Autism Speaks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Movement to cure Autism

Issues

Autism therapies

Organizations

Autism Research Institute

Autism Society of America

Autism Treatment Trust

Cure Autism Now

Generation Rescue

National Alliance for Autism Research

Autism Speaks is a New York City-based advocacy organization, founded in February 2005 by Bob Wright and his wife Suzanne, to improve public awareness about autism and to promote autism research. Bob Wright is the Vice Chairman of General Electric.

The Wrights founded Autism Speaks a year after their grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism, in order to help find a cure for autistic spectrum disorders. Autism Speaks has drawn considerable interest from autism activists, the media, and others for its extensive lobbying and fund raising, spearheaded by the Wrights on behalf of the many children and families greatly affected by the disorder.

Contents 1 Mergers 1.1 Walk for Autism Research 2 Raising awareness 3 Controversies 4 External links 4.1 Video

[edit] Mergers

In early 2006, a year after its founding, Autism Speaks joined with the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), creating the largest independent organization in the world devoted to finding a cure against autism.

On November 29, 2006, Autism Speaks announced that it is combining operations with Cure Autism Now, a 10-year-old organization based in Los Angeles that is primarily involved fund-raising for a variety of autism research. It is expected to take a year for the full integration of the two organizations to be completed.

[edit] Walk for Autism Research

Their combined Walk for Autism Research program conducts the world's largest annual autism walk on Long Island, New York; the walk attracted 20,000 participants in October, 2006, and raised $2 million for funding quality, peer-reviewed autism research. Cure Autism Now's Walk Now chapters will give Autism Speaks a large boost in participation and funds on a national level.

[edit] Raising awareness

In April, 2006, Suzanne Wright appeared on NBC's The Today Show to discuss the Ad Council campaign launched by Autism Speaks to raise autism awareness and to highlight the importance of early detection. The Ad Council is the leading producer of public service announcements for charitable and humanitarian causes. The Today Show aired a week long series of stories that April, highlighting autism research and treatment.

[edit] Controversies

Autism Speaks has become involved in a wide range of controversies in autism. Large groups of autistic individuals, as well as advocates of neurodiversity, have expressed opposition to Autism Speaks. Some critics of Autism Speaks would prefer it if the organization would direct its efforts toward increasing the acceptance of, and civil rights for, individuals on the autistic spectrum, citing concerns that the concept of an autism cure is misguided. Other critics have questioned Autism Speaks' focus on funding genetic research primarily, while neglecting what is increasingly seen by parents as evidence of harm related to environmental risk factors.

Autism Speaks has endured a series of protests stemming from the Autistic Civil Rights movement. The protests have included criticism of the Autism Every Day video, because of discussion among parents in the film of killing their children because of their autism. Some critics feel the film has encouraged the murder of Katherine McCarron and other children with autism at the hands of their parents. A month after the film's release, the British mother of a child with autism killed both herself and the child in a manner similar to that described in the film.

Autism Speaks has been both criticized and praised for its hiring of Kevin Barry, former president of Generation Rescue.^{[citation needed]} Barry is an attorney said to have participated in litigation against the pharmaceutical industry. Many outside of Autism Speaks hope that Barry's hiring evidences an openness to a diversity of views by the advocacy group's management, although others cite internal resistance to the involvement of an advocate for biomedical interventions for children with autistic spectrum disorders.

[edit] External links

• AutismSpeaks.org - Official homepage
• AdCouncil.org - 'Sponsor Organization: Autism Speaks', Ad Council
• VAProject.org - 'Open Letter to Autism Speaks', Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP

[edit] Video

• AutismSpeaks.org (requires Windows Media Player) - Autism Every Day, produced by Lauren Thierry, Jim Watkins and Eric Solomon (first screened May 9, 2006)