Trustees

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability affecting 1 in 100 people in the UK. It is characterised by difficulties in the development of social relationships and communication skills, alongside unusually strong narrow interests, repetitive behaviour, and difficulties in coping with unexpected change. It remains poorly understood, despite the understanding of autism having developed a great deal over recent decades. However, there is still a large amount of work to be done. Research is vital, not just to understand the causes and effects of autism, but also to evaluate treatments and interventions to ensure that people affected by autism receive the best possible support.

The Autism Research Trust (ART) was set up in 2010 primarily to fund the cutting-edge research taking place at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge University. As they grow they hope to extend this funding to other centres of excellence in the field of autism research. The Cambridge University Autism Research Centre is led by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, an expert with more than 20 years of experience and an archive of book and media credits. Funding for research into autism remains very low in the UK relative to both the US and other areas of medical research. In addition, Simon and his team cannot access charitable support via pure academic research avenues. The purpose of the charity is to rectify these imbalances.

They have just finished their first year, during which they raised funding to start and develop the charity from very humble beginnings. The trustees have recently employed a part time manager to focus on a 12 month fundraising strategy.