The Essex Autistic Society was established in the early 1970s by two sets of parents with newly diagnosed children with autism, who found they were living in an area where no specialised educational provision existed for such children. The Society was registered as a charity (then known as the Essex Society for Autistic Children) and in May 1977 Doucecroft School was opened in Kelvedon.

As the school developed and flourished, it soon became clear that the Society would need to extend its services for those of post-school age and, in 1983, an Adult Life Care Centre was opened in Peldon, near Colchester

Over the years the school was extended and extensively refurbished. In 1999 provision for 16-19 year olds was transferred off-site to another building in Kelvedon. In early 2003 the Trustees agreed that the old main school building was no longer suitable for its purpose and the search for a site for the new school was started. The search was expected to take some years, but a perfect site in Eight Ash Green was found in June 2003. Following two years work to receive all of the necessary permissions from the DfES and Colchester Borough Council and the build and conversion work the new Doucecroft School opened on 5th September 2005

The adult service also continued to expand, and the Society now runs five adult residential establishments in Essex for 27 adults. The Society has recently expanded into providing care through community support projects and runs Jigsaw Study Centre which provides structured day activities to 54 adults.

The Society now has its own HR Officer, Health Safety & Training Officer, IT Manager and family support, clinical psychology, finance, community support, fundraising and speech & language teams based at its Head Office in Colchester. It is continuing to develop a range of high-quality support services for people who are affected by autism. The quality of the services provided in Essex by the Society has been highlighted by the excellent CSCI, OFSTED and accreditation reviews and being invited to work in partnership with Essex and Cambridge Universities.

The Norfolk Autistic Society (NAS) was formed in 1970 as The Norwich and Norfolk Society for Autistic Children by five member families who also found there was a lack of suitable services in their area. In 1982 the Society established the Norfolk Autistic Community Housing Association (NACHA) to provide residential homes to people with autism. There are now three adult residential homes in Norfolk; Whitstone House in Dereham for eleven adults; Lambert House in Bowthorpe on the outskirts of Norwich for ten adults; and more recently Walnut House (in the grounds of Whitstone House) in Dereham for four adults.

In 1983 the Society changed its name to the Norfolk Autistic Society.

1994 saw The Norfolk Autistic Society Trust Fund established to benefit people with autism and their families in Norfolk, a Family Services Officer appointed and the start of Holiday Help Scheme. NAS assisted the formation of the Gt Yarmouth & Waveney branch, which later became ‘The Autistic Way’, an independent charity.

Families in Norfolk can receive help, advice and support from the two family support workers and the support group co-ordinator who helps parents set up support groups. In 2004 NAS collaborated with BREAK and Norfolk Social Services to open Nelson Lodge at Long Stratton to provide short breaks for children with autism and learning disabilities.

On 29 February 2008 NACHA merged with The Essex Autistic Society and the new charity changed its name on 1 May 2008 to Autism Anglia which better reflected its area of operation. On 31 August 2008 NAS merged with Autism Anglia.