a plan to destroy autism speaks

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DAMN RIGHT!
This is exactly what I have been saying pretty much my whole life!

Pardon my asking, but when did "Right Wing Christian" become a good thing? I'm not bringing politics or religion into this, just pointing out, as a left-wing atheist, that both are in fact neutral points that neither make you sound like a good or bad person. The pro-life part makes sense though .

Same as myself.

You have your beliefs and I have mine.

There is no evidence that Autism Speaks is funding any studies to develop a prenatal test for autism. All of their research grants are clearly identified on their website. The question was asked directly to the organization from the autistic community as to whether or not they were funding prenatal tests for autism, and they provided a definitive answer that they were not funding any research on prenatal tests for autism. That record still exists on this internet site, from less than a year ago, from their executive in public relations, as quoted below:



http://www.wrongplanet.net/postxf182880-0-15.html



That said, there are other for-profit organizations across the globe that are working towards a goal of a pre-natal screening test for autism; there is a demand for the test, and if it can be developed, a for-profit organization will supply it because of the potential profits associated with a prenatal test to screen for autism. It's not likely a definitive test will ever be designed because of the complexity of the disorders.

Genetic screening tests to detect the potential of autism post-natally have already been designed by for profit organizations and are provided as requested by the general public for a fee.

The organization meets the same level of scrutiny as other charitable organizations, in the US. The organization scores 3 out 4 stars, overall, from the Charity Navigator organization watchdog group for non profit charitable organizations. In comparison the Mayo Clinic scored 1 out of 4 stars.

The salaries for the organization are listed well within the norm of large charities from the Northeast from the Charity navigator organization, as well. In addition the organization meets all standards required by the Better Business Bureau for non-profit charitable organizations in the US.

The organization is squeaky clean, as a reputable one, per objective standards that rate charitable organizations.

Philanthropists, in part, that support Autism Speaks consist of 340,000 volunteers as evidenced on their latest IRS Form 990. Many of these individuals participate in the walks that raise money for the organization across the US.

Autism Speaks meets their mission goals as stated on their website. The organization's supporters are aware the organization seeks treatments and cures for disabling symptoms associated with autism that some individuals experience. This is the reason they donate.

The organization's marketing strategy made some individuals in the autistic community uncomfortable, and the organization changed it's marketing strategy to accommodate those concerns. That was years ago. The ransom notes controversy, also years ago, was not associated with autism speaks, instead another organization. Misinformation is often presented that Autism Speaks was behind that controversy, as well as an issue with censorship with a T-shirt, but Autism Speaks had nothing to do with either incident.

All that said, if you don't agree with their mission, by all means voice that opinion, in all the ways provided by freedom of speech. But, if you want to describe the organization as doing things that there is no valid evidence for, that is not going to be taken seriously by anyone that supports the organization, and it will reduce the credibility of any valid points that you present in a critical analysis of the organization's mission.

If you want to start protests at the walk events, that avenue is already available through the ASAN organization at selected events, but these charitable walks occur not only nationwide in the US, but in other countries as well. ASAN has less than 20 chapters worldwide.

ASAN, an organization that has long been opposed to organizations associated with parent advocacy, is breaking the barriers in their latest cooperative effort with the Autism Society of America, another organization that supports a cure for the disabling symptoms of autism, in mutual concern over changes in the DSM5. Autism Speaks supports that concern and is addressing that concern as well, through funded research, as described on their website.

This issue over concerns regarding Autism Speaks, has been discussed in other threads up to close to 50 pages long. Autism Speaks has stood trial in those threads of public opinion, and most of the issues of criticism have been solidly refuted, with third party evidence, that anyone with internet access can check and validate for themselves.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt177883.html

Every organization that supports the needs of autistic individuals provides valuable services; no one organization can meet all missions or needs.

The government provides financial support to autistic individuals that qualify for aid, based on disability and educational needs. That support amounts to over a billion dollars a year. The money autism speaks funds for research is a tiny fraction of the support the government provides for autistic individuals. Government sources provide a great deal more financial assistance for that research as well, in partnership with many of autism speaks funding efforts for research.

And finally, Autism in part, is determined as a genetic condition. Many of the 340,000 volunteers are family members of autistic individuals, whom are more likely by their genetic association to have autistic traits than the general population.

Beyond this science research, of which autism speaks supports, is made up of individuals, some of whom have autistic traits, and some of whom are diagnosed as having autism, per Michelle Dawson and her associates, that are part of Lauren Mottren's research efforts in Autism, that have been made, in part, possible by Autism Speaks funding efforts.

Michelle Dawson does not publically support all of autism speaks mission, however autism speaks does not limit their assistance in research science, per agreement or disagreement of their overall mission, of those whom work in research groups, funded by the organization. Autism Speaks seeks to pursue causes, prevention, cures and treatments for disabling symptoms associated with Autism, but those that are researching those issues, do not answer to autism speaks, when their findings may not be in alignment with what is currently understood about autism.

People have resigned from autism speaks advisory boards and the organization has lost some support from individuals that do not agree with the findings of science that autism speaks supports, specifically on issues in the past associated with vaccines, but autism speaks took the position of science that the pros of vaccines outweighed the risks of vaccines, and continues research into the potential of rare incidences where some autistic individuals inherent problems may pre-dispose them to the ill effects of vaccines.

The organization is a new one compared to the Autism Society of America, ASA, that has been around since 1965. The founder of the organization, a previous CEO for NBC and vice president of general electric, who has a grandson with regressive autism, quote still exists on the website, as founding the organization to provide a voice for the disenfranchised families of autistic individuals, like his grandson. 8 years later the organization is the single largest global advocacy organization for autism research and awareness in the world, with close to 50 million dollars generated by fundraising efforts.

In comparison the ASA generates a little more than a million dollars a year from fundraising. My local organization, not associated with either effort, raises over 4 million dollars for autism.

There are over 2000 organizations nationwide, just in the US, providing many missions associated with support of autism, identified by the guidestar organization, that tracks charitable organizations.

There are many charitable organizations to choose from to support, potentially one that you may not even be aware of in your local area. If one is concerned that autism speaks is getting too much of the funding available, while they lead the pack, they only receive a tiny portion of charitable donations, compared to the totality of charitable contributions provided to over 2000 organizations nationwide.

Threads associated with Autism Speaks on this internet site provide free advertisement for Autism Speaks, that is already ahead in advertising efforts through the influence and expertise, of the founder who was a national media executive. There are those 2000 plus other organizations, that rarely get a mention. I provide free advertising, when the opportunity arises, for those other nameless organizations by mentioning the website, "guidestar.org", that one can use to find their local organization, and support them if their personal views are in alignment with that organization's mission, or perhaps peruse thousands of other organizations to support if one is not available in one's local area.

Again, good luck in fighting the mission of autism speaks, that is your right in freedom of speech, but for general support of autistic individuals, the same effort is worthwhile as well, in supporting organizations that one is in agreement with.

I would hope the information I present might motivate one in a positive constructive effort rather than an effort that has zero chance of success. Autism Speaks is as solid, and well supported, as charitable organizations come in the US.

But, there are over 2000 others, some like my local organization, that have amazing support considering their limited areas of influence. It's highly likely that my local organization gets more support than autism speaks. People given the opportunity and awareness will give to local organizations above and beyond any similar national organization given awareness that the organizations exist.

As many positive things as I've said about Autism Speaks, I will donate to my local organization before I ever donate to a national organization. But, I never knew my local organization existed until I checked the guidestar.org website, that someone else provided to me on this website.

In fact, I wasn't consciously aware that Autism Speaks existed, until I visited this website. This website is visited by close to 1500 people at any given moment. Everytime a thread title comes up with the words Autism Speaks in it, it provides the opportunity for another person to see the catchy phrase in a thread title and do a google search on the organization, potentially eventually providing additional financial support to the organization.

I do my own research on every opinion provided on the internet that I become interested in, to form my own opinion. Google makes it too easy, not to do it. As well as other internet provided watchdog organizations mentioned, like guidestar.org, charity navigator, and the Better Business Bureau.

Interesting that there never has been a thread, whose sole iniative in this forum, was dedicated to providing the means to locate charitable autism organizations per third party reference, in one's local area. Anyone reading this discussion has that means now, if they didn't already have a tool, to do it, and/or were not aware of their local or regional organizations supporting autistic individuals.

It's a long post, but as far as I'm concerned it's worth the effort if it influences one person in a positive way for a constructive effort to help autistic individuals. With thousands of people visiting the website at any given time, there is that potential for more than those who post.

Destructive efforts not supported by evidence, are not advocacy efforts for autistic individuals. Given the opportunity, I try to provide third party references that might provide clarification on issues. I can source any fact that I have provided in the discussion, as sourced in the links provided in this post to other threads on the issue. It's become one of my special interests.

are you arguing that for foetus' identified as having an ASD to be not aborted and for there not to be eugenics we should be anti abortion? i am prochoice and autistic and opposed to selective abortion and do not see these things as irreconcilable. abortion should be free, on demand and at any point in pregnancy and i resent it when conservatives use eugenics as an argument against abortion. conservatives tried the same thing using racial discrimination and abortion of female foetus'. both were offensive.
i think we should pester autism speaks as much as possible but with public sentiment as against us as it is im not sure how that would go.

Last edited by VMSmith on 03 Jun 2012, 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

LoL.

I think I need to explain this post. I was not speaking of myself; I was speaking in general terms.

I was using sarcasm to illustrate how someone with ASD may ONLY be focused on how Autism has affected their life.

Basically, i was saying to the creator of this thread THAT YOU may not want or need a cure BUT others may.

The Autism community isn't monolithic.

TheSunAlsoRises

It would be both irresponsible and insensitive of me NOT to take into consideration the plight of others....

I believe in safe good viable choices.............

TheSunAlsoRises

Nobody is normal, therefore these NTs shouldn't feel better than us "sick autistics". It's a shame they're trying to "cure" us or even abort us to get these "sick autistics" off the earth.
Yes, I'm also a touchy guy, and I also often think "Why am I on this earth!" but in general I do NOT think I will ever suicide for this reason. If these superiour NTs are going to abort all autistics and/or we're going to kill ourselves just because these NTs hold us back then we won't get many great minds anymore like Bill Gates, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, and more.

Sorry if this post is too rant-ish, I'm not sure wether this site is really this anti-autism, but I still hate the idea.

if it was possible to get rid of autism speaks,the asan would have done a long time ago

All? That doesn't include me. And they have to raise money. They can't do anything without funds. If we were lifeless humans, the cause of cure wouldn't matter, and the needs wouldn't be there. I don't know what to think of that "ransom" thing I heard of a while back, but I think of it as being held and dispossessed by disability. Your individualistic pride is basically selfish and can be contrary to the common wellness of all.
You don't have a right to bring them down, and your plain is unrealistic. The philanthropists would be perplexed by receiving contact from someone like you with your peculiar demands. They know they're donating to a cause that is in some way worthy.
You've already done those protests, and they're not stopping donations. I've seen anti-cure protests with some holding up posters that are barely visible the way they're written. They're basically as ridiculous as the tea party protesters.
By the way, the anti-cure types also should stop trying to interfere with government funded research.

Many genetic variations contributing to autism have been identified already. Why hasn't there been a partial pre-natal test based on that yet? You should consider if your accusations are unfounded.

But disability must be cured.

Why be against cure due to great minds? Why not allow all who are on the spectrum to have the high aptitudes that great minds use, and make that possible through cure? It's not about becoming "NT". What kind of "great mind" is Bill Gates, with the intentional crap and glitchy messes he made with his software, and his prevention of marketable improvements to that software from competition while he was in control? Lots of these high-intelligence individuals don't do brilliant tasks to benefit others. They often do them to earn their pay and status from whomever bankrolls their research/equipment, whether they be governments or corporations, who often hurt societies. If anyone could be as smart as them, we wouldn't have to depend on just a few geniuses and put up with that crap.

Must? Why?

Because basic mental abilities are needed by anyone to have a bearable life, and are often needed for survival. Humans aren't meant to live dependent on others.

There are Autists who have cognitive and physical difficulties so debilitating THAT they need 24/7 care. When their caretakers die, who will be left to take care of these individuals ? The Autism community has to fight hard and long just to get help for those who need minimal financial assistance and services. So, imagine, what it's going to be like when Autists grow older and live longer because of medical and scientific advances.

These very NTs THAT you rant about are the ones who are going to be left with taking care of a sizeable portion of Autistics IF society can NOT come up with ways in which to develop and ulitize the many different talents Autist have AND to construct effective ways in which to teach Autistics based on their cognitive, social, and emotional needs. In my humble opinion, this is the best CURE and most promising cure we have to offer. Why ?

Simplicity and Specificity. Chances are, IF you are unable to cure the lesser complicated co-morbids of Autism THAN the ideal of 'curing Autism' in it's vast complexities will be extremely difficult.

TheSunAlsoRises