Our Story
Our charity was born from the Autism Research Trust, which existed purely to fund academic research. Each of our trustees is either autistic or has a close autistic family member, including three whose loved ones are autistic with severe learning disabilities. They are all passionate about driving change. Yet after almost a decade of commissioning autism research, they recognised that the many world-class research papers and increased understanding of the issues were not improving quality of life or life expectancy for autistic people in the way they had hoped.
In 2017, Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, one of the founders of the Autism Research Trust, gave a speech at the United Nations. He explained that many autistic people are still denied basic human rights – such as the right to health, education, employment, equal access to public services, dignity, leisure, and the protection of the law. Inspired by that message, the trustees all agreed: it was time for a change.
Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen’s UN speech
In 2020, the trustees formed a new charity to focus on delivering real-world impact rather than simply funding research. Although we are now called Autism Action, our original name was the Autism Centre of Excellence. By 2023, the Autism Research Trust had transferred funds and ongoing grants to the new charity, but making the shift from research to impact has taken time. In 2023 we commissioned a substantial suite of research from the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, tackling the dearth of evidence relating to suicide risk in autistic people.
In 2024, new CEO Tom Purser, a parent of autistic children who recognises his own autistic traits, heralded a fresh start. Tom brings his passion for change and is fuelled by a constructive analysis of – and dissatisfaction with – over 13 years in the autism charity sector. Tom has spearheaded high profile and impactful campaigns to drive greater public understanding of autism and launch new support services. He has extensive experience of working closely with government, employers, and funders, as well as autistic people and their families, to bring about change and make a difference to people’s lives.
In 2025, we rebranded to become Autism Action, to better reflect our new approaches. Read about what we do and why here.
