Why protest autism speaks?

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Let's start by looking at the big one... Autism Speaks has used legal threats to silence Autistic Spectrum individuals who have spoken out against the group. I don't really know why they react like this, but it seems to be counter to their stated purpose - to represent Autistic Spectrum individuals to the world. Bullying is something that Autistic Spectrum individuals deal with at different points in their lives and the irony of an Autism advocacy group that engages in that very behavior seems lost upon them. Here are two examples: Autism Speaks threatens 14 year old for parody site - and - Autism speaks threatens illegal action against Autism Spectrum individual who makes a t-shirt speaking out against them. It just doesn't sit well with most of us.

There is no accountability for money to Autism Speaks. They have no transparency in their book keeping. Unlike most similar charities and advocacy groups (not just for autism), Autism Speaks does not reveal what they are doing with the money. This would not be an issue if it wasn't clear that they use a lot of it to bully Autistic Spectrum individuals as above.
It is hard for us to believe that Autism Speaks truly speaks for us. Autism Speaks produced a movie called "Autism Every Day." In this movie, one of the BOARD members of Autism Speaks states that she considered driving off a bridge with her Autistic Spectrum daughter in it and the only reason she doesn't is her other daughter. She contemplated MURDER-SUICIDE because her daughter was Autistic... Don't believe me? Here's a link to the clip - Watch it on youtube. I hope you can see how this can be damaging to their reputation.

Autism speaks has routinely portrayed autism in a terribly negative light. They have used words like "disaster", "epidemic", and "hopeless". This negative portrayal of Autistic Spectrum individuals has caused a great many people difficulty in social situations. I, myself, have experienced this blowback. On their website (at least in the past, I have not looked recently.) Autism Speaks compared the rise in documented cases of Autistic Spectrum Disorders to cancer and HIV... This is offensive because these are conditions that, left untreated, will result in death. No one, to date, has died from an untreated case of Autism.
Autism Speaks tries to portray itself as THE authority on autism. They claim to "Speak for Autism." Yet their advertisements and information are fear based propaganda that focus on the negative impact that autism has on families, portraying us all as nightmares to be around. As many family and friends of Autistic Spectrum individuals can attest, this is not the case. There are challenges, but we are not a nightmare to be endured.

The financial expenditures they have revealed show a great deal on possible treatments and cures, but very little on what they refer to as "Family Services." Cognitive behavioral therapy and developing coping skills and mechanisms that are necessary for proper functioning in Neurotypical society. Almost all mental health professionals agree that these are the most effective treatment plans and options... and this is what Autism Speaks refers to as "Family Services."

Lastly, and this is the biggest sticking point for me is that Autism Speaks does not have one Autistic Spectrum individual on their board. They are claiming to speak for Autism without the voice of one of us. How can you make decisions for an entire (STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT) portion of the population without one of us there to advise?

What is wrong with Autism Speaks, I am wondering?

Most local disability organizations I've come across are run by a self-important self-righteous passive aggressive kind-hearted woman with a condescending mother/hero complex. Why this is, I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, the head woman always acts superior, as if I'm too stupid to see her arrogance. Adjust for a large scale, and that's probably how Autism Speaks is as well. Or how I imagine it anyway.

Let me add a few.

They deny completely the existance of high functioning autism and aspergers, and do their best to make out EVERY autistic as LFA. Then they go and take official statistics about the population of autistics (of which, high functioning indiiduals compose the majority) and use it to suppor their claims about LFA.

Autism Speaks continues to bully, threaten, harass and intimidate Autistic People who stand up against their organization.

Most of their money goes into high profile salaries and parties. Some of it goes into autistic genocide resaerch. Almost none of goes into actually supporting people with autism.

An Autism Speaks employee who has an autistic daughter said in a widely distributed and often aired on television documentary that she wanted to drive her autistic daughter off a bridge.

PS: I spell checked for you :>

They don't promote abortion rights, they promote the idea to abort your child because of his autism. A bit of a difference to me.

I'm pro-choice. I think every mother has the right to decide. I don't want her decision be influenced by disinformation. Just to think about all the babies who could have been aborted in the Silicon Valley, by autistic parents, who don't know they're autistic themselves, but their child is...

This week is the week America will fully wake up to the autism crisis.

If three million children in America one day went missing – what would we as a country do?

If three million children in America one morning fell gravely ill – what would we as a country do?

We would call out the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. We’d call up every member of the National Guard. We’d use every piece of equipment ever made.

We’d leave no stone unturned.

Yet we’ve for the most part lost touch with three million American children, and as a nation we’ve done nothing.

We’ve let families split up, go broke and struggle through their days and years.

No more. Tomorrow in Washington, D.C. we will gather an unprecedented number of bipartisan officials, congressional leaders and experts in every area of autism for a three-day summit. We will demand a national response.

Don’t our families deserve it? America has always been about its great people.

Yet, we seem to have forgotten our children - and our children are our future.

Each day across this country, those three million moms, dads and other care-takers I mentioned wake to the sounds of their son or daughter bounding through the house. That is - if they aren’t already awake. Truth be told, many of them barely sleep—or when they do – they somehow sleep with one ear towards their child’s room—always waiting. Wondering what they will get into next. Will they try to escape? Hurt themselves? Strip off their clothes? Climb the furniture? Raid the refrigerator? Sometimes – the silence is worse.

These families are not living.

They are existing. Breathing – yes. Eating – yes. Sleeping- maybe. Working- most definitely - 24/7.