis is required. 

The group is free throughout and joining does not necessitate any particular participation. 

We provide an autistic voice within healthcare, advocating for both our members and autistic people more widely. We have worked closely with Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association, and similar organisations to improve recognition and acceptance of autism. We have also published non-research articles to this effect, introducing the concept of autistic doctors into academic settings. More recently, we published our Autistic SPACE framework and graphic for accommodations for autistic people, which has been well received across multiple settings, both within and outside of healthcare. 

We undertake research with the aim of improving the lives of autistic people. Whilst this often centres around autistic doctors and medical students, we are also passionate about the healthcare needs of the wider autistic population. 

We see the value in collaboration and have worked with a variety of academic institutions. Examples of our research projects include exploring barriers to accessing healthcare for autistic adults,  the experiences of autistic medical students, the experiences of autistic doctors, National Health Service General Practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices with regards to annual health checks for autistic adults, mandatory autism training and collaboration in research on autistic people's experience of accessing breast cancer services.

We give presentations to a variety of medical and non-medical audiences on autism from a neurodiversity-affirmative perspective and are increasingly involved in the education and training of medical students, speciality trainees and doctors of all levels. Our members have run workshops at the International Conference for Physician Health and for MRCPsych exam trainees, and given a webinar with the British Medical Association on autistic doctor work accommodations for example. We have autistic doctors involved in the writing and delivery of the National Autism Training Programme for Psychiatrists.

Many of us also bring our lived experience to daily work commitments of teaching, supervising, training, and examiner roles.