Autism in Indiana

April 28, 2025

April is Autism Acceptance Month, and April 2 was World Autism Awareness Day. In recognition, we wanted to examine how Indiana has approached and raised awareness for this condition which affects approximately 1 in 36 children in the U.S. today. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines Autism spectrum disorder as “a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.”

Widespread awareness of autism on a national level began in the 1960s as key medical research began and publications were written. The national organization Autism Society of America (ASA) was established in 1965, with local state branches established in the years following. The Autism Society of Indiana branch was formed in the mid-1990s.

Legislation for autism in Indiana started in the early 1980s with funds appropriated to create a statewide resource center for autism: the Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA). Early legislation also called for the Indiana Department of Mental Health to help increase awareness of autism throughout the state. Later state legislation came in 2001 with the Autism Insurance Mandate to require companies to cover services for individuals with autism. In 2006 the federal Autism CARES (Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support) Act was established to support research, education, and services.

With a relatively “young” history, it is no surprise that public history archives such as the Indiana Historical Society do not have a wealth of material on the topic of autism. However, we do have a couple of resources that reflect how the understanding of autism has changed over the years.

WTLC’s Like It Is Transcript: Autism, July 21, 1991, IHS

The first item is a radio show and transcript from the WTLC’s Like It Is collection. Like It Is was a long-running program that covered a wide variety of topics and human-interest stories. In July 1991 the radio show’s host Wendell Ray interviewed Charles Hart, a national advocate, author, and speaker on autism. Mr. Hart’s brother and son were both on the autism spectrum, so he shared his personal experiences learning about living with and caring for someone with autism. Mr. Hart emphasized the importance of acceptance of the autism diagnosis and partnering with and learning from other families who have experienced the same thing. You can listen to the program and read the transcript here in our digital collection.

“Growing Up Together” pamphlet, Circa 2008, IHS

The second item is a newly donated pamphlet to the IHS collection. This pamphlet published around 2008 is titled “Growing Up Together” and aimed to help friends, family, and community members better understand and interact children with autism. It was produced and distributed in partnership by the ASA, IRCA, and Easter Seals Crossroads, with funding from the Indiana Department of Education. This pamphlet tries to answer some basic questions like:

• What is autism?
• How can I be a friend to someone with autism?
• How do kids with autism act?
• What causes autism?

You can view the entire pamphlet by visiting the William H. Smith Memorial Library at the Indiana Historical Society.

The WTLC radio show introduces the topic of autism, which much of the public had little understanding of at the time in the early 1990s. The “Growing Up Together” pamphlet shows the amount of research and education on autism that had occurred by the late 2000s. These two archival items demonstrate how awareness of autism in Indiana increased significantly in a matter of 15 years.

Resources:

Autism Society of America

Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

Autism Society of Indiana

Aiden Grace and Kathy Mulder - Aiden Grace is a Digitization Specialist at IHS. She enjoys art and reading. Kathy Mulder works with Digital Collections at IHS. She enjoys history road trips and LEGO building.

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