Self-Advocacy in Healthcare: The Autistic Experience – A Peer Support Guide

Download our free peer support guide, Self-Advocacy in Healthcare.

For many autistic women and gender-diverse people, navigating healthcare can be difficult.

Whether it’s trying to explain your symptoms, navigating sensory-overwhelming environments, requesting reasonable adjustments or feeling that your concerns have been dismissed, accessing healthcare isn’t always straightforward. While self-advocacy can help, many of the barriers autistic people experience exist because healthcare systems are not always designed to understand or accommodate autistic ways of communicating, processing information and experiencing the world.

This practical guide has been developed to help you better understand your healthcare rights, communicate your needs and feel more confident participating in decisions about your care.

Inside you’ll find:

• Practical strategies for advocating for your healthcare needs

• Examples of reasonable adjustments you can request before, during and after appointments

• Scripts for common healthcare situations, including communication, sensory needs, medical dismissal, seeking a second opinion and making complaints

• Information about your healthcare rights and what you can do if your needs have not been understood

• Grounding tools, practical strategies and reassuring reminders to support you before, during and after appointments

Whether you’re preparing for your first appointment or have spent years navigating the healthcare system, we hope this guide helps you feel more informed, supported and confident to advocate for the care you deserve.

This resource has been made possible through funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Social Services under the Peer Support Grant.

NB This guide focuses on supporting autistic people to advocate for themselves, while a companion resource currently in development will support healthcare professionals to create more affirming, accessible and accommodating healthcare environments.