Autism Speaks

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What is your opinion of Autism Speaks?

I don't have one.

They're IDIOTS! The leader has NO experience with Autism, thinks her CDD kid has ASD, and tries to make everyone think that ASD can only be FAR more horrible than it is! She gets a LOT of money for claiming to want to cure it but HELL, she doesn't even know what autism is.

They don't encourage improvement but seem to harp on pity. At least that's the impression I get.

They are well funded, well organized, well led, plugged directly into the mainstream, are beginning to dominate the mainstream debate and we're in trouble.

I agree. The identity of AS is definitely in danger here. Someone has the signature of "Autism Speaks does not Speak for me". I like that. I don't want to be pitied for it. I want to be recognized as the incredibly artistic, well read, articulate, out of the box thinker that I am.

Besides, anything that Jenny McCarthy endorses, immediately puts me off!

as much as i detest them...........

good science (and yes----bad science) is funded through them.

though, im sure they put more money into PR than they do any sort of research....

the whole research funding process is disgusting imo.... most things are funded through a "let's find a cure" venue... and sadly, fear propoganda is a common strategy in many forms of brainwashing.... resulting is real PoS's such as autism speaks.

I really haven't read enough about them to make a good judgement, although the combination of a strong focus in the US on an autism cure, and their high profile, at least makes me assume they're in a large part behind that focus, and I'd heard that their President used to be a bigwig in NBC, which helps explain both the money and exposure. I doubt there's an effective way to fight those sorts of contacts.

Lots of people here seem to hate them. I think in part, that's because of what they represent, but I'm not sure being so harsh on them is productive. While most of us here can operate in society to some degree or another, we do have to remember that there are also many who're low functioning who are an enormous drain and stress on their parents, and likely are not having a very enjoyable life, either. Those people deserve our sympathy, and it's understandable (however misguided) that they might be seeking a cure.

they hate autism, they seek to cure a personality type. I would compare them to Homosexual = disease zealots.

They are not autism friendly. They are the biggest single force working against autistics.

I understand that there are low functioning autistics, but that does not justify being anti-neurodiversity.

Diversity is evolution, diversity is humanity. Eliminating diversity is eliminating humanity

I don't really have any firsthand experience but I've only heard extremely negative things about them.

I do hope they aren't the ones with billboard about how terrible AS is and that it needs to be cured now though

Autism Speaks is a close partner with "Cure Autism Now"

I have made many posts on the Autism Speaks forum - All but one them have been deleted/censored. Spend some time over there and see what we're dealing with. Check out Dame Stephanie Shirley ( www.steveshirley.com ), head of Autism Speaks UK...*SHUDDER*... this is what we've got to deal with...

What's their web site? This has me interested...I may have to (respectfully) disagree with them...

I know very little of them, but from what I know, I don't like them.

www.autismspeaks.ORG ...dont call Jenny McCathy a failed porn star with saggy boobs. You'll get banned...

Autism as they see it is more about the Kanner/classic side which has a lot more disabling aspects than the common difference not disability aspects of aspergers,not all experiences of it is just difference and personality.
this is why a lot of autism speaks supporters hate hf aspies campaigning against cure because they do not have the same level of challenges as the moderately/severely autistic,it's about wanting to give those more strongly affected by autism a better quality of life.

am do not agree with autism elimination but it would be good if they were able to eliminate individual traits that make many autists' lives a misery, such as non verbalism,sensory difficulties,accute high pain threshhold,not being able to know when need to use toilet,
severe headbanging,mental retardation [if ever possible] etc. as it would help autists to have a better life.