Autism matters : a pilot campaign to create a community of like-minded caregivers of persons with ASD

Autism Matters is a pilot campaign that aimed to create a community of well-equipped familial caregivers of persons with autism in Singapore through a centralised support network. The challenges caregivers face are often not visible in the society. Given that these caregivers often suffer from guilt, stress or even mental breakdowns from their child’s diagnosis and their situations thereafter, this pilot campaign was formed to help alleviate these issues through social support. To first understand this hidden community, face-to-face and email interviews were conducted with experts and caregivers. Guided by Social Support Theory, surveys were then disseminated within this community via WhatsApp and Facebook groups. Research findings were then used to craft campaign messages. To achieve our goal, we carried out our campaign in three phases: (1) setup of network (online forum), (2) promoting awareness and (3) promoting meaningful engagement. With core strategies of engagement of key influencers, and partnerships with ASD organisations, this pilot campaign was unique in that there was a prominent focus on relationship-building. Unlike current online support groups, our pilot campaign allowed for engagement with subject matter experts, as well as the catalogue of information on the forum. The campaign was also monitored during its course, and improved upon from ongoing feedback from caregivers and experts and our on-ground observations. Post-surveys and interviews were conducted to evaluate the campaign effectiveness both quantitatively and qualitatively. Finally, this report will address the limitations and implications of this pilot, and possible future directions this pilot could take.Bachelor of Communication Studie