Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks
FoundedFebruary 11, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-02-11)[1]
Founders
Merger of
  • Autism Coalition for Research and Education
  • National Alliance for Autism Research
  • Cure Autism Now
20-2329938[2]
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
HeadquartersNew York City[2]
Coordinates40°44′52″N 73°59′04″W / 40.7477494°N 73.9843983°W / 40.7477494; -73.9843983
ServicesAwareness, family services, advocacy[2]
Keith Wargo[3]
Joe Vanyo[3]
SubsidiariesDelivering Scientific Innovation for Autism LLC,
Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism Inc,
Autism Speaks Canada[2]
Websiteautismspeaks.org

Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial American non-profit autism awareness organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States.[4][5][6] It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public.[4] It was founded in February 2005 by Bob Wright and his wife Suzanne, a year after their grandson Christian was diagnosed with autism. The same year as its founding, the organization merged with Autism Coalition for Research and Education. It then merged with the National Alliance for Autism Research in 2006 and Cure Autism Now in 2007.

The autism rights movement and neurodiversity advocates do not see autism as a disease that needs to be cured,[7][8] and have criticized Autism Speaks for seeking a cure.[8][9][10][11] The word "cure" was dropped from its mission statement in 2016.[12]

  1. ^ "Autism Speaks Inc. Archived September 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine" Division of Corporations. Delaware Department of State. Accessed on February 23, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax" (PDF). Autism Speaks. Guidestar. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Leadership". Autism Speaks. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Singh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Tien, Caroline (March 31, 2021). "Autism Speaks Partnering with Google Sparks Backlash Online". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Charity Navigator Search Results Archived October 18, 2020, at the Wayback Machine charitynavigator.org
  7. ^ Saner, Emine (August 7, 2007). "'It is not a disease, it is a way of life'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Matthews, Dylan (August 31, 2015). "We've called autism a disease for decades. We were wrong". Vox. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  9. ^ Picciuto, Elizabeth (February 25, 2015). "They Don't Want an Autism Cure". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference silberman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Berrington, Lucy (November 14, 2013). "A Reporter's Guide to the Autism Speaks Debacle". Psychology Today. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Fox, Allison (October 18, 2016). "The Country's Biggest Autism Research Group Has A Whole New Mission". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.