What do you think of autism speaks?

Post Reply New Topic

I find their I am autism commercial just plain disgusting. But my camp/ recreation supports it.

They believe they understand autism fully--yet are not autistic themselves, and don't take into account the input of autistic people.

They believe one should seek a "cure" for autism.

In essence, they erroneously believe that they "speak" for autism

They also spend more money on useless s**t than giving it to a good cause. They don't even care about the adults with autism either. They think that people with autism are a burden and should be fixed. They think we are broken and that autism should be eradicated. While, I do agree with it on a more profoundly severe autism standpoint... I still think their views on autism are very wrong and demeaning to those like us.

I don't think anything about Autism Speaks. They are not worthy of my thoughts!

Seriously though, they're a terrible organization and if hell exists, that's where they're going.

_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

There was a poll recently in the Autism Politics, Activism, and Media Representation board that I think probably pretty well represents that overall attitudes towards them around here. Actually, I think it pretty well represents the attitudes of just about every online community I've been to where people on the spectrum congregate. It amazes me that the attitude can seemingly be so overwhelmingly negative towards them within the autistic community and the general public be so completely oblivious to that.

Is anyone here even aware of any communities made up of primarily autistic people (not NT parents and family members) that actually do support Autism Speaks?

Autism Speaks advocates more of protectionalism (that is unneccessary in high functioning people) of autistic people from society with things like guardianship, speaking out aginst when an autsistic person goes to an extreme but awesome nuerotypical career. And they even made this commercial:
And by the way, Autism Speaks and other Autistic organziations that want to cure Autism are not the only organizations that want to cure autism. Check out this video of how the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapuetics (FAST) hopes that a cure for it's goal condition, Angelman Syndrome could also lead to a cure for autism including high functioning autism and Aspergers (being unaware and not understanding of high functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome and the impact that these two things has had on the world):
However, that does not mean I do not want a cure for Angelman Syndrome and the more servere forms of autism.

horses**t organization run by terrible people and they have an awful message

I could go onto a longer rant, but that's all I'll say about them. I despise them.

#boycottautismspeaks

Disgusting organisation who will never speak for me.

I don't know much about them.... but by the looks of that commercial they are complete idiots with somewhat good intentions. It would kind of be like someone trying to help homelessness by giving out free vodka to the homeless... Or help smokers by giving out cans of chew to help them stop smoking. What I'm trying to say is that they are completely useless... damaging... but they believe that they're doing the right thing.

Autism Speaks claims to represent the autistic community at large, yet to my knowledge, they don't even have anyone with Aspergers or HFA on the board of directors.

Yes that's a dreadful commercial. Even without the bad messages, the selling techniques alone make me wince. So emotive and obviously fake. I saw the same "evil thing x, we're coming to get you" used in a cancer awareness thing. Even with that, I felt my intelligence was being insulted.

Looks like they wish I'd never been born. I don't.

That horrible Nazi organization will never speak for me.

Autism Speaks only wants to say the negative stuff for autism though they showed some succsess stories ab out an autistic man getting married to someone with Cerebal Palsy. But only 80% of the time, they want to make autism look like if it is all bad and something seroius like cancer or AIDS when in reality the higher functioning auites like me and aspies not only still get to live fully able typical healthy lives but also become geniuses like Galieleo in a way people don't imagine that. Maybe Autism Speaks should also focus on these type of people in our society today. Even those on the autism spectrum disorder with who are intellectually challanged are super talented geniuses in certian areas. Though more than half of individuals with an ASD are also intellectually challanged (like my low functioning autistic cousin) have a very diffrent type of intellectual disability that is not like the intellectual disabilities seen in other developmental disabilities like Down Syndrome. Plus we got those who are Raymond Savants that have talents in areas that just about no one else (not even aspies or high functioning auties) can describe.

They show a handful of positive stories every now and then on their website and social media, where the audience is autistic people, their families, and professionals, but when it's advertising to a general audience such as in TV ads, it's all negative and scary. 1 in 68!! !! 1 in 68!! !