There have always been autistic people as long as humans have been around. We have always found each other and spent time together. But 30 years ago, something new happened! The internet got started, and people went online. This made it easier for autistic people to find each other. Autistic people first started talking to each other online, and soon, autistic people started meeting in person. After that, autistic people started forming our own groups. We started talking about being autistic, and taught others about autism. Since then, autistic people have made lots of communities! Some autistic communities are on the internet, and some meet in-person.