Voice-first
Free global initiative by GARS
Global Autism Research Society
Our main initiative is The GARS Feelings Dictionary: a free, voice-powered tool that helps autistic people translate emotions, body signals, and overwhelming moments into clear language.
GARS Feelings DictionaryFree worldwide
"My chest is tight and everything feels too loud."
Possible feeling translationOverwhelmed, anxious, sensory overloadedIntensity: high. Need: quiet space, reduced demands, trusted support.
Science-based
Built on emotion science and autistic communication research
The model is informed by research on alexithymia, interoception, emotional granularity, AAC, sensory load, and co-occurring anxiety.Free and global
No cost, no borders, no gatekeeping
GARS is making the core dictionary freely available worldwide for autistic people, families, educators, clinicians, and support teams.About GARS
A global NGO created to make inner experience easier to communicate.
Global Autism Research Society was founded after a series of listening sessions with autistic adults, non-speaking communicators, parents, teachers, occupational therapists, and clinicians who described the same gap: support often arrives after a person is already overwhelmed, misunderstood, or unable to explain what is happening inside.
Inspired by autistic-led advocacy and community-based autism organizations, GARS follows a simple rule: autistic people must help design the language, research questions, safety practices, and access policies of any tool built for autistic people.
Founded2026, as a remote-first international NGO
GovernanceAutistic-majority advisory council
AccessCore dictionary free for every user
ModelOpen education, sponsored translation, research partnerships
Who leads the work
Run with autistic leadership and cross-disciplinary accountability
Contact the teamFounder and Executive Director
Dr. Maya Renn
Autistic cognitive scientist focused on emotion language, interoception, and tools that reduce the burden of explaining distress in real time.Director of Community Access
Leila Okafor
AAC advocate and parent-partner building multilingual pathways for families, schools, clinics, and peer support groups.Research Chair
Prof. Theo Alvarez
Developmental psychologist coordinating ethics review, evidence summaries, and participatory studies with autistic advisors.Our principles
Nothing for autistic people without autistic people.
- Autistic people are experts in autistic life.
- Technology should reduce pressure, not demand performance.
- Families and professionals need tools that preserve agency.
- Evidence must be readable, practical, and publicly useful.
Our stance
Many autistic people know something is happening before they can name it.
The dictionary gives users a bridge from voice, sensation, and context to feeling words. It supports self-advocacy without forcing eye contact, performance, or immediate explanation in moments of stress.
Main initiative
The GARS Feelings Dictionary
Built for autistic people who may experience alexithymia, sensory overload, shutdown, anxiety, or difficulty turning body signals into words, the dictionary suggests careful language without taking control away from the user.
Request early accessHow it works
- The user speaks naturally about what happened, what their body feels, or what they cannot name yet.
- The dictionary maps the voice input to possible feeling words, body cues, intensity levels, and context questions.
- The user chooses, edits, saves, or shares the translation in their own words with a trusted person.
- The tool offers communication cards for school, therapy, work, home, and moments of shutdown or overload.
Main initiative
The GARS Feelings Dictionary
A free voice-powered dictionary that helps autistic people translate internal experiences into precise, editable feeling language.Research integrity
Science Advisory Circle
Researchers, autistic advisors, clinicians, and AAC specialists review the emotional vocabulary, prompts, and safety guidance.Families and professionals
GARS Learning Channel
Short, practical resources on parenting, sensory supports, visual communication, adulthood, and inclusive service design.Local to global
Global Access Program
A translation and outreach effort to make the dictionary useful across languages, cultures, literacy levels, and support settings.Scientific foundation
The dictionary is grounded in communication and emotion science.
The approach draws from evidence that some autistic people experience challenges identifying or describing emotions, that interoception can affect emotional regulation, and that more precise emotion language can support better self-understanding and communication.
- Communication is a human right.
- Feeling language should support autonomy, not compliance.
- Voice input must remain editable, optional, and user-controlled.
- The dictionary is a support tool, not a diagnostic or crisis service.
The evidence landscape
Free access matters when communication needs are global.
Reported autism prevalence varies by region, method, and diagnostic access. GARS keeps the core dictionary free so families and support teams can use a shared emotional vocabulary regardless of country, income, or service availability.
42partner institutions across research, education, and public health
18countries contributing lived-experience and service-access data
1 in 31U.S. 8-year-old children identified with autism in CDC ADDM estimates
1 in 127people worldwide estimated to have autism in WHO 2021 data
Global beta for The GARS Feelings Dictionary
Free worldwide accessAutistic testers, families, educators, clinicians, and advocates can help evaluate clarity, safety, accessibility, and cultural fit.
Learn moreWebinar: Naming Feelings Without Forcing Speech
Online webinarA free session on alexithymia, interoception, sensory overwhelm, AAC, and respectful support during shutdown or overload.
Learn moreAutism and Humanity Forum
Global livestreamA World Autism Month event focused on communication rights, emotional safety, fair access, and public acceptance.
Learn moreGet involved
Help keep the Feelings Dictionary free and global.
Contributions support translation, accessibility testing, autistic advisor honoraria, open learning resources, community-led research, and free access for users in under-resourced settings.