View past chats on this topic: May 8, 2016, September 13, 2020, and March 5, 2023.

This #AutChat is on effective strategies for educating people about autism and similar neurodivergences.

Examples of different strategies: Sharing personal stories; talking about research; pointing people to webpages. #AutChat

We can’t always change people’s misunderstandings. Sometimes we can, though. And some approaches work better than others. #AutChat

Questions:

Q1 (1/2): We’ve all learned things from other people about autism and other neurodivergent conditions. #AutChat

Q1 (2/2) What strategies have other people used to dispel misconceptions you used to have? What helped, what didn’t? #AutChat

Q2: If you’ve educated other people about autism or similar conditions, what strategies have you found work best? #AutChat

Q3: What strategies haven’t worked well? #AutChat

Q4: What advice do you have for autistic or similar people who want to better educate others about their condition(s)? #AutChat

Q5: Sometimes educating people is stressful—especially if they’re not receptive, but sometimes even if they are. How do you manage your stress levels during and after interactions? How do you recognize when you need to disengage? #AutChat

Questions for this chat were written by @theoriesofminds. Q5 suggested by @endeverstar.