SABAA is an SSA-funded project bringing together experts to explore the links between autism, addictive behaviour, and substance use disorders.

There are over 700,000 autistic people* in the UK, a recent systematic review suggested that the rates of substance use among autistic people could be as high as 36%. Very little is known about the overlap between autistic people and their mental health and addiction needs.

The project aims to:

1. convene a Priority Setting Partnership to identify and prioritise the evidence uncertainties surrounding substance use disorders (SUD), and behavioural addictions in autistic people
2. reach consensus on a final list of research and policy priorities in this area and to publicise them widely
3. produce a toolkit template to facilitate priority-setting for researchers and policymakers in other areas of addiction (e.g. recovery worker competencies), using a consistent methodology

*We have chosen to use identity-first language, but understand there is no universally-accepted way to describe autism