About IAA

The Iran Autism Association (IAA) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 2014 by specialists, experts, stakeholders, people with autism, and their families. Our mission is to improve the quality of life and empower people with autism. We recognize that people with autism experience the world differently than others, and we seek to provide services such as training, rehabilitation, counseling, and support to develop their behavioral skills and pave the way for their independence in society. We believe that empathy and assistance are essential for people with autism to be recognized and find their place in society. At IAA, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of people with autism and their families. At the moment, the Iran Autism Association has 32 representative units in different cities in Iran.

IAA pursue this goal
through various sections

Advocacy

This section focuses on following up and taking fundamental steps in different educational, legal, medical, etc., areas to solve the problems autistic people face.

Awareness Raising

This department tries to introduce autism to society and inform people about how to behave with autistic persons.

Autism Academy

This department tries to train everything related to autism. Therefore, holding face-to-face and online workshops for the families, trainers and caregivers.

Family Health

This section is established to provide general and specialized counseling services to individuals and families with autistic children.

Autism-Friendly

Expanding and preparing suitable public spaces based on special needs of autistic persons and involving the society with autism is considered as a primary task of this section.

See Our Vision

Our vision at the Iran Autism Association is to transform Iranian society into an autism-friendly society by the end of 2026. We aim to achieve this goal by creating knowledge and paving the way for the inclusion of standard and high-quality services such as screening, diagnosis and evaluation, training, protection, minimum insurance services, job creation, and all-inclusive rehabilitation.

A message from Saeideh Saleh Ghaffari

Our organization, Iran Autism Association, is dedicated to raising awareness and safeguarding the rights of people with autism in Iran. We believe that a strong civil society and systemic action are necessary to fulfill the needs of the autism society more efficiently. Non-governmental associations represent the voice of people with disabilities, including individuals with autism. We recognize that the effective presence of families is crucial to achieving our goals. Therefore, we invite families to join us at all levels of decision-making and offer the help of consultants and specialists to lend a helping hand to people with autism and their families. We also welcome the experiences of other countries and organizations in confronting the challenges of autism and helping people with ASD develop their behavioral skills. We are willing to develop relationships with all autism societies and organizations to share our experiences and challenges and learn about others’ experiences, targeting a more effective role in supporting the autism society. Join us in our mission to empower the autism society and make a positive impact on the lives of people with ASD and their families.