Autism Speaks Canada Closing Down!

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https://www.autismspeaks.ca/autism-spea ... al-update/

This calls for a celebration.

This ^^^^^

Any idea why Autism Speaks Canada is closing up shop?

I understand there was/is a lot of hatred towards this organization, can someone tell me why that is?

Autism $peaks is a hate group run by NTs that demonizes and dehumanizes autistic children in order to get money from their witless parents while ignoring adults on the spectrum. There is a PSA by Autism $peaks called "I Am Autism". If you can find it on Google, it might help you to understand.

I'm glad to hear there's one good thing that's happening in Canada now. But I'll bet it won't last when Trump annexes Canada. How can someone who is on a McDonald's diet not be dead by now?

Some people don't like autism speaks because they only want "acceptance" and "representation".

Some autistic people like the idea of a cure and would take a cure if one was offered.

If you don't like autism speaks calling them a "hate group" is a way to pretend that everyone who thinks differently than you is evil.

Pros and Cons of Autism Speaks: A Balanced Perspective

The topic of Autism Speaks often sparks polarized discussions. Some view it as a major advocate for autism awareness, while others criticize its methods and messaging. To foster a more balanced conversation, let’s explore both the pros and cons of this organization.

Pros
1. Widespread Awareness: Autism Speaks has played a significant role in bringing autism to the forefront of public discourse, helping many people learn about autism who otherwise might not have.
2. Funding for Research: The organization has funded numerous studies on autism, including those focused on genetics, biology, and early intervention methods.
3. Resources for Families: Autism Speaks offers toolkits and resources that many families find helpful when navigating an autism diagnosis or seeking support.

Cons
1. Messaging Critiques: Critics argue that Autism Speaks has historically portrayed autism in a negative light, focusing on the burden it places on families rather than the strengths and challenges of autistic individuals.
2. Representation Concerns: Some feel that the organization doesn’t adequately include autistic voices in its leadership or advocacy efforts, which can lead to decisions that don’t align with the needs of the community.
3. Allocation of Funds: A significant portion of Autism Speaks' budget has gone to research and administration rather than direct support for autistic individuals and their families.

A Balanced View
Autism Speaks is neither wholly good nor wholly bad—it is a complex organization that has made meaningful contributions while also facing valid criticism. For those navigating autism advocacy, it’s important to:
- Recognize the organization’s achievements in awareness and research.
- Hold it accountable for its messaging and representation to better serve the autistic community.
- Seek out additional organizations that prioritize autistic voices and directly support individuals.

By discussing both the positives and negatives, we can encourage constructive dialogue and focus on improving outcomes for the autism community as a whole.

Clearly all the preservatives are giving him the same sort of unnatural power that keeps Keith Richards dead body still moving.

I'd suggest that the fact that they were ever pushing for a cure makes them some combination of a hate group and fraudsters.

As desirable as it may be for some people to be cured of their autism, any treatment that could do that would be extremely invasive and monkey with so much of the brain that the person would arguably no longer be themselves.

There have been two Autism Speaks eras. It was founded by Bob and Suzanne Wright in 2005. Bob Wright as head of NBC was very liked and influential and the media took their cues on how to cover autism from Autism Speaks. At that time their mission statement said their goal was a cure. They ran fundraising campaigns that portrayed autism as the devil or doppelganger-like figure stealing children and portrayed parents as righteous warriors fighting to get their children back.

In 2016 their leadership and mission statement changed. The mission statement today states that Autism Speaks is "dedicated to creating an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan. We do this through advocacy, services, support, research and innovation, and advances in care for autistic individuals and their families.

Ensure access to reliable information and services across the lifespan
Support research and innovation that drives towards improved quality of life and well-being for individuals with autism throughout their lives
Leverage our assets through advocacy, partnerships, and collaboration to support, extend and convene the work of service providers
Accelerate delivery of solutions for adult quality of life needs, including transition, employment, housing and health and wellness
Live and promote principles of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion both in and outside of the organization". Since then one or two members of the thirty-member Board of Directors have been autistic

How you view Autism Speaks depends on how you view autism. People who viewed Autism as a bad thing back in the day viewed Autism Speaks as an organization that spoke for a beleaguered ignored group. Some of them view the changes in 2016 as selling out to the neurodiversity movement.


People who supported the neurodiversity movement viewed them as a hate group that wanted to commit genocide against autistics via eugenics. From what I have read since the changes that view has not changed. They view the changes as a trick and view the word "solution" in their mission statement as secretly meaning a Nazi type final solution.

Back in the day I did view them as an existential threat to autistic people. I still have significant problems with them.

Autism Speaks has been instrumental in mandating that insurance companies cover Applied Behavioral Analysis therapies and making those therapies the "gold standard" therapy for autistic children. The merits of ABA have been the topic of many WP threads. I view it as a negative and will leave it at that.

Since 2014 Autism Speaks and Google have partnered on the MSSNG project that "involves the collection and sequencing of DNA from people with a personal or family history of autism". That name is offensive because implies Autistic people are missing. If you want to convince people that this is not a eugenic elimination project using that word is not the way to go about it.

Only one or two Autistic board members is tokanism.

I would like to see at least an apology for the harm they did during their first two decades.

That said to believe that Autism Speaks is still the same Autism Speaks of 2009 is to have your head in the sand. To believe that changing your leadership, mission statement, and language on your many webpages to pull the will over people's eyes strains credulity. Even though a lot of the webpages are empty promises they are not the webpages of a hate group. Ignoring the changes is ignoring the accomplishments of the Neurodiversity movement. Even if you believe these changes are all fake that they felt the need to make these changes is an accomplishment.

Agree with you.

Autism speaks and a lot of these organisations that are supposed to be taken seriously now try to walk a middle line, they get mixed up with the ND movement and end up disenfranchising those that don't like their autism & are pro cure.

Not too mention getting bogged down in pseudo science losing focus with real science and logic.

What they fail to understand like the UK scientist SBC is they end up being disliked by all as their position becomes untenable.

This is a binary issue you cant be a little bit pregnant.

The ND movement is an anti science and anti psychiatry movement so naturally dislikes & distrusts any one or organisation from there.

Is there anyone who supports the neurodiversity movement that also supports SBC and his 10k genetic research? not many i bet

I rest my case

Until somebody proposes a way of curing autism without changing who people are, people pushing a cure deserve to be lumped in with other eugenicists. As appealing as a cure might be, that's not how the brain works. There's a bunch of stuff tied into the impacted parts of the brain.

It's about bloody time.

So I'm the evil one for wanting acceptance and not being treated like a freak of nature? Okay fine, I already know I'm a very evil person anyway.

I believe he was referring to the fact that many in the ND community like to pretend no one with autism wants a cure.

Such belief is false as even surveys on this website confirm.

Those that are at least able to understand the question and can respond, which excludes many from the autistic community anyway.