Autism in Australia: Community Knowledge and Autistic People's Experiences.
Sandra C Jones, Muhammad Akram, Chloe S Gordon and 2 others
PMID 33389303WHAT IT FOUND
General knowledge of autism is high, but understanding of specific impacts is low.
Families report community awareness does not extend to sensory needs or communication differences. Support services drop significantly as autistic people age, leaving adults largely unsupported.
Key findings
01While most of the general public has heard of autism, few believe the community knows how to support autistic people, with awareness limited to visible traits like social difficulties rather than sensory or communication needs.
02Support for autistic people decreases linearly with age, dropping from 89.4% of young children to 27.3% of adults, and is often rated as inadequate by families.
03Significant misconceptions persist regarding outcomes, with over half of respondents unaware that autism cannot be cured and more than one-fifth believing or unsure if people grow out of the condition.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The general population sample was more highly educated than the Australian average, which may mean knowledge gaps are underestimated. The autism community sample was drawn from a single organisation's mailing list, predominantly female, and mostly carers of children, limiting generalisability to autistic adults and fathers. The response rate for the autism community survey was low (9.44%). The surveys used new, non-validated questions developed for this study. Self-reported data is subject to social desirability bias.
Declared interests
Funded by Amaze, a state-based autism organisation. The lead researcher is an autistic person, and the survey development involved consultation with autistic people and carers.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume high public awareness of autism equates to understanding. The data shows a disconnect where the community claims to know about autism but fails to recognise specific functional impacts like sensory sensitivity or the need for extra time, leading to inadequate support for adults.