Frequently Asked Questions

World Autism Acceptance Month takes place in the month of April (World Autism Awareness Day is internationally recognised as Thursday 2 April 2026)

We welcome your support throughout the year, and you can find out about more ways to get involved in our other fundraising events or fundraise your way.

Thank you so much for your support — you can make a one-off donation on our donate page. Once you submit your donation amount, please click the ‘pay in funds’ tab and select ‘World Autism Acceptance Month’ from the drop-down menu on the payment page.

We‘ll be providing a range of suitable school resources. These will be available on the website from 20 November, and we will be launching new resources every month in the run up to World Autism Acceptance Month.

You can find lots of ideas to support your fundraising on our resources. If you require further support or information, please get in touch at fundraising@nas.org.uk. 

Tell them what you are doing and why. If you have a personal connection to autism and feel comfortable to share your story, this will resonate with others. You don't need to use another website to collect donations, as when you sign up, an online fundraising page is created for you to personalise and share. 

Absolutely, you can download a sponsorship form on our fundraising resources page.

Pay online – please collect all your donations and make sure the full amount has been deposited into your bank account. You can then make your donation on our donate page. Once you submit your donation amount, please click the ‘pay in funds’ tab and select ‘World Autism Acceptance Month’ from the drop-down menu on the payment page.

By bank transfer - if you would prefer to complete a bank transfer for your fundraising total, please contact our Supporter Care team directly for our account details. Contact the team by email at fundraising@nas.org.uk or call on  0808 800 1050 (phone line available Monday to Friday 10am-3pm). Please make sure the full amount has been deposited into your bank account before you transfer the amount to us. 

Cheques - if your friends and family give you a cheque for their donation, please make sure this is payable to you. You can then collect all your donations and make sure the full amount is deposited into your bank account. Please make one cheque for your fundraising total, payable to ‘The National Autistic Society’ and send it to us at ‘The National Autistic Society, 2nd Floor, Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3NH’.

Make sure to write on the back of your cheque or add a note with your name and details of your fundraiser so that we can allocate your donations to your record. 

Paying-in slip – Email fundraising@nas.org.uk to request a paying-in slip. These can be used to pay in your donations at any Barclays bank.

Order a range of fundraising items from our online shop.

The last date for ordering items in time for the start of World Autism Acceptance Month is 18 March. If you register last-minute, you can still take part, but your items may not arrive in time. You can still order items throughout April. Any items you order will be delivered within 10-14 working days. Our merchandise and fundraising materials are available through our online shop. If you require collection tins, please contact fundraising@nas.org.uk.

Please note: items on our online shop can only be shipped to UK addresses.

Your donations make a real difference to the lives of autistic people and their families in the UK. Every year, we highlight just some of the ways your donations help people across the UK:

£15 could help provide a safe virtual space for an autistic person through our online community  

£50 could help an autistic person overcome isolation, thanks to our branch and social group network.   

£150 could help autistic young people thrive in school by funding our campaigning work for better autism training in education. 

£500 could help close the employment gap for autistic people by ensuring vital employment advice is available for those looking for work. 

Our services and support are a lifeline to many people, and you can read more about our charity’s work in our annual Impact report.

‘We are encouraging people to walk 5k for World Autism Acceptance Month to raise money to support autistic people and share stories and messages of acceptance. Walk 5k this April is an inclusive way to get involved. You can choose your own location and time to do your walk. We recommend a distance of 5km, but you can walk more or less than this, depending on your preferences. You can also walk the distance in one walk or several walks. It’s your walk, your way.

Anyone can take part. We recommend you register individually if you would like to benefit from all the fundraising rewards. 

World Autism Acceptance Month takes place for the whole of April, so you can choose any time during the month to take part. You can find out more and sign up to Walk 5k this April or view all our World Autism Acceptance Month events. If you can’t take part in April, we welcome your support throughout the year, and you can find out about more ways to get involved in our other fundraising events or fundraise your way.

Our registration fee is £5 per person. This covers our costs to send you a t-shirt. We do not charge for fundraising rewards – these are sent based on the fundraising.

For each registration, a t-shirt will be posted out to you. Please allow 10-14 working days to receive it.

Please note: t-shirts can only be shipped to UK addresses.

All registered participants who raise £100 will receive a medal and certificate in the post during May. If you are taking part as a team, all team members need to have registered and paid the registered individually to cover our shipping costs.

Please note: medals and certificates can only be shipped to UK addresses.

• raise £50 to receive our autism acceptance pin badge 
• raise £100+ to receive a medal and certificate 
• raise £200+ to receive a bucket hat.

If you reach your fundraising milestones before the end of April, we may send your rewards early.

Please note: fundraising rewards can only be shipped to UK addresses.

All our downloadable resources, including fundraising packs, are available on our fundraising resources page.

Registration ends on 30 April 2026. 

We understand that you might need support with collecting donations. Reaching this milestone is an important way for us to continue supporting autistic people together and reward your fundraising efforts. All we can ask is that you try your very best to reach the suggested target. You can get support with your fundraising by contacting our team at fundraising@nas.org.uk.

This activity doesn’t require children to have their own fundraising pages. We’ve added a new option to pre-order extra children’s medals as part of your registration. We are only able to send one set of our rewards per registration. However, additional t-shirts, merchandise or fundraising items are available in our online shop. Please look out for a t-shirt discount code in your emails.

We are offering fundraising rewards this year, so we recommend signing up individually to ensure all fundraisers are rewarded for their efforts and help raise as much money to support autistic people as we can.

If you prefer to use one fundraising page for your group and are happy to receive one t-shirt and set of rewards, you can appoint a lead person to register and manage your fundraising group. You can also purchase additional t-shirts, merchandise or fundraising items in our online shop. If you have any questions about fundraising in a group or getting extra medals, please contact us at fundraising@nas.org.uk.

Your JustGiving page will be automatically created when you register. You can follow instructions from JustGiving on the how to join a team page or how to create a team page. If you need further help about managing your JustGiving page, please email help@justgiving.com.

The walks take place on Sunday 19 April. Registration will be open from 11am. Our timeslots when booking a walk will be 12pm, 1pm and 2pm. Please adhere to the time slot you select during booking – we cannot guarantee entry if you do not turn up for your selected slot. You can start and finish at any time within your hour slot, but please be aware the walk can take approximately one hour to complete, depending on your speed.

This year, our walk will take place at the Bandstand in Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ. 

As a charity, we must ensure we are raising vital funds in the most effective way. Due to the rising popularity and inclusivity of our Walk 5k this April event and the careful consideration of in-person event costs, we’ve decided to return to London but extend our capacity to accommodate more people who can join us at the event.. If you are unable to attend in person, we’d love you to take part in a place that suits you by registering for our Walk 5k this April event.  

£20 per adult and free for children under 18. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian or adult. There must be at least one supervising adult to two children. All participants must be registered to take part.

The closing date for registrations is Sunday 29th March 2026.

Yes, your t-shirt, medal and certificate will be given to you on the day.

You can purchase additional t-shirts, along with other merchandise or fundraising items, in our online shop. Please look out for a t-shirt discount code in your emails.

Please allow 10-14 days for delivery.

No, they do not need to pay or commit to raising the £100 minimum sponsorship. They don’t need to register either, please let us know if your support worker will be accompanying you ahead of time by emailing fundraising@nas.org.uk.

We ask you to commit to raising £100 per participant. This fundraising goal helps ensure we can cover our event costs while raising vital funds to support our work, including our support services and national campaigns. However, we are aware that families may find it hard to raise the minimum sponsorship, so we suggest you raise a minimum of £250 as a family. If you feel you can do more, we encourage you to set your own ambitious fundraising goals. If you need help with your fundraising, please contact us at fundraising@nas.org.uk.please contact us at fundraising@nas.org.uk. 

We understand that you might need support with collecting donations. Reaching this milestone is an important way for us to continue supporting autistic people together and reward your fundraising efforts. All we can ask is that you try your very best to reach the suggested target. You can get support with your fundraising by contacting our team at fundraising@nas.org.uk.

We recommend you arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before your slot. You just need to register on the day to tell us you have arrived and collect your t-shirt, and then you can start walking once your time slot starts. We may also organise group starts if you would prefer to walk with other people. You can start and finish at any time within your hour slot, but please be aware the walk can take approximately one hour to complete, depending on your speed.

A 2.5km route that loops around the park twice. This allows you to rest between loops and know what to expect on the second loop. You can find a social story for the event to help autistic attendees on our resources page.

We aim for this event to be as autism-friendly as we can make it. Please expect a low-sensory experience in an outdoor space but with other walkers around you. You can start and finish at any time within your hour slot. We may also organise group starts if you would prefer to walk with other people.

Yes. If there are any parts of the route that we deem to be inaccessible or require support nearer the time, we will inform you.

We cannot offer discount rates for group bookings.

Yes, our Supporter Care team can help with booking on 0808 800 1050 (phone line available Monday to Friday 10am-3pm).

You can still take part in and do your own walk, in your own space and time. 

You can organise your own walk with friends, family or by yourself and take part in Walk 5k this April. Once you register, you will be added to our fundraising Facebook group to connect with other people across the UK doing their bit for World Autism Acceptance Month.

All resources, including fundraising packs, are available on our fundraising resources page.

There are nearby toilets and cafes to Battersea Park. We will also have a small supply of refreshments and a quiet area for autistic attendees on the day. We will also provide a quiet area for autistic attendees.

We will not be allowing dogs on the walk this year, as we want to ensure that all attendees are comfortable, and we create an autism-friendly space. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are exempt with prior notice. Please inform us by email at fundraising@nas.org.uk or call us on 0808 800 1050 (phone line available Monday to Friday 10am-3pm).

We’d love for you to dress up, but this is not compulsory. We do advise comfortable shoes and appropriate outerwear for the weather.

Please follow instructions from JustGiving on the how to join a team page or how to create a team page. If you need further help about managing your JustGiving page, please email help@justgiving.com.

Absolutely! We have timed the day to allow for both. You must register and purchase a ticket for both events to take part.

The route will be managed by our professional event providers and will be signposted throughout. We will also always have medics on site during the event. A team of staff and volunteers from our charity will also be around to help.

This is a brand-new event, and we are therefore keeping numbers to a minimum. You can expect 50-100 people taking part in the run with you. 

Reaching this milestone is an important way for us to continue supporting autistic people together and reward your fundraising efforts. All we can ask is that you try your very best to reach the suggested target. You can get support with your fundraising by contacting our team at fundraising@nas.org.uk.

Yes, we understand that some people may need to wear headphones for this event for sensory reasons or motivation. Bone conduction headphones are a great way to listen to music and stay aware of your surroundings. If you do not have these, that’s okay, but please ensure you are taking note of your surroundings in case our staff need to get your attention.

The route consists of four loops of our 2.5km route around the south of Battersea Park. Members of the public will be around the park, but the route will be fully marked and stewarded. More route information will be shared in the event guide closer to the time. There will be a small event village where runners can celebrate with their friends and family, purchase merchandise and find out more about our charity's work. Our team are on hand to support with anything that can make the day more accessible for you. 

The event takes place on a flat route in a public park, so runners must take care around pedestrians, cyclists and cars during the event. Although our staff aim to keep the route clear of debris, this is a public space, and we cannot guarantee there will be no obstructions or uneven surfaces. More route information will be shared in the event pack closer to the time, but the route does not have any steep hills. 

Registration is open between from 9-9.30am, with the run starting at 10am. Please arrive in good time to register on the day and warm up.

 This is an 18+ event only.

No, the Spectrum Run 10k is designed for runners. If you're looking to walk the entire route, we’ll be hosting our Spectrum Colour Walks later in the day, so we encourage walkers to join that instead. This helps keep the run safe for those aiming for a running pace. Runners are of course able to walk for periods of the route if they feel required to do so on the day.

No, there will be no official bag drop at this place We recommend arriving ready to run and leaving valuables at home or with a friend. If you're driving, you may be able to leave items in your vehicle nearby.

We encourage runners to self-hydrate for this event and bring their own bottles or hydration packs for the route. There will be water station at the start and finish. However, in line with our sustainability goals, cups will be limited. No energy bars or gels will be available on the route; runners should bring what they need to complete the event.

No, we encourage runners to track their own times if they wish.

Not for this first event. We may introduce pacers at future runs.

Yes, we developed our resources for World Autism Acceptance Month with feedback from autistic students, educators and advocates. Their insights ensure all our resources are relevant, respectful and neuroinclusive.

Absolutely. The materials are designed to be flexible and can be tailored to suit primary, secondary and SEND settings. Educators are encouraged to adapt content to meet the needs of their students. 

The 2026 resources include refreshed content.

No, all World Autism Acceptance Month school resources are freely available to download and use. We believe that promoting autism acceptance should be accessible to all.

Schools can take part by using the activity sheets, fundraise, lesson plans and practitioner guides, Schools can take part by using the activity sheets, lesson plans and activity guides with our school resource packs. You can organise a school 5k, fundraise your way, host assembles, create inclusive classroom displays and share your efforts through social media.