Autistica, the UK’s leading autism research charity, today announces the launch of the Autistica Tips Hub, a free app that has been designed with, and for, autistic people, their families and professionals who work with autistic people.
The app was designed following consistent feedback from the neurodivergent community that searching for reliable information about autism online was often overwhelming.
Community members were increasingly concerned that internet searches provide huge amounts of information at a time, and not all of the search results are evidence-based or accurate. The concept behind the Tips Hub is that we can provide registered and non-registered users alike access to tips and resources, all of which have been reviewed by Autistica’s team of researchers to ensure that all the information in the app is not only accurate but helpful too.
Dr Amanda Roestorf, Director of Research at Autistica and the project lead behind the Tips Hub.
What's in the Tips Hub
The Autistica Tips Hub is the convergence of three smaller hubs into one convenient app. The content found in the Tips Hub has been created with three distinct audiences in mind:
- Everyday Tips, which have been created specifically for autistic people and their families and are focused on the topics that autistic people have told us matter most to them. Everyday Tips cover everything from diagnostic and post-diagnostic support, to financial well-being and resilience, gaming, and resources that assist with activities that someone may face day-to-day.
- Professional Tips, which have been specifically created for professionals who support autistic people and their families. These tips are designed to help professionals to be more inclusive in their work and services and cover a range of topics to better understand autism.
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Tips, for autistic people, their families and the professionals who support them. These tips are devised for people to better understand the complex challenges related to mental health and autism. This section includes proven tools and resources that can offer support or self-advocacy.
What really sets this app apart from other resources is that autistic community members have been an integral part of the development of the Tips Hub, right throughout the process. We have prioritised the roll-out of content based on what autistic people have told us is most important to them.
Dr Amanda Roestorf, Director of Research at Autistica
Supporting financial resilience with the Aviva Foundation
Financial resilience and money management were one of the topics that autistic people were overwhelmingly looking for credible guidance on.
The financial wellbeing section of the Tips Hub has been made possible by the generous support of the Aviva Foundation.
This specific content, developed in partnership with inputs from experts from Aviva and other financial services, aims to improve the financial resilience and wellbeing of autistic people and their families.
Additionally, the app contains tailored resources to better support professionals in the financial services field to understand how to better cater for autistic people's unique needs.
It's great news that the Aviva Foundation is supporting Autistica and the Tips Hub app, which will help autistic people access the support they need in a way that works for them. I'm pleased the Aviva Foundation can help support the financial resilience and wellbeing of autistic people, their families and the communities they live in.
Owen Morris, MD Personal Lines at Aviva.
Supporting mental health with the Jingle Jam
The Mental Health and Wellbeing section of the Tips Hub is generously supported by the proceeds raised by Jingle Jam, an annual streaming event that unites the world’s best games, creators, and their communities for two weeks of entertainment.
The Tips Hub is available to download now for both Android and iOS (Apple) devices.