What is Autism & Neuro-Diversity
The most important thing to learn is that Autism presents differently in every Autistic thus requiring accommodations at work or school.
Autistic and Neuro Diverse individuals have difficulty with social interactions. This includes establishing and maintaining relationships, reciprocating social interaction and communicating with others.
Some Autistic individuals are unable to speak or have limited speech while others have very good language skills but struggle to understand sarcasm or tone of voice. Other challenges include taking things literally and not understanding abstract concepts.
The terms Neuro
Divergent and Neuro Diverse refer to people whose thought processes,
patterns, behaviours or learning styles fall outside of what is considered
‘normal’ or neurotypical
About Us
South Africa like many countries around the world has seen an increasing number of children with special needs and parents that must deal with the daily demands of children who require special care.
For one to
deal with the lack of understanding and support in the country and on the
continent, one needs to comprehend what Autism and Neuro Diversity
is.
It is important that more programmes, education and support should be put in place, to not only assist children and families affected by Autism and Neuro Diversity but also to aid government and the private sector to improve their accommodations to adapt to Autistic and Neuro Diverse individuals.
The role of Active Autism & Neuro Diversity Allyship Foundation (AANDAF) is to ensure that the world is ready for children and families affected by Autism and Neuro Diversity. We aim to create a Network Of Allies who although not necessarily affected by Autism or Neuro Diversity, commit to create safe spaces and to assist in the educating of others and the expansion of holistic inclusion and accommodations.
The work of AANDAF will be centred around not only teaching about Autism and Neuro Diversity and sharing the experiences of a parent but to present practical steps/strategies of improving inclusivity of social spaces (beyond just schools and health care facilities). We want to DISRUPT the manner in which Autistics and those with invisible disabilities are supported towards a fairer non-ableist approach.
With every
interaction and collaboration with institutions, we aim to steer participants
to identify solutions within their respective spaces.
“& the
tragedy is that even in this day, the child (individual) who has Autism is
often forgotten. The feeling is that he / she is almost a waste of time, which
says a lot more about Society that it does the child (individual)”
Els, 2012