Action for Autism

Action For Autism (AFA) operates the Aadhaar Vocational Centre, a model-sheltered workplace specifically designed for adults with autism that aims to impart "work behaviour training" which will be helpful when the person decides to opt for open employment.

IAFA has set up Ananda, an assisted living centre for adults with autism which is located in the village of Gairat Pur Bas, Gurgaon. This centre provides a space where adults with autism can work and live peacefully.

It started the 'Research on Autism and Families in India (RAFIN)' project in 2010 through partnerships with the University of California, Los Angles (UCLA). It has also partnered with the University of Cambridge and MIT Laboratory for Vision Research to conduct studies on autism.

One of the first studies with the MIT laboratory was to characterise the top-down processing in individuals with autism relative to controls and to develop therapeutic interventions for improving any deficits found.

The diagnostic team at AFA conducts screening and diagnostic assessments for individuals across all age groups and across the spectrum of autism. It also conducts functional assessments, which helps determine the existing skill sets and the future goals of the autistic person.

This programme aims to increase awareness about autism amongst professionals (paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, educators, and others) to ensure that all children with autism receive an early and accurate diagnosis.

Apart from awareness programmes, It also conducts family counselling sessions. Action For Autism’s Parent Child Training Programme (PCTP) is conducted three times a year with each session spanning a period of approximately nine to twelve weeks.

In 2008, AFA worked with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, to develop a manual on inclusive education for children with autism for the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). Since then, AFA team members have been conducting regular workshops and training programmes to train teachers to understand the strengths and preferences of children with ASD and achieve better learning outcomes.

AFA has successfully placed many children with autism in mainstream schools and continually works with these schools to facilitate and sustain their inclusion.