FAQs
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability that affects how an individual perceives and experiences the world around them. Autism is a spectrum, which means no two autistics are the same; however, common characteristics of autism include:
Challenges in social situations
challenges picking up on social cues
Intense or special interests
Hyperfocus
Hyper or Hypo Sensitive senses
You can learn more about autism and how to accommodate people on the autism spectrum by attending one of our Understanding Autism Workshops. You can learn more about our workshops on our events page.
Who is Bryce Pace - Autism Advocate?
Bryce Pace - Autism Advocate, is a small autism consultancy business located in Melbourne, Victoria. Bryce Pace - Autism Advocate was founded in April 2016 when Bryce came home from high school disappointed in how his peers were using autism as a derogatory term. He decided to do what any typical teenager does. He logged onto facebook and wrote a post discussing his disappointment and revealing his own autism diagnosis. Now in his 20s Bryce along with his mother Angela work passionately toward creating a world that accepts, includes, and embraces autism.
Bryce Pace - Autism Advocate provides communities and organisations throughout Australia with autism workshops and access consultancy services. In addition to our services, we also work toward supporting autistics and their support networks to access much needed resources and supports.
Is Asperger’s the same as autism?
Asperger’s is an outdated diagnosis that was used to differentiate between individuals with what was considered a milder form of autism.
In 2013, the diagnosis of Asperger’s was removed from the DSM as a standalone diagnosis.
Some individuals diagnosed with aspergers still like to use this term to refer to themselves; however, due to its origins in Nazi Germany, many in the autism community no longer feel comfortable using this term.
Can we advocate for your client or family member?
Unfortunately, we don’t currently have the capacity to provide individual advocacy; however, some organisations who may be able to assit you include:
Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS)
YDAS provide a free advocacy service for young people with a disability aged 12-25.
web: https://ydas.org.au/
Disability Resource Centre (DRC)
DRC provide a variety of advocacy services for people with disability.
web: https://drc.org.au/
Villamantra Disability Rights Legal Service
Villamantra is a legal service for people with disability.
What is Neurodiversity?
Humans are a diverse bunch. We all come in different colours, shapes and sizes, and our brains are no exception to this. Our brains all think, learn and process information differently, and this diversity of the brain is what we call Neurodiversity.
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term; underneath this umbrella, we have two other terms that we use to describe people. These are:
Neurodivergent
People who are neurodivergent or have a form of neurodivergence have brains that function differently from the majority of society.
Neurotypical
Neurotypicals have brains that function in a similar way to the majority of society.
You can learn more about Neurodiversity and how to accommodate people who are neurodivergent by attending one of our Understanding Autism Workshops. You can learn more about our workshops on our events page.
What services do we offer?
Bryce Pace - Autism Advocate provides a variety of services to assist businesses, organisations and communities throughout Australia. These include:
Access Consultancy
Resource Development
Sensory Maps
Social Stories
Sensory/Quiet Room Consultation and/or installation
Access Audits
Training Videos
Professional Development
Community Workshops
Public Speaking and Keynotes