About Autism Around the Globe
Autism Around the Globe is a global public awareness project of the Nancy Lurie Marks (NLM) Family Foundation.
Our Foundation, headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts, is one of the United States’ largest and most visible funders of autism research, clinical care, policy, advocacy and education. Since 2000, we have committed more than $60 million to projects related to autism and millions in additional funding to biomedical research projects related to cancer, diabetes and a variety of other disorders. To learn more about our Foundation, please visit our website.
The primary objectives of the Autism Around the Globe project are to:
- raise global public awareness of autism,
- increase understanding of how cultural variations affect how autism is viewed and experienced,
- share information about innovative community efforts and projects in autism being developed in different parts of the world,
- provide a directory of international autism resources,
- develop supportive networks of families and professionals in autism communities around the world, and
- encourage international research collaboration in autism-related fields.
Our target audience includes individuals with autism and their families, educators, advocates, non-profit leaders, science and medical professionals, and any others who are interested in learning more about autism spectrum disorders.
As a major feature of this website project, we share compelling personal stories from contributors around the world whose lives have in some way been affected by autism. We feature multiple perspectives, highlighting the thoughts and experiences of parents, siblings, and autistic individuals themselves as well as educators, researchers, social workers, therapists, and other professionals.
We expect there to be a great deal of cultural variation, particularly with regard to definition and view of autism, typical referral and diagnosis process, impact on daily life, educational options, access to autism research, and long-term life planning options for adults. It is our hope that elucidating these differences as well as sharing commonalities will lead to a greater understanding of how autism is experienced across cultures and an increase in the exchange of knowledge and resources between countries and regions.