View source for Autistic rights movement

{{Short description|Disability rights movement}}
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{{Autism rights movement}}
[[File:Autism spectrum infinity awareness symbol.svg|thumb|alt=Autism acceptance symbol; an infinity symbol that is rainbow colored.|The rainbow-colored [[infinity symbol]] is a popular symbol among autistic rights advocates. The symbol represents the infinite potential and diversity of the autistic community, reflecting the unique strengths and qualities of each autistic individual.<ref name="symbol" >{{cite web |title="What is rainbow infinity" |url=https://autisticprideday.org/about-us/what-is-rainbow-infinity }}</ref>]]
The '''autistic rights movement''', also known as the '''autism acceptance movement''', is a [[social movement]] allied with the [[disability rights movement]]. It emphasizes the [[neurodiversity paradigm]], viewing [[autism]] as a set of naturally occurring variations in [[human cognition]], a cognitive difference with both strengths and weaknesses, rather than as a disease to be cured or a medical disorder.<ref name="Solomon">{{cite news |last=Solomon |first=Andrew |date=2008-05-25 |title=The autism rights movement |url=https://nymag.com/news/features/47225/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527025140/http://nymag.com/news/features/47225/ |archive-date=27 May 2008 |access-date=2008-05-27 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]}}</ref> This paradigm contradicts and diverges from the [[medical model of disability]], without opposing all aspects of it.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Dwyer |first1=Patrick |title=The Neurodiversity Approach(es): What Are They and What Do They Mean for Researchers? |journal=Human Development |date=2022 |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=73–92 |doi=10.1159/000523723 |pmid=36158596 |pmc=9261839 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ne’eman |first1=Ari |last2=Pellicano |first2=Elizabeth |title=Neurodiversity as Politics |journal=Human Development |date=2022 |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=149–157 |doi=10.1159/000524277 |pmid=36714278 |pmc=9881465 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-981-13-8437-0_21 |chapter=Critiques of the Neurodiversity Movement |title=Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement |date=2020 |last1=Russell |first1=Ginny |pages=287–303 |isbn=978-981-13-8436-3 }}</ref>

Central to the autistic rights movement's beliefs is the right to self-determine if one is part of the autism community, that autistic people should be seen as the primary voice for autistic people, and that autistic people have the final say in what language should be used when talking about autism. A common motto used by the autistic rights movement, borrowed from the disability rights movement, is the phrase "nothing about us without us".{{sfn|Kapp|2020|p=131}}

Autistic rights movement advocates strive for widespread acceptance of people with autism, as well as the traits and behaviors (e.g. [[stimming]], lack of eye contact, and [[Special interest (autism)|special interests]]) associated with autism, for autistic people to socialize on their own terms,<ref name="Autreat">[http://ani.autistics.org/autreat.html Autism Network International presents Autreat.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011214035623/http://ani.autistics.org/autreat.html|date=14 December 2001}} (23 May 2008) AIN.</ref> and to mitigate the [[double empathy problem]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chapple |first1=Melissa |last2=Davis |first2=Philip |last3=Billington |first3=Josie |last4=Myrick |first4=Joe Anthony |last5=Ruddock |first5=Cassie |last6=Corcoran |first6=Rhiannon |title=Overcoming the Double Empathy Problem Within Pairs of Autistic and Non-autistic Adults Through the Contemplation of Serious Literature |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |date=27 July 2021 |volume=12 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708375 |doi-access=free |pmid=34385964 |pmc=8354525 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Finke |first1=Erinn H. |last2=Dunn |first2=Danny H. |title=Neurodiversity and double empathy: can empathy disconnects be mitigated to support autistic belonging? |journal=Disability & Society |date=23 December 2023 |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=727–750 |doi=10.1080/09687599.2023.2295802 }}</ref> The movement seeks to reform, advance, and foster autism-oriented support services, interventions or therapies in accordance with neurodiversity principles to emphasize coping skills for challenging situations,<ref name="Bigthink">{{cite web |last1=Ratner |first1=Paul |date=10 July 2016 |title=Should Autism Be Cured or Is "Curing" Offensive? |url=https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/should-autism-be-cured-or-is-curing-offfensive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616072634/https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/should-autism-be-cured-or-is-curing-offfensive |archive-date=16 June 2019 |access-date=16 June 2019 |website=[[Big Think]] |language=en}}</ref> promote adaptive skills, and promote psychological well-being and mental health, through incorporating voices and perspectives of autistic people in intervention reforms, advancements, and developments.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leadbitter |first1=Kathy |last2=Buckle |first2=Karen Leneh |last3=Ellis |first3=Ceri |last4=Dekker |first4=Martijn |date=2021-04-12 |title=Autistic Self-Advocacy and the Neurodiversity Movement: Implications for Autism Early Intervention Research and Practice |journal=[[Frontiers in Psychology]] |volume=12 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635690 |doi-access=free |pmid=33912110 |pmc=8075160 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lerner |first1=Matthew D. |last2=Gurba |first2=Ava N. |last3=Gassner |first3=Dena L. |date=2023 |title=A framework for neurodiversity-affirming interventions for autistic individuals |journal=[[Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology]] |volume=91 |issue=9 |pages=503–504 |doi=10.1037/ccp0000839 |pmc=10430771 |pmid=37578755 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pantazakos |first1=Themistoklis |last2=Vanaken |first2=Gert-Jan |date=2023-09-04 |title=Addressing the autism mental health crisis: the potential of phenomenology in neurodiversity-affirming clinical practices |journal=[[Frontiers in Psychology]] |volume=14 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1225152 |doi-access=free |pmid=37731874 |pmc=10507173 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dallman |first1=Aaron |last2=Williams |first2=Kathryn |last3=Villa |first3=Lauren |date=2022-04-15 |title=Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices are a Moral Imperative for Occupational Therapy |url=https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/ojot/vol10/iss2/13/ |journal=The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.15453/2168-6408.1937 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cherewick |first1=Megan |last2=Matergia |first2=Michael |date=2024-09-01 |title=Neurodiversity in Practice: a Conceptual Model of Autistic Strengths and Potential Mechanisms of Change to Support Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in Autistic Children and Adolescents |journal=Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=408–422 |doi=10.1007/s41252-023-00348-z |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dwyer |first1=Patrick |last2=Gurba |first2=Ava N |last3=Kapp |first3=Steven K |last4=Kilgallon |first4=Elizabeth |last5=Hersh |first5=Lynnette H |last6=Chang |first6=David S |last7=Rivera |first7=Susan M |last8=Gillespie-Lynch |first8=Kristen |title=Community views of neurodiversity, models of disability and autism intervention: Mixed methods reveal shared goals and key tensions |journal=Autism |date=18 September 2024 |doi=10.1177/13623613241273029 |pmid=39291753 }}</ref>

The movement criticizes therapies and interventions that—implicitly or explicitly, unintentionally or intentionally—encourage [[Autistic masking|masking]] behaviors associated with autism and imitating neurotypical social behaviors,<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Ne'eman |first1=Ari |title=When Disability Is Defined by Behavior, Outcome Measures Should Not Promote "Passing" |journal=AMA Journal of Ethics |date=July 2021 |volume=23 |issue=7 |pages=E569–575 |doi=10.1001/amajethics.2021.569 |pmid=34351268 |pmc=8957386 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schuck |first1=Rachel K. |last2=Geng |first2=Alicia |last3=Doss |first3=Yvette |last4=Lin |first4=Florence |last5=Crousore |first5=Hannah |last6=Baiden |first6=Kaitlynn M. P. |last7=Dwyer |first7=Patrick |last8=Williams |first8=Zachary J. |last9=Wang |first9=Mian |title=A qualitative investigation into autistic adults' perspectives on intervention goals for autistic children |journal=Neurodiversity |date=January 2024 |volume=2 |doi=10.1177/27546330241266718 }}</ref> as higher tendencies of camouflaging, [[autistic masking]], or passing as neurotypical are associated with worse mental health outcomes according to most recent studies and multiple systematic reviews<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Zhuang |first1=Sici |last2=Tan |first2=Diana Weiting |last3=Reddrop |first3=Susan |last4=Dean |first4=Lydia |last5=Maybery |first5=Murray |last6=Magiati |first6=Iliana |title=Psychosocial factors associated with camouflaging in autistic people and its relationship with mental health and well-being: A mixed methods systematic review |journal=Clinical Psychology Review |date=November 2023 |volume=105 |pages=102335 |doi=10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102335 |pmid=37741059 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Klein |first1=Jessica |last2=Krahn |first2=Rachel |last3=Howe |first3=Stephanie |last4=Lewis |first4=Jessi |last5=McMorris |first5=Carly |last6=Macoun |first6=Sarah |title=A systematic review of social camouflaging in autistic adults and youth: Implications and theory |journal=Development and Psychopathology |date=7 October 2024 |pages=1–15 |doi=10.1017/S0954579424001159 |pmid=39370528 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last1=Khudiakova |first1=Valeria |last2=Russell |first2=Emmeline |last3=Sowden-Carvalho |first3=Sophie |last4=Surtees |first4=Andrew D.R. |title=A systematic review and meta-analysis of mental health outcomes associated with camouflaging in autistic people |journal=Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders |date=October 2024 |volume=118 |pages=102492 |doi=10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102492 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and some autistic adults who experienced some forms of behavioral interventions reported adverse effects such as detrimental effects on their mental health due to increased or excessive camouflaging or masking.<ref name=":6">{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Laura K |title=Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis |journal=Autism |date=April 2023 |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=737–750 |doi=10.1177/13623613221118216 |pmid=35999706 }}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite journal |last1=McGill |first1=Owen |last2=Robinson |first2=Anna |title='Recalling hidden harms': autistic experiences of childhood applied behavioural analysis (ABA) |journal=Advances in Autism |date=26 October 2021 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=269–282 |doi=10.1108/aia-04-2020-0025 |url=https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/73753/1/McGill_Robinson_AA_2020_autistic_experiences_of_childhood_Applied_Behavioural_Analysis.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=McCormack |first1=Lynne |last2=Wong |first2=Sze Wing |last3=Campbell |first3=Linda E. |title='If I don't Do It, I'm Out of Rhythm and I Can't Focus As Well': Positive and Negative Adult Interpretations of Therapies Aimed at 'Fixing' Their Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours in Childhood |journal=Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |date=September 2023 |volume=53 |issue=9 |pages=3435–3448 |doi=10.1007/s10803-022-05644-6 |pmid=35781855 |pmc=10465631 }}</ref>

The movement also advocates for autistic people to be recognized as a [[minority group]] rather than as having a disorder. Within the autistic rights movement, autism is often compared to different variations in human biology not categorized as disorders, such as [[homosexuality]].<ref name="Jaarsma20122">{{cite journal |last1=Jaarsma |first1=Pier |last2=Welin |first2=Stellan |date=March 2012 |title=Autism as a Natural Human Variation: Reflections on the Claims of the Neurodiversity Movement |journal=Health Care Analysis |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=20–30 |doi=10.1007/s10728-011-0169-9 |pmid=21311979 |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-72172}}</ref>

==History==

=== 1980s–1990s: Autistic-run organizations, newsletters, and conferences ===
[[Jim Sinclair (activist)|Jim Sinclair]] is credited as the first person to communicate the autistic rights perspective.<ref name="Solomon" /> In the early 1990s, Sinclair frequently participated in autism conferences led by parent-centric organizations but found them "overwhelmingly hostile from both sensory and emotional standpoints".<ref name="Dinh">{{Cite book |last=Dinh |first=Ann |title = Don't Mourn for Us: The Autistic Life of Jim Sinclair and an Extraordinary Story of Neurodiversity |date=2024 |publisher=Independently published |asin=B0DG6T67TD}}{{pn|date=December 2024}}{{self-published inline|date=December 2024}}</ref> In 1992, Sinclair co-founded the [[Autism Network International]] (ANI) with [[Donna Williams]] and [[Kathy Grant]], an organization that publishes newsletters "written by and for autistic people."

The ANI newsletter, ''Our Voice'', had its first issue distributed online in November 1992 to an audience of primarily neurotypical professionals and parents of young autistic children. The number of autistic people in the organization increased over the years, and ANI eventually became a communication network for like-minded autistic people.<ref name="ANIHist">
{{cite web |url=http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/History_of_ANI.html |title=Autism Network International: The Development of a Community and its Culture |author=[[Jim Sinclair (activist)|Sinclair, Jim]]. |date=January 2005|publisher=Jim Sinclair's personal website |access-date=2007-11-07 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090126110607/http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/History_of_ANI.html |archive-date=2009-01-26}}{{self-published inline|date=December 2024}}</ref> Sinclair wrote the essay "Don't Mourn for Us" (1993) in the ANI newsletter (Volume 1, Number 3) with an anti-cure perspective on autism.<ref name="2DontMourn">{{cite web |url=http://www.autreat.com/dont_mourn.html |title=Don't mourn for us |publisher=Autreat
|last=Sinclair |first=Jim |year=1993 |access-date=2014-08-11 |archive-date=11 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711013136/https://www.autreat.com/dont_mourn.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Some{{Like whom?|date=September 2024}} have considered the essay a touchstone for the autistic rights movement, and it has been mentioned in ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref name="Harmon" /> and ''[[New York Magazine]]''.<ref name="2Solomon">{{cite magazine |last=Solomon |first=Andrew |title=The Autism Rights Movement |date=2008-05-25 |magazine=New York Magazine |url=https://www.nymag.com/news/features/47225/ |access-date=2008-06-28 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704174810/https://nymag.com/news/features/47225/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

ANI established the yearly retreat "[[Autreat]]" in 1996. Autreat was a retreat and conference held in the [[United States]] specifically for autistic people<ref>[[Jim Sinclair (activist)|Sinclair, Jim]]. [http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/History_of_ANI.html History of ANI] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126110607/http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/History_of_ANI.html |date=26 January 2009 }}. Retrieved 12 November 2005.{{self-published inline|date=December 2024}}</ref> and was held every year from 1996 to 2013, except in 2001. The theme of the first conference in 1996 was "Celebrating Autistic Culture", and it had close to 60 participants. It was hosted at Camp Bristol Hills in [[Canandaigua (city), New York|Canandaigua, New York]].<ref name="ValuablePart">{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/technology/2015/09/the-neurodiversity-movement-autism-is-a-minority-group-neurotribes-excerpt.html|title=Autism Is a Valuable Part of Humanity's Genetic Legacy|last=Silberman|first=Steve|date=2015-09-23|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=2019-08-03|archive-date=14 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214112226/http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/09/the_neurodiversity_movement_autism_is_a_minority_group_neurotribes_excerpt.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The success of Autreat later inspired similar retreats, such as the [[Association for Autistic Community]]'s conference, [[Autspace]], in the United States;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://autisticcommunity.org/faqs/|title=FAQs – Association for Autistic Community|website=Association for Autistic Community|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-03|archive-date=3 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803190500/http://autisticcommunity.org/faqs/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Autscape]] in the [[United Kingdom]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.autscape.org/about/concept|title=Concept|website=Autscape|access-date=2019-08-03|archive-date=3 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803190502/http://www.autscape.org/about/concept|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Projekt Empowerment]] in [[Sweden]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bertilsdotter Rosqvist |first1=Hanna |last2=Brownlow |first2=Charlotte |last3=O’Dell |first3=Lindsay |title=Mapping the social geographies of autism – online and off-line narratives of neuro-shared and separate spaces |journal=Disability & Society |date=April 2013 |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=367–379 |doi=10.1080/09687599.2012.714257 |url=https://oro.open.ac.uk/35175/2/AB8F664.pdf}}</ref>

[[Martijn Dekker]], an autistic computer programmer from the [[Netherlands]], launched an e-mail list called "Independent Living on the Autism Spectrum", or "InLv", in 1996. The list also welcomed those with similar conditions, such as [[Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder|ADHD]], [[dyslexia]], and [[dyscalculia]].<ref name="ValuablePart" /> American writer [[Harvey Blume]] was a member of the list<ref name="ValuablePart" /> and described it as embracing "neurological pluralism" in a 1997 article in ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="BlumeNYT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/30/business/autistics-freed-from-face-to-face-encounters-are-communicating-in-cyberspace.html |title=Autistics, freed from face-to-face encounters, are communicating in cyberspace |last=Blume |first=Harvey |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 June 1997 |access-date=8 November 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126085905/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E7DC1F31F933A05755C0A961958260 |archive-date=26 January 2008}}</ref> Blume discussed the concept of neurological diversity with [[Australia]]n sociologist [[Judy Singer]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/meet-judy-singer/|title=Meet Judy Singer, Neurodiversity Pioneer |last=Craft |first=Samantha |website=My Spectrum Suite |language=en |access-date=2019-08-03 |archive-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606235437/http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/meet-judy-singer/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The term "[[neurodiversity]]" was first published in Judy Singer's 1998 Honours thesis<ref name="OddPeopleIn">{{cite thesis |last=Singer |first=Judy |title=Odd People In: The Birth of Community Amongst People on the Autistic Spectrum: A personal exploration of a New Social Movement based on Neurological Diversity |degree=Bachelor of Arts Social Science (Honours) |place=Sydney |year=1998 |publisher=Faculty of Humanities and Social Science University of Technology |url=https://www.academia.edu/27033194 |access-date=29 October 2022 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115023408/https://www.academia.edu/27033194 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{sfn|Singer|2017|p={{pn|date=December 2024}}}} and in Harvey Blume's 1998 article in ''[[The Atlantic]]''.<ref name="auto2">Blume, Harvey (1998). [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1998/09/neurodiversity/305909 Neurodiversity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604091348/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1998/09/neurodiversity/305909/ |date=4 June 2019 }}. On the neurological underpinnings of geekdom. The Atlantic, September 1998.</ref>

=== 2000s–2010s: The rise of self-advocacy ===
[[Aspies For Freedom]] (AFF) was founded in 2004. They established June 18 as [[Autistic Pride Day]] starting in 2005. AFF member Joe Mele initiated a protest against the [[National Alliance for Autism Research]] in 2004.<ref name="Harmon" /> AFF also initiated protests against [[Cure Autism Now]] and the [[Judge Rotenberg Center]].{{Source?|date=September 2024}}

In 2004, Canadian autism researcher [[Michelle Dawson]] challenged [[applied behavior analysis]] (ABA), a common behavioral intervention for people with autism, on ethical grounds. She testified in ''[[Auton (Guardian ad litem of) v. British Columbia (Attorney General)|Auton v. British Columbia]]'' against the lack of required government funding for ABA.<ref name=RogerCollier>Collier, Roger. [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/observer/story.html?id=71fae5dc-7eb5-48fd-8f60-78deebee9879&p=1 "Autism".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226143403/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/observer/story.html?id=71fae5dc-7eb5-48fd-8f60-78deebee9879&p=1 |date=26 February 2008 }} ''The Ottawa Citizen'' (1 December 2007). Retrieved 2008-02-17.</ref> That same year, ''The New York Times'' covered the autistic rights perspective by publishing journalist [[Amy Harmon]]'s article, "How About Not Curing Us, Some Autistics Are Pleading".<ref name="Harmon">{{cite news|last=Harmon |first=Amy |title=How About Not 'Curing' Us, Some Autistics Are Pleading |date=2004-12-20 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/health/20autism.html |access-date=2007-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202073041/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/health/20autism.html |archive-date=2 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2006, [[Autism Acceptance Project|The Autism Acceptance Project]] (TAAP) was founded by Estée Klar, the mother of an autistic child, with help from an autistic advisory and board.<ref name="TAA" /> The project is affiliated with the [[Autistic Self Advocacy Network]] (ASAN) and other activist groups in North America.

From 2005 to 2007, TAAP organized arts-based events.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 7, 2019 |title=What was: The Autism Acceptance Project (TAAProject) |url=https://au-ti.com/2019/04/07/what-was-the-autism-acceptance-project-taaproject/ |website=AU-TI}}</ref> TAAP also sponsored the Joy of Autism: Redefining Ability and Quality of Life events and lectures in [[Toronto]], featuring dozens of autistic artists and speakers such as [[Jim Sinclair (activist)|Jim Sinclair]], [[Michelle Dawson]], [[Phil Schwartz]], [[Morton Ann Gernsbacher]], and [[Larry Bissonnette]].

In 2007, an ASAN initiative helped halt the New York Child Study Campaign. The advertising campaign launched in 2007 depicted conditions like autism and ADHD as kidnappers holding children for ransom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ne’eman |first=Ari |date=December 8, 2007 |title=An Urgent Call to Action: Tell NYU Child Study Center to Abandon Stereotypes Against People With Disabilities |url=https://autisticadvocacy.org/2007/12/tell-nyu-child-study-center-to-abandon-stereotypes/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=[[Autistic Self Advocacy Network]]}}</ref> The campaign was canceled two weeks after its launch when the center's director had received an estimated 3000 e-mails and phone calls, most of them "expressing anger and hurt".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Joanne |date=December 4, 2007 |title=Ransom-Note Ads About Children's Health Are Canceled |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/business/media/20child.html |url-access=limited |work=The New York Times}}</ref> ASAN halted another advertising campaign in 2008 where [[PETA]] had implied a link between autism and [[gluten-free, casein-free diet|casein]] in milk.<ref name="peta.org">{{Cite web |date=2009-10-30 |title=Learn About the Link Between Dairy Products and the Disorder |url=https://www.peta.org/features/got-autism-learn-link-dairy-products-disease/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821084550/https://www.peta.org/features/got-autism-learn-link-dairy-products-disease/ |archive-date=21 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-21 |website=PETA |language=en-US}}</ref> Phone calls, letters, and petitions organized by ASAN contributed to the removal of the advertisements.<ref name="PETA Billboard Removal">Ne'eman, Ari. (October 2008) [http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=35 PETA Billboard Removal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216034223/http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=35 |date=2012-02-16 }}. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network.</ref>

The internet has provided a space for members of the autism movement to organize and communicate independently without relying on non-autistic people, such as family members, healthcare workers, or events hosted by non-autistic individuals, especially considering the geographical distance and communication and speech patterns of autistic individuals.<ref name="ANIHist"/>

=== 2020–present ===
The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] caused a drop-off in physical events in the summer of 2020, including [[Autistic Pride Day|autism pride]] events. Much of autism awareness and campaigning was driven by social media, including the notable growth of [[TikTok]] and the emergence of autistic advocates like [[Chloé Hayden]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-23 |title='It's a superpower': an autistic young woman takes her message of inclusion to TikTok |url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/23/its-a-superpower-an-autistic-young-woman-takes-her-message-of-inclusion-to-tiktok |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=The Guardian|language=en |archive-date=8 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208024933/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/23/its-a-superpower-an-autistic-young-woman-takes-her-message-of-inclusion-to-tiktok |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Paige Layle]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Emanuel |first=Daniella |title=A Girl on TikTok With Autism Is Going Viral For Talking About How Autism Is Different in Women |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/daniellaemanuel/girl-tiktok-autism |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=BuzzFeed |date=11 March 2020 |language=en |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528191101/https://www.buzzfeed.com/daniellaemanuel/girl-tiktok-autism |url-status=live }}</ref>

Autism advocacy made progress within the traditional media, making its way into influential business publications such as [[Harvard Business Review]]<ref>Praslova, Ludmila N. (2021). [https://hbr.org/2021/12/autism-doesnt-hold-people-back-at-work-discrimination-does Autism Doesn't Hold People Back at Work. Discrimination Does.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805224346/https://hbr.org/2021/12/autism-doesnt-hold-people-back-at-work-discrimination-does |date=5 August 2022 }} Harvard Business Review, 13 December 2021, https://hbr.org/2021/12/autism-doesnt-hold-people-back-at-work-discrimination-does </ref><ref name="auto1">Praslova, Ludmila N. (2022). [https://hbr.org/2022/06/an-intersectional-approach-to-inclusion-at-work|An Intersectional Approach to Inclusion at Work] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924154627/https://hbr.org/2022/06/an-intersectional-approach-to-inclusion-at-work%7CAn |date=24 September 2022 }}. Harvard Business Review, 21 June 2022 https://hbr.org/2022/06/an-intersectional-approach-to-inclusion-at-work {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805214150/https://hbr.org/2022/06/an-intersectional-approach-to-inclusion-at-work |date=5 August 2022 }}.</ref> and [[Fast Company]].<ref name="auto">Praslova, Ludmila N.(2021).[https://www.fastcompany.com/90706149/neurodivergent-people-make-great-leaders-not-just-employees Neurodivergent people make great leaders, not just employees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805214413/https://www.fastcompany.com/90706149/neurodivergent-people-make-great-leaders-not-just-employees |date=5 August 2022 }}. ''Fast Company'', 15 December 2021. https://www.fastcompany.com/90706149/neurodivergent-people-make-great-leaders-not-just-employees .</ref> A comprehensive approach to inclusion in the workplace, the Canary Code, was developed in 2022 by Ludmila Praslova, specifically focusing on autistic talent and other marginalized communities.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>Praslova, Ludmila N. (2022).[https://www.fastcompany.com/90730688/to-build-a-healthy-workplace-you-need-a-toxic-culture-alarm To build a healthy workplace, you need a toxic culture alarm.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412225745/https://www.fastcompany.com/90730688/to-build-a-healthy-workplace-you-need-a-toxic-culture-alarm |date=12 April 2023 }} ''Fast Company'', 14 March 2022.https://www.fastcompany.com/90730688/to-build-a-healthy-workplace-you-need-a-toxic-culture-alarm</ref>

===Neurodiversity and autistic self-advocacy movement===
{{main|Neurodiversity}}

Judy Singer coined the term ''neurodiversity'' in the late 1990s as a middle ground between the two dominating models of disability, the [[Medical model of disability|medical model]] and the [[Social model of disability|social model]], dismissing both of them as insufficiently capturing the solution for—and cause of—disability.<ref name=":2" />{{sfn|Singer|2017|p=10}}

Steve Silberman describes neurodiversity as seeing the virtue of different conditions while taking into consideration that the conditions also convey challenges.<ref name=".ca">{{Cite web |last1=Teitel |first1=Emma |last2=Silberman |first2=Steve |date=2015-08-25 |title=Steve Silberman on autism and 'neurodiversity' |url=https://www.macleans.ca/society/science/steve-silberman-on-autism-and-the-neurodiversity-movement/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803145501/https://www.macleans.ca/society/science/steve-silberman-on-autism-and-the-neurodiversity-movement/ |archive-date=3 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-03 |website=Maclean's |publisher=Rogers Media |location=Toronto}}</ref> Autistics for Autistics, a self-advocacy group, describes neurodiversity this way: "Neurodiversity means that—like biodiversity—all of us have a role to play in society ...and we should be valued for who we are. Included in public life, such as school and employment. For nonverbal autistics, this also means equal and fair access to communication, such as AAC."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://a4aontario.com/2019/04/27/raising-the-neurodiversity-flag-at-toronto-city-hall/|title=Raising the Neurodiversity Flag at Toronto City Hall!|last=a4aontario|date=2019-04-27|website=A4A Ontario|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-16|archive-date=16 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116232330/https://a4aontario.com/2019/04/27/raising-the-neurodiversity-flag-at-toronto-city-hall/|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The autistic self-advocacy movement, made up of autistic individuals, works from a social model of disability perspective. For example, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network describes its mandate as "to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=26 May 2011 |title=About ASAN |url=https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809175020/http://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/ |archive-date=9 August 2019 |access-date=2019-11-16 |website=Autistic Self Advocacy Network |language=en-us}}</ref>

Autistic people are considered to have neurocognitive differences<ref name="Bloomsbury">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PV95DwAAQBAJ|title=The Bloomsbury Companion to Philosophy of Psychiatry|last=Chapman|first=Robert|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|year=2019|isbn=9781350024069|editor-last=Tekin|editor-first=Serife|pages=371–387|chapter=Neurodiversity Theory and Its Discontents: Autism, Schizophrenia, and the Social Model of Disability|editor-last2=Bluhm|editor-first2=Robyn|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PV95DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA371|access-date=5 August 2019|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728095050/https://books.google.com/books?id=PV95DwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> that give them distinct strengths and weaknesses, and they are capable of succeeding when appropriately accommodated and supported.<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Different">{{Cite web |last=Silberman |first=Steve |date=2016-04-04 |title=Autistic people are not failed versions of "normal." They're different, not less |url=https://ideas.ted.com/autistic-people-are-not-failed-versions-of-normal-theyre-different-not-less/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803145504/https://ideas.ted.com/autistic-people-are-not-failed-versions-of-normal-theyre-different-not-less/ |archive-date=3 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-03 |publisher=TED (conference) |language=en}}</ref> According to Ludmila Praslova, author of ''The Canary Code'', creating systems that support the [[employment of autistic people]] and their success through organizational transparency, justice, and flexibility benefits all employees.<ref name="auto1" />

There is no leader of the neurodiversity movement, and little academic research has been conducted on it as a social phenomenon. As such, proponents of the neurodiversity approach have heterogeneous beliefs<ref name="Bloomsbury" /> but are consistent in the view that autism cannot be separated from an autistic person.<ref name="Solomon" /> The movement opposes therapies that aim to make children "indistinguishable from their peers".<ref name="Solomon" /> Instead, they advocate for accommodations in schools and work environments<ref name="Future">{{Cite web|url=https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_neurodiversity_have_a_future|title=Does Neurodiversity Have a Future?|last=Nerenberg|first=Jenara|date=2016-11-21|website=[[Greater Good Science Center|Greater Good]] |access-date=2019-08-03|archive-date=3 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803145502/https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_neurodiversity_have_a_future|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Nothing About Us Without Us|including autistic people]] when making decisions that affect them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/position-statements/|title=Position Statements|website=Autistic Self Advocacy Network|date=28 May 2011|language=en|access-date=2019-08-03|archive-date=16 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416032240/http://autisticadvocacy.org/policy-advocacy/position-statements/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Neurodiversity advocates oppose researching a "cure" for autism, and instead support research that helps autistic people thrive as they are.<ref name="Solomon" />

An analysis of data from the [[United Kingdom|UK]] and [[Hungary]] in 2017 found evidence that autistic or intellectually disabled self-advocates are rarely involved in leadership or decision-making within organisations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Petri |first1=Gabor |last2=Beadle-Brown |first2=Julie |last3=Bradshaw |first3=Jill |title='More Honoured in the Breach than in the Observance'—Self-Advocacy and Human Rights |journal=Laws |date=16 November 2017 |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=26 |doi=10.3390/laws6040026 |doi-access=free }}</ref> It also showed that poverty, unpaid positions at disability organisations, and lack of support are significant barriers for most autistic people, including autistic people with an intellectual disability who wish to self-advocate.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Petri |first1=Gabor |last2=Beadle-Brown |first2=Julie |last3=Bradshaw |first3=Jill |title='Even a Self-Advocate Needs to Buy Milk' – Economic Barriers to Self-Advocacy in the Autism and Intellectual Disability Movement |journal=Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research |date=5 July 2021 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=180 |doi=10.16993/sjdr.738 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Perspectives==

=== Autism diagnosis ===
[[File:Autistic Self Advocacy Network symbol.gif|thumb|right|x160px|alt=The seven-colored heptagon of ASAN|The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) uses a seven-colored [[heptagon]]al symbol to represent both the autistic spectrum and the idea of diversity.<ref name="symbol"/>]]
The autistic rights movement rejects the classification by [[psychiatrists]] of autism as a disorder.{{Source needed|date=October 2024|reason=Advocates within the movement seem to have varied opinions}} Autistic self-advocates{{Which|date=October 2024}} also reject terming the reported increase in autism diagnoses as an "[[epidemic]]" since the word implies autism is a disease and point out that the increase is likely due to an expansion of diagnostic criteria rather than an epidemic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neurodiversity.com/mind_epidemic.html |first2=Robert |last2=Hendren |first1=Kathleen |last1=Seidel |title=The 'Autism Epidemic' & Real Epidemics |format=Email exchange |date=2005-03-28 |access-date=2008-01-04 |publisher=neurodiversity.com |archive-date=2 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202051300/http://neurodiversity.com/mind_epidemic.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Rejection of functioning labels ===
The autistic rights movement rejects the use of the labels "high-functioning" and "low-functioning" when describing different autistic people, arguing that the strengths and struggles of autistic people are on a spectrum and not linear.<ref>{{cite web |title=How the "High-Functioning" Label is Letting Us Down |website=Milestones Autism Resources |url=https://www.milestones.org/resources/blog/2019/09/17/how-the-high-functioning-label-is-letting-us-down |access-date=16 January 2020 |archive-date = 26 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726115349/https://www.milestones.org/resources/blog/2019/09/17/how-the-high-functioning-label-is-letting-us-down |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{anchor|Anti-cure perspective}}

=== Opposition to cure and prevention ===
The autistic rights movement opposes "curing" autism,<ref name="Harmon" /> criticizing the idea as misguided and dangerous. Instead, autism is viewed as a way of life and advocate acceptance over a search for a cure.<ref name="Woodford">Woodford, Gillian. [http://www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com/issue/2006/04_30/3_patients_practice05_8.html {{"'}}We don't need to be cured,' say autistics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202254/http://www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com/issue/2006/04_30/3_patients_practice05_8.html|date=2016-03-03}} ''National Review of Medicine''. Volume 3 Number 8. 2006-04-30. Retrieved 2008-02-10.</ref><ref name="SanerDisease">{{cite news |author=Saner E |date=2007-08-07 |title=It is not a disease, it is a way of life |url=http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,2143123,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820055604/http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0%2C%2C2143123%2C00.html |archive-date=20 August 2007 |access-date=2007-08-07 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The autistic rights movement is a part of the larger disability rights movement and acknowledges the [[social model of disability]].{{sfn|Waltz|2013|p={{pn|date=December 2024}}}} Within the model, struggles faced by autistic people are viewed as [[Discrimination against autistic people|discrimination]] rather than deficiencies. 

Autistic rights activists are opposed to attempts to eliminate autism genes, and argue that doing so would decrease [[Human genetic variation|human genetic diversity]]. In particular, there is opposition to prenatal [[genetic testing]] of autism in fetuses, which some believe might be possible in the future.<ref name="Harmon" /> On 23 February 2005, Joseph Buxbaum of the [[Autism Genome Project]] at the [[Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai]] said there could be a prenatal test for autism within 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |author=Herrera, Sue |date=2005-02-23 |title=Autism research focuses on early intervention: Genetic clues sought in fight against disorder |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/7013251 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107060725/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7013251 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |access-date=2007-11-07 |publisher=NBC News}}</ref> However, the [[causes of autism|genetics of autism]] have proven to be extremely complex.<ref name="Freitag">{{cite journal |author=CM |year=2007 |title=The genetics of autistic disorders and its clinical relevance: a review of the literature |journal=Mol Psychiatry |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=2–22 |doi=10.1038/sj.mp.4001896 |pmid=17033636 |doi-access=}}</ref> A wider debate on the [[ethics]] involved in the possible elimination of a [[genotype]] that has advantages as well as disadvantages, has focused on possible negative effects of tampering with [[natural selection]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Caplan, Arthur |date=2005-05-31 |title=Would you have allowed Bill Gates to be born? Advances in prenatal genetic testing pose tough questions |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7899821 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625043346/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7899821/ |archive-date=25 June 2018 |access-date=2007-11-07 |publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> 

Some people{{who|date=September 2024}} lament that professionals, such as social workers, may discourage autistic people from having children.<ref name="TrivediProud" /> Activists are concerned that the "ultimate cure will be a genetic test to prevent autistic children from being born"<ref name="Harmon" /> and that most fetuses with so-called "autism genes" would be aborted if prenatal tests for autism are developed.<ref name="SanerDisease" />

The anti-cure perspective is the view of [[Autism spectrum|autism]] as a normal occurrence—an alternate variation in brain wiring or a less common expression of the human genome—rather than a disorder. Advocates of this perspective believe that autism is a unique way of being that should be valued, and efforts to eliminate autism should not be compared to curing cancer but instead to the "efforts of a previous age to cure [[left-handedness]]".<ref name="Harmon" />

Activist [[Jim Sinclair (activist)|Jim Sinclair]] expresses in his essay "Don't Mourn For Us" that wishing that an autistic person be cured is equivalent to wishing that an entirely different person exists in their place.<ref name="DontMourn">{{cite web |url=http://www.edmonds-institute.org/dontmour.html |title=Don't mourn for us |publisher=The Edmonds Institute |author=Sinclair, Jim |year=1993 |access-date=2007-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020225532/http://www.edmonds-institute.org/dontmour.html |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Canadian autism researcher [[Michelle Dawson]] writes that "No one has yet calculated the costs to autistics, and to society, of the current widespread autism advocacy effort to create a world where there are no autistic people at all."<ref name="burden">{{cite web |last=Dawson |first=Michelle |author-link=Michelle Dawson |date=2007-04-03 |title=The autistic person's burden |url=http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/2007/04/autistic-persons-burden.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012122203/http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/2007/04/autistic-persons-burden.html |archive-date=12 October 2016 |access-date=2008-01-04}}</ref>

[[Temple Grandin]] comments that if autism were eliminated, society would lose scientists, musicians, and mathematicians; a [[Neanderthal|caveman]] "with high-functioning Asperger's" might have developed the stone spear.<ref name="Solomon" /><ref name="Grandin">{{cite web |date=2006-01-02 |title=Interview with Temple Grandin |url=http://www.wrongplanet.net/article295.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927084556/http://www.wrongplanet.net/article295.html |archive-date=27 September 2006 |access-date=31 July 2014 |publisher=Wrong Planet}}</ref>

Most autistic self-advocates agree{{Source needed|date=September 2024|reason='most autistic self-advocates' is not supported by the current source given}} that autistic people should not be made to act exactly like everyone else but that society should accommodate their disability and that autism services should focus on quality of life rather than [[conformity]].<ref name="RogerCollier" />

=== Autistic culture ===
{{further|Societal and cultural aspects of autism}}
[[File:Neurodiversity_Crowd_2.png|right|thumb|Autistic art representing the natural diversity of human minds]]
Some autistic activists suggest that life with autism is like being born among people who speak a different language,<ref>Title translates as "The art of faking Arabic" by [[:sv:Lina Liman]] {{cite web | title=Konsten att fejka arabiska | website=Albert Bonniers Förlag | date=2017-05-02 | url=https://www.albertbonniersforlag.se/bocker/207094/konsten-att-fejka-arabiska/ | language=sv | access-date=2025-03-09}}</ref> follow a religion or philosophy one does not share, and live a lifestyle that feels alien. Social media, meetups, and specific professions are spaces where autistic people connect and may share common interests.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Social/Relationships |url=https://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/autism-through-the-lifespan/adulthood/socialrelationships/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214112737/https://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/autism-through-the-lifespan/adulthood/socialrelationships/ |archive-date=14 February 2021 |access-date=2021-03-18 |website=Autism Society |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Self advocacy and inclusion in decision-making ===
A common theme expressed among autistic rights activists and neurodiversity groups{{Which|date=November 2024}} is that they are different from parent- and professional-led organizations and conferences that dominate the autism scene.

In 2003, autism researcher [[Michelle Dawson]] criticizes the norm of allowing parents to speak on behalf of their autistic children at conferences to the exclusion of autistics: "With the happy and proud collaboration of governments, courts, researchers, service providers, and funding bodies", she says, "parents have succeeded in removing autistics from the vicinity of any important discussions or decisions." She says that the exclusion results in policy and treatment decisions being made solely by individuals who do not directly experience autism.<ref name="Bettelheim">{{cite web |author-link=Michelle Dawson |last=Dawson |first=Michelle |title=Bettelheim's Worst Crime: Autism and the Epidemic of Irresponsibility |url=http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/md_01.html |publisher=Michelle Dawson's No Autistics Allowed |date=2003-09-09 |access-date=2007-11-07| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071031003227/http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/md_01.html| archive-date= 31 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

In 2005, Autistic rights activist [[Jim Sinclair (activist)|Jim Sinclair]] states that autism conferences are traditionally geared toward neurotypical parents and professionals, and that to an autistic person they may be quite "hostile" in terms of sensory stimulation and rigidity.<ref name="ANIHist" />

{{anchor|Ethical challenges to autism treatment}}

=== Autism interventions and therapies ===
{{further|Autism therapies}}

In 2011, [[Aspies For Freedom]] (AFF) stated that they believe many unethical therapies and treatments for autism have become common. AFF argued that extensive—40 hours per week—[[applied behavior analysis]] (ABA) and restricting [[stimming]] and other coping mechanisms associated with autism are mentally harmful, that [[aversion therapy]] and the use of restraints are physically harmful, and that non-medically approved treatments like [[chelation therapy]] and [[exorcism]] are dangerous.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-10-01 |title=Aspies for Freedom |url=https://aspiesforfreedom.wordpress.com/about/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Aspiesforfreedom's Blog |language=en}}</ref>

[[United Nations]] (UN) human rights experts have expressed that autistic people are particularly at risk for harmful medical practices and some approaches amount to "ill-treatment or torture."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2015/04/discrimination-against-autistic-persons-rule-rather-exception-un-rights |title=Discrimination against autistic persons, the rule rather than the exception – UN rights experts |date=2015-04-02 |website=[[Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |publisher=United Nations |language=en |access-date=2020-02-12 |archive-date=9 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609031200/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2015/04/discrimination-against-autistic-persons-rule-rather-exception-un-rights |url-status=live}}</ref>

Canadian autism self-advocate [[Michelle Dawson]] testified in court against government funding of ABA therapy.<ref name="Dawson">{{cite web |title=In Support of Michelle Dawson and Her Work |url=http://archive.autistics.org/library/dawson.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215181832/http://archive.autistics.org/library/dawson.html |archive-date=2012-02-15 |access-date=2012-03-21 |publisher=Autistics.org}}</ref> The Canadian organization Autistics for Autistics (A4A) has outlined some of the main objections to ABA from autistic self-advocates.{{Example needed|s|date=December 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=a4aontario |date=2018-05-24 |title=Why we oppose ABA in any form |url=https://a4aontario.com/2018/05/24/why-we-oppose-aba-in-any-form/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116232326/https://a4aontario.com/2018/05/24/why-we-oppose-aba-in-any-form/ |archive-date=16 November 2019 |access-date=2019-11-16 |website=A4A Ontario |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2004, Jane Meyerding, who is autistic, criticized therapy that attempts to remove autism typical behaviors and states that the behaviors are often attempts to communicate.<ref name="Harmon" /> Studies have shown that efforts to pass as non-autistic is associated with poorer mental health and psychological well-being,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cook |first1=Julia |last2=Hull |first2=Laura |last3=Crane |first3=Laura |last4=Mandy |first4=William |year=2021 |title=Camouflaging in autism: A systematic review |journal=[[Clinical Psychology Review]] |volume=89 |page=102080 |doi=10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102080 |pmid=34563942 |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10134806/ |quote=While significant variation was noted across individual study findings, much of the existing literature supported three preliminary findings about the nature of autistic camouflaging: (1) adults with more self-reported autistic traits report greater engagement in camouflaging; (2) sex and gender differences exist in camouflaging; and (3) higher self-reported camouflaging is associated with worsening in mental health outcomes.}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> and such findings were consistent across various age groups.<ref name=":5" /> There have been accounts and qualitative evidence that some forms of behavioral interventions increase masking or worsen mental health for some autistic people.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schuck |first1=Rachel K. |last2=Tagavi |first2=Daina M. |last3=Baiden |first3=Kaitlynn M. P. |last4=Dwyer |first4=Patrick |last5=Williams |first5=Zachary J. |last6=Osuna |first6=Anthony |last7=Ferguson |first7=Emily F. |last8=Jimenez Muñoz |first8=Maria |last9=Poyser |first9=Samantha K. |last10=Johnson |first10=Joy F. |last11=Vernon |first11=Ty W. |year=2021 |title=Neurodiversity and Autism Intervention: Reconciling Perspectives Through a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Framework |journal=[[Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders]] |volume=52 |issue=10 |pages=4625–4645 |doi=10.1007/s10803-021-05316-x |pmc=9508016 |pmid=34643863}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cumming |first1=Therese M. |last2=Strnadová |first2=Iva |last3=Danker |first3=Joanne |last4=Basckin |first4=Caroline |date=December 2020 |title='I Was Taught That My Being Was Inherently Wrong': Is Applied Behavioural Analysis A Socially Valid Practice? |url=http://www.ijahss.com/Paper/05122020/1179451317.pdf |journal=International Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Studies |volume=5 |issue=12 |pages=72–82}}</ref> American autistic rights advocate [[Ari Ne'eman|Ari Ne'erman]] argues that by addressing individual traits of autism, it is possible to reduce harmful behavior and avoid encouraging camouflaging behaviors.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ne’eman |first1=Ari |last2=Pellicano |first2=Elizabeth |date=2022 |title=Neurodiversity as Politics |journal=Human Development |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=149–157 |doi=10.1159/000524277 |pmid=36714278 |pmc=9881465 |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10146533/ |quote=By taking a trait-oriented approach to operationalizing neurodiversity, it is possible to address intrinsically harmful disability-related traits, such as self-injury, lack of communication, or anorexia, while also rejecting and fighting against the clinical passing demands embedded within so much of autism service-provision and research practice (Ne’eman, 2021).}}</ref>

== Criticism of Autism Speaks ==
{{further|Autism Speaks#Views}}
<!-- Commented out: [[File:Autism Speaks Logo.jpg|thumb|right|x160px|alt=The blue puzzle piece of Autism Speaks|The logo of Autism Speaks is a blue jigsaw piece, which many advocates object to because of what it symbolizes.<ref name=Unpuzzled/>]] -->

Autism Speaks has faced criticism from autistic rights advocates for failing to represent autistic people and for exploitative practices.<ref name= condemnation>{{cite web |last1=Network |first1=Autistic Self Advocacy |title=Disability Community Condemns Autism Speaks |url=https://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/10/disability-community-condemns-autism-speaks/ |website=Autistic Self Advocacy Network |date=7 October 2009 |access-date=15 June 2019 |language=en-us |archive-date=23 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823170020/https://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/10/disability-community-condemns-autism-speaks/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Until he resigned in 2013, [[John Elder Robison]] was Autism Speaks' only board member openly recognized as being on the autism spectrum. His resignation came two days after the release of an op-ed by the group's co-founder Suzanne Wright which, according to Robison, "is simply not defensible for someone who feels as I do, and I cannot continue to stand up for the public actions of an organization that makes the same mistakes over and over again by failing to connect to the community it purports to represent".<ref name="Robison">{{cite web|url=http://jerobison.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-resign-my-roles-at-autism-speaks.html|title=I resign my roles at Autism Speaks|author=John Elder Robison|date=2013-11-13|publisher=John Elder Robison's personal website|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=14 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114003719/http://jerobison.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-resign-my-roles-at-autism-speaks.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Simone Greggs, the mother of an autistic child, filed a lawsuit against Autism Speaks for [[disability discrimination]] after her job offer was rescinded. The suit alleges that she lost the job offer due to asking for an accommodation on behalf of her autistic son.<ref name="Lawsuit">{{cite news|url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/08/mom-sues-autism-speaks-after-job-offer-is-rescinded-78415.html|title=Mom sues Autism Speaks after job offer is rescinded|author=Greta Kreuz|newspaper=Wjla |date=2012-08-02|publisher=ABC News|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=23 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623044122/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/08/mom-sues-autism-speaks-after-job-offer-is-rescinded-78415.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Autism Speaks has produced the documentary films ''[[Autism Every Day]]'' (2006) and ''[[Sounding the Alarm]]'' (2014) and the short video ''[[I Am Autism]]'' (2009), each met with strong opposition from autistic rights advocates.{{Which?|date=November 2024}} ''Autism Every Day'' is a documentary featuring interviews of parents with mostly negative opinions about autism and their situations. It has been criticized{{By whom|date=November 2024}} due to parents speaking about their children as if they are not there. In one interview, former board member [[Alison Singer]], while in the same room as her autistic daughter, reveals she had contemplated driving herself and her daughter off a bridge.<ref name="murray">{{cite book|author=Murray, Stuart|year=2008|title=Representing Autism: Culture, Narrative, Fascination|url=https://archive.org/details/representingauti00murr|url-access=limited|publisher=Liverpool University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/representingauti00murr/page/n152 135]|isbn=978-1-84631-092-8|quote=...&nbsp;[the film] drew substantial criticism from disability rights advocates because of its concentration on the condition as one of problems and difficulties, especially for parents. It created particular controversy when one of the mothers being interviewed, discussing the struggles she had endured in searching for a school for her child, commented that the only reason she had not put her autistic daughter in her car and driven off of a bridge was because she has another daughter, who does not have autism.}}</ref> ''I Am Autism'' is a short video that personifies autism as a narrative voice,<ref>{{Cite AV media|title=I am Autism|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UgLnWJFGHQ|author=Autism Speaks|date=2016-04-20|via=YouTube|access-date=2025-02-23}}</ref> which compares itself to several life-threatening diseases<ref name=Transcript>{{cite web|url=http://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/09/horrific-autism-speaks-i-am-autism-ad-transcript/|title=Horrific Autism Speaks 'I am Autism' ad transcript|date=2009-09-23|publisher=Autistic Self Advocacy Network|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=9 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809093605/http://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/09/horrific-autism-speaks-i-am-autism-ad-transcript/|url-status=live}}</ref> and makes the false claim<ref name=Divorce>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/19/autism.divorce.rates/|title=Parents of kids with autism not more likely to divorce, study suggests|author=Madison Park|publisher=CNN|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=9 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809145720/http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/19/autism.divorce.rates/|url-status=live}}</ref> of causing divorce.<ref>{{cite news |author= Biever C |title='Poetic' autism film divides campaigners |date=2009-09-29 |work=New Scientist |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17878-poetic-autism-film-divides-campaigners.html |access-date=2009-10-08 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091003122813/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17878-poetic-autism-film-divides-campaigners.html| archive-date= 3 October 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Wallis C |title='I Am Autism': an advocacy video sparks protest |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=2009-11-06 |url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1935959,00.html |access-date=2009-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091109022116/http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0%2C8599%2C1935959%2C00.html |archive-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Sounding the Alarm'' is a documentary exploring the transition to adulthood and the cost of lifetime care. It was criticized by the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network for being "full of dehumanizing rhetoric" and portraying ignorance of nonverbal communication.<ref name=SoundingTheAlarm>{{cite web|url=http://autismwomensnetwork.org/film-review-of-documentary-sounding-the-alarm-battling-the-autism-epidemic/|title=Film Review of documentary "Sounding the Alarm: Battling the Autism Epidemic"|author=Lei Wiley-Mydske|date=2014-07-19|publisher=Autism Women's Network|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=27 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727005457/http://autismwomensnetwork.org/film-review-of-documentary-sounding-the-alarm-battling-the-autism-epidemic/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Autism Speaks fundraising events have been the object of several organized protests by autistic rights advocates.<ref name=JoinTheProtest>{{cite web|url=http://autisticcommunity.org/2013/11/12/join-the-protest-against-autism-speaks/|title=Join the Protest Against Autism Speaks|date=2013-11-12|publisher=Association for Autistic Community|access-date=2014-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720120245/http://autisticcommunity.org/2013/11/12/join-the-protest-against-autism-speaks/|archive-date=2014-07-20|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=HoyaProtest>{{cite web|url=http://www.autistichoya.com/2012/11/protesting-autism-speaks.html|title=Protesting Autism Speaks|author=Lydia Brown|date=2012-11-05|publisher=Autistic Hoya|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=7 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707211802/http://www.autistichoya.com/2012/11/protesting-autism-speaks.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ASANProtest>{{cite web|url=http://autisticadvocacy.org/2012/11/protesting/|title=Protesting|author=Katie Miller|date=2012-11-17|publisher=Autistic Self Advocacy Network|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=9 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809091804/http://autisticadvocacy.org/2012/11/protesting/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013, the organization Boycott Autism Speaks<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boycottautismspeaks.wordpress.com/|title=Autism Speaks Hurts. Real People Speaking.|publisher=Boycott Autism Speaks|access-date=2025-02-23}}</ref> published a list of companies that donate money to Autism Speaks along with their contact information, urging those in the autistic community to pressure those companies into dropping their support via an active [[boycott]],<ref name="BAS">{{cite web|url=http://boycottautismspeaks.com/contact-sponsors.html|title=Boycott Autism Speaks – Contact Sponsors|publisher=Boycott Autism Speaks|access-date=2014-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809211909/http://boycottautismspeaks.com/contact-sponsors.html|archive-date=2014-08-09|url-status=dead}}</ref> since direct appeals to Autism Speaks did not result in the desired changes. A month later, ASAN published its 2014 Joint Letter to the Sponsors of Autism Speaks, signed by 26 different disability-related organizations, appealing to the moral responsibility of the sponsors, donors, and other supporters.<ref name="JointLetter">{{cite web|url=http://autisticadvocacy.org/2014/01/2013-joint-letter-to-the-sponsors-of-autism-speaks/|title=2014 Joint Letter to the Sponsors of Autism Speaks|date=2014-01-06|publisher=Autistic Self Advocacy Network|access-date=28 July 2014|archive-date=2 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402204358/http://autisticadvocacy.org/2014/01/2013-joint-letter-to-the-sponsors-of-autism-speaks/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Autistic rights groups==
There are several organizations in the autistic rights movement. Some like ASAN are led exclusively by autistic people, while others such as Autism National Committee encourage cooperation between autistic people and their non-autistic allies.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Year founded
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Description
! scope="col" | Nonprofit status
|-
| align="center"| 1983
| [[Autism-Europe]] (AE)
| An international network association located in [[Brussels]], Belgium, whose main objective is to advance the rights of autistic people and their families and to help them improve their quality of life. Autism-Europe does this primarily by representing autistic people and their families in advocacy work with the [[European Union]] institutions.
| {{Yes|International non-profit organisation (aisbl)}}
|-
| align="center"| 2009
| [[Don't Play Me, Pay Me]]
| UK campaign focusing on [[Asperger syndrome]], encouraging and supporting disabled actors.<ref name=BlackingUp>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/nov/15/disabled-actors-television-campaign|title=Mentally disabled actors are victims of modern 'blacking-up', says campaigner|author=Hill, Amelia |work=The Guardian| edition = US|date=14 November 2009 | oclc =60623878 |access-date=14 December 2016|archive-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927174316/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/nov/15/disabled-actors-television-campaign|url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{No|None}}
|-
| align="center"| 2016
| [[Alternative Baseball Organization]] (ABO)
| Adaptive baseball/softball organization formed by [[Taylor C. Duncan]] in 2016 to raise awareness and acceptance for autistic teens and adults through sport.<ref name=AJC>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/for-love-the-game-young-man-dream-for-special-needs-baseball/Fh2lkjsfBqfrrbQaf58a7I/|title=For love of the game: a young man's dream for special needs baseball|author=Hansen, Zachary |location = Dunwoody, GA | newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=8 November 2016|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222222327/http://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/for-love-the-game-young-man-dream-for-special-needs-baseball/Fh2lkjsfBqfrrbQaf58a7I/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{Yes}}
|-
| align="center"| 2008
| [[Washington Autism Alliance]] (WAA)
| Washington state organization formed by [[Arzu Forough]] in 2008 to advocate for WA state individual access balanced with systems change advocacy and policy reform.<ref name=WAA>{{cite web |url=http://washingtonautismalliance.org/why-waa-the-challenges/ |title=Why WAA? |website=washingtonautismalliance.org |date=13 January 2021 |access-date=2024-07-06 |archive-date=2 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702073410/https://washingtonautismalliance.org/why-waa-the-challenges/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| {{Yes}}
|}

==Events and activities==
Autism activist activities do not always look like other forms of political activism. For example, many autistic people cannot participate in in-person public protests due to [[sensory overload]] from the noise.<ref name=":1">{{Citation |last=Reading |first=Anna Amza |title=Remembering Autism in the Memory-Activism Nexus |date=2024-11-18 |work=Dynamics, Mediation, Mobilization |pages=377–382 |editor-last=Erll |editor-first=Astrid |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111439273-053/html |access-date=2025-01-18 |publisher=De Gruyter |doi=10.1515/9783111439273-053 |isbn=978-3-11-143927-3 |editor2-last=Knittel |editor2-first=Susanne |editor3-last=Wüstenberg |editor3-first=Jenny|doi-access=free }}</ref> Other cultural assumptions about the correct way to engage in activism, such as "giving people a voice", are not consistent with valuing [[non-speaking autistic]] people.<ref name=":1" />
*In 2010, [[Autistics Speaking Day]] was a response to the then-upcoming first commemoration of [[Communication Shutdown]]. The annual Communication Shutdown event encourages non-autistics to refrain from using social networking websites for one day as a [[Empathy|perspective-taking]] exercise,<ref>[{{Cite web |url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1010/S00030/social-media-users-challenged-to-shutdown-networks.htm |title=Social Media Users Challenged to {{sic|Shu|tdown|nolink=y}} Networks {{!}} Scoop News |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-date=12 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812235821/http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1010/S00030/social-media-users-challenged-to-shutdown-networks.htm |url-status=live }} Social Media Users Challenged to {{sic|Shu|tdown|nolink=y}} Networks | Scoop News]</ref> while Autistics Speaking Day encourages autistic people to become ''more'' active on social media and to describe their experiences during a time when there are fewer [[neurotypical]] voices in the mix.
*In 2012, autistic activist Zoe Gross organized the first [[Disability Day of Mourning]] vigil held in memory of people with disabilities murdered by family members or caregivers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/08/15/day-mourning-affirming-value-disabled-people-s-lives|title=Day of Mourning: Affirming the Value of Disabled People's Lives|date=2013-08-15|publisher=White House|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517223112/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/08/15/day-mourning-affirming-value-disabled-people-s-lives|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dailyorange.com/2018/02/disability-day-mourning-vigil-held-schine-student-center/|title=Disability Day of Mourning vigil to be held at Schine Student Center | newspaper = The Daily Orange – The Independent Student Newspaper | location = Syracuse University |date=27 February 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-17|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517223347/http://dailyorange.com/2018/02/disability-day-mourning-vigil-held-schine-student-center/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AsanMourning">{{Cite web|url=http://autisticadvocacy.org/2013/02/asan-day-of-mourning-on-march-1st/|title=ASAN Day of Mourning on March 1st{{!}} Autistic Self Advocacy Network|last=Network|first=Autistic Self Advocacy|website=autisticadvocacy.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505200153/http://autisticadvocacy.org/2013/02/asan-day-of-mourning-on-march-1st/|archive-date=2013-05-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> These vigils are now held annually on 1 March globally, often by local [[self-advocacy]] and [[Disability rights movement|disability rights]] groups.<ref name="AsanMourning" />
*In 2015, autistic activist Alanna Rose Whitney created the social media campaign #WalkInRed, later rebranded #RedInstead to be more inclusive of wheelchair users, as another alternative to Light It Up Blue.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-next-civil-rights-movement-accepting-adults-with-autism/2015/07/20/e7c6743e-f338-11e4-bcc4-e8141e5eb0c9_story.html|title=How autistic adults banded together to start a movement|last=Somashekhar|first=Sandhya|date=2015-07-20|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-US |archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517153411/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-next-civil-rights-movement-accepting-adults-with-autism/2015/07/20/e7c6743e-f338-11e4-bcc4-e8141e5eb0c9_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://alannarosewhitney.com/human-rights-advocate/|title=Human Rights Advocate|date=2018-04-23|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-US|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517154007/http://alannarosewhitney.com/human-rights-advocate/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Autistic rights activists organize protests against organizations they consider objectionable, most notably [[Autism Speaks]] and the [[Judge Rotenberg Center]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/speaking-out-against-autism-speaks-even-if-it-means-no-ice-cream/|title=Speaking Out Against Autism Speaks, Even if It Means No Ice Cream|last=Perry|first=David|date=2015-06-04|website=The New York Times |department=Motherlode Blog|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-17|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704035221/https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/speaking-out-against-autism-speaks-even-if-it-means-no-ice-cream/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1935959,00.html|title='I Am Autism': An Advocacy Video Sparks Protest|last=Wallis|first=Claudia|date=2009-11-06|magazine=Time|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-US |archive-date=26 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526104816/http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1935959,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/10/31/protestors-demonstrate-controversial-canton-center-for-troubled-youth/BMztldEVd4ERGoBYFeo4tK/story.html|title=Protesters demonstrate at controversial Canton center for troubled youth|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=2018-05-17|archive-date=18 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518054317/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/10/31/protestors-demonstrate-controversial-canton-center-for-troubled-youth/BMztldEVd4ERGoBYFeo4tK/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/adapt_protests_at_massachusett.html|title=ADAPT protests at State House, Judge Rotenberg Center for disability rights; 'I'd rather go to jail than die in Rotenberg!'|work=masslive.com|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-US|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517153116/http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/adapt_protests_at_massachusett.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the United States, activists affiliated with ASAN have organized numerous protests against Autism Speaks events, typically protesting and leafleting at fundraising walks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/09/help-us-fight-back-against-autism-speaks-attempts-to-speak-for-us/|title=Help Us Fight Back Against Autism Speaks' Attempts to Speak For Us! {{!}} Autistic Self Advocacy Network|last=Network|first=Autistic Self Advocacy|website=autisticadvocacy.org|date=24 September 2009|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-17|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517152822/http://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/09/help-us-fight-back-against-autism-speaks-attempts-to-speak-for-us/|url-status=live}}</ref> Autistic activists including [[Shain Neumeier]] and [[Lydia Brown]] have organized lobbying days and protests aiming to close or more strictly regulate the Judge Rotenberg Center.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fox25boston.com/news/fda-meets-on-school-shock-device-warns-of-violations/139485289|title=FDA meets on school shock device, warns of violations|last=EndPlay|date=2013-01-10|publisher=WFXT|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-US|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517223335/https://www.fox25boston.com/news/fda-meets-on-school-shock-device-warns-of-violations/139485289|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Terminology==
There is disagreement within the autism community on whether to use person-first terminology (e.g., ''person with autism'') or identity-first terminology (e.g., ''autistic person''). The autistic rights movement encourages the use of identity-first terminology<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-03-02 |title=Identity-First Language - Autistic Self Advocacy Network |url=https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/identity-first-language/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=autisticadvocacy.org/ |language=en-US}}</ref> to stress that autism is a part of an individual's identity rather than a condition they have.

Phrases like ''{{Not a typo|suffers<!-- ! check for tone !--> fr|om autism}}'' are objectionable to many people,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pellicano |first=Liz |title=Watch your language when talking about autism |url=http://theconversation.com/watch-your-language-when-talking-about-autism-44531 |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=The Conversation |date=13 July 2015 |language=en |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004194613/https://theconversation.com/watch-your-language-when-talking-about-autism-44531 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-06 |title=Is the Term "Autists" Offensive? |url=https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/is-autists-offensive/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=Autism Parenting Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814175920/https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/is-autists-offensive/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and are discouraged by both the American Psychological Association's style guide and National Center on Disability and Journalism's style guide.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 2021 |title=Bias Free Language Disability |url=https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/disability |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=American Psychological Association Style Guide |publisher=American Psychological Association |language=en |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422081753/https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/disability |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Disability Language Style Guide {{!}} National Center on Disability and Journalism |url=https://ncdj.org/style-guide/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |language=en-US |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601212926/https://ncdj.org/style-guide/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The autistic community has developed their own terminology such as:
* ''Aspie'' – a person with [[Asperger syndrome|Asperger's syndrome]].<ref name="SanerDisease" /> Not as frequently used with Aspergers being removed as an official diagnosis.
* ''Autie'' – an autistic person.<ref name=Mitchell>{{cite journal |journal=He@LTH Information on the Internet |year=2003 |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=3–4 |title=Autism e-mailing lists |author=Mitchell C |url=http://hii.rsmjournals.com/cgi/reprint/33/1/3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715205640/http://hii.rsmjournals.com/cgi/reprint/33/1/3.pdf |archive-date=15 July 2011 }}</ref>
* ''Autistics and cousins'' (AC) – a cover term including aspies, auties, and their "cousins", i.e., people with some autistic traits but no formal diagnosis<ref>{{cite web |url=http://access.autistics.org/resources/glossary/main.html |title=A World Apart: Definitions |access-date=23 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204100549/http://access.autistics.org/resources/glossary/main.html |archive-date=4 December 2008 }}</ref>
* ''Curebie'' – a person with the desire to cure autism. This term is considered derogatory.
* ''[[Neurodiversity]]'' – the framework for understanding some disabilities, such as autism, as a variation in human [[neurology|neurological]] makeup rather than a disorder.
* ''[[Neurotypical]]'' (''NT'') – a person who does not have any neurological differences. It is often used to describe an individual who is not autistic.
* ''Allistic'' – a person who is not autistic.<ref>{{cite web | first = Alicia | last = Lile |url=http://www.shiftjournal.com/2011/11/11/autistics-speaking-day-–-changing-from-shame-to-pride/|date = 11 November 2011 |title= Autistics Speaking Day – Changing from shame to pride |website=shiftjournal.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222064137/http://www.shiftjournal.com/2011/11/11/autistics-speaking-day-%E2%80%93-changing-from-shame-to-pride/ |archive-date=22 February 2012}}</ref> Originally it was used satirically to describe those without autism.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fysh.org/~zefram/allism/allism_intro.txt |title=Allism: An Introduction to a Little-known Condition|access-date=20 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030222010740/http://www.fysh.org/~zefram/allism/allism_intro.txt |archive-date=22 February 2003 }}</ref>

== Autistic pride ==
{{Further|Autistic Pride Day}}
<!-- "Autistic pride" redirects to here. If you change the title of this section, please change the redirect, too. -->
Autistic pride promotes the idea that autistic people are not defective.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autistic Pride |url=https://www.autisticempire.com/autistic-pride/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Autistic Empire |language=en-US}}</ref> It emphasizes the variation and diversity in human neurology.

Autistic pride asserts that autistic people are not impaired or damaged; rather, they have a unique set of characteristics that provide them many rewards and challenges, not unlike their non-autistic peers.<ref name=SanerDisease/><ref name=NPRAutism/><ref name=INTO>{{cite journal|author=Costello, Mary |url=http://www.into.ie/ROI/Publications/InTouch/2006/JanuaryFebruary2006/File,2407,en.pdf |title=Autistic Pride |journal=InTouch |date=January–February 2006 |pages=26–7 |access-date=24 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120024107/http://www.into.ie/ROI/Publications/InTouch/2006/JanuaryFebruary2006/File,2407,en.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Autistic culture and community ==
[[File:Bookbits - 2011-05-03 John Elder Robison-Be Different.vorb.oga|thumb|right|[[John Elder Robison]] talks about Be Different on Bookbits radio.]]
With the recent increases in autism recognition and new approaches to educating and socializing autistics, an autistic culture has begun to develop. Autistic culture is based on a belief that autism is a unique way of being and not a disorder to be cured.<ref name="Harmon"/> The ''Aspie world'', as it is sometimes called, contains people with [[Asperger syndrome]] (AS) and [[high-functioning autism]] (HFA), and can be linked to three historical trends: the emergence of AS and HFA as labels, the emergence of the [[disability rights movement]], and the rise of the [[Internet]]. Autistic communities exist both online and offline; many people use these for support and communication with others like themselves, as the social limitations of autism sometimes make it difficult to make friends, to establish support within general society, and to construct an identity within society.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Disabil Soc |year=2007 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=413–26 |title= Orchestrating voices: autism, identity and the power of discourse |author= Bagatell N |doi=10.1080/09687590701337967 }}</ref>

Because many autistics find it easier to communicate online than in person, a large number of online resources are available.<ref name=NPRAutism>{{cite web|author=Shapiro, Joseph|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5488463|title=Autism Movement Seeks Acceptance, Not Cures|publisher=NPR|date=26 June 2006|access-date=23 November 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224113918/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5488463|archive-date=24 December 2007}}</ref> Some autistic individuals learn [[sign language]], participate in online [[chat room]]s, discussion boards, and websites, or use communication devices at autism-community social events. The Internet helps bypass non-verbal cues and emotional sharing that autistics tend to have difficulty with.<ref name="BlumeNYT"/><ref name=BlumeMIT>{{cite web|author=Blume, Harvey|url=http://web.mit.edu/m-i-t/articles/index_blume.html|title=Autism & The Internet or It's The Wiring, Stupid|date=1 July 1997|publisher=Media in Transition, Massachusetts Institute of Technology|access-date=8 November 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123143816/http://web.mit.edu/m-i-t/articles/index_blume.html|archive-date=23 January 2008}}</ref> It gives autistic individuals a way to communicate and form online communities.<ref>{{cite news |author=Biever C |title= Web removes social barriers for those with autism |work= New Scientist |issue=2610 |date=30 June 2007}}</ref>

Conducting work, conversation and interviews online in chat rooms, rather than via phone calls or personal contact, helps level the playing field for many autistics.<ref name="TrivediProud">{{cite journal|title=Autistic and proud of it|date=18 June 2005|journal=New Scientist|author=Trivedi, Bijal|issue=2504|page=36}}</ref> A ''New York Times'' article said "the impact of the Internet on autistics may one day be compared in magnitude to the spread of sign language among the deaf" because it opens new opportunities for communication by filtering out "sensory overload that impedes communication among autistics."<ref name=BlumeNYT/>

== Notable events ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%"
! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Event
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" scope="col" |When
! rowspan="2" nowrap="" scope="col" |Occurrence
|-
|-
!Autistic Pride Day
|18 June
|Yearly
|-
!Autism Acceptance Project
|2006
|One-off
|-
!Autistics Speaking Day
|1 November
|Yearly
|}

=== Autistic Pride Day ===
{{Main|Autistic Pride Day}}

[[Autistic Pride Day]] is an annual pride celebration that was established by [[Aspies For Freedom]] and is observed on 18 June. Organizers of the celebration have compared their efforts to the [[Civil rights movement|civil rights]] and [[LGBTQ movements|LGBTQ social movements]].<ref name=SanerDisease/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2011/nov/1/autistics-speaking-day-broadcasts-autistic-voices/ |title=Autistics Speaking Day broadcasts autistic voices |department=Communities |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=1 November 2011 |access-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105020831/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2011/nov/1/autistics-speaking-day-broadcasts-autistic-voices/ |archive-date=5 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Autistic Pride Day 2016: Why we are proud to have autism|first=Kashmira|last=Gander|work=The Independent |date=18 June 2016|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/autistic-pride-day-2016-why-we-are-proud-to-have-autism-neurotypical-a7085066.html|access-date=24 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619140237/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/autistic-pride-day-2016-why-we-are-proud-to-have-autism-neurotypical-a7085066.html|archive-date=19 June 2016}}</ref>

=== Autistics Speaking Day ===
Autistics Speaking Day was established by members of the autistic community and is observed annually on 1 November. It provides an opportunity for autistic people to challenge negative stereotypes by speaking for themselves and sharing their stories. The first Autistics Speaking Day was held in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Social networkers switch off for autism awareness |first=Monique |last=Ross |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |location=Australia |date=1 November 2010 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-11-01/social-networkers-switch-off-for-autism-awareness/2319638?section=justin |access-date=24 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111232401/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-11-01/social-networkers-switch-off-for-autism-awareness/2319638?section=justin |archive-date=11 November 2011}}</ref> According to Corina Becker, one of the founders, the day is to "acknowledge our difficulties while sharing our strengths, passions, and interests."<ref>{{citation |date=9 September 2011 |title=The Beginnings of Autistic Speaking Day |first=Corina |last=Becker |website=Thinking Person's Guide to Autism |url=http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2011/09/beginnings-of-autistic-speaking-day.html |access-date=24 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516054253/http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2011/09/beginnings-of-autistic-speaking-day.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> The idea for the event developed out of opposition to a ''[[Communication Shutdown]]'' fundraising campaign led by U.S. charity Autism Speaks. Participants had been asked to "simulate having autism" by straying from all forms of online communication for one day. That event received criticism and accused Autism Speaks of missing the point of what autism actually is, referring to autistic individuals' comfort using other means of communication.<ref>{{citation |first=Emily |last=Willingham |magazine=[[Forbes]] |date=31 October 2015 |title=The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets Autistics Speaking Day Is November 1, So It Is (Really) Time To Listen |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/10/31/autistics-speaking-day-is-november-1-so-it-is-really-time-to-listen/ |access-date=24 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104030414/http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/10/31/autistics-speaking-day-is-november-1-so-it-is-really-time-to-listen/#ecd11fb77ec3 |archive-date=4 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2011/nov/1/autistics-speaking-day-broadcasts-autistic-voices/ |title=Autistics Speaking Day broadcasts autistic voices |website=The Washington Times |department=Communities |format= Blog |last1=Winegardner |first1=Jean |date=1 November 2011 |access-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105201059/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2011/nov/1/autistics-speaking-day-broadcasts-autistic-voices |archive-date=5 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Autism Acceptance Project ===
In 2006 the Autism Acceptance Project (TAAProject) was founded by Estée Klar, the mother of an autistic child, with help from an autistic advisory board.<ref name="TAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.taaproject.com/ |title=The Autism Acceptance Project |publisher=TAAProject |date=2 April 2008 |access-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119195433/http://www.taaproject.com/ |archive-date=19 November 2017}}</ref> The project was dedicated to promoting acceptance and accommodations for autistic people in society and was primarily supported by autistic people. The website for TAAProject disappeared a decade later, but the idea of promoting acceptance has now been adopted with other campaigns such as Autism Acceptance Month.<ref name="TAA" />

=== Autism Acceptance Day ===
In 2011, the first Autism Acceptance Day celebrations were organized by Paula Durbin Westby as a response to traditional "autism awareness" campaigns many within the autistic community found harmful and insufficient.<ref name="autismacceptancemonth1">{{cite web |author=Administrator |url=http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/acceptance-month-conclusion/ |title=is coming to a close. Thank you for your support! |publisher=Autism Acceptance Month |date=30 April 2013 |access-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504082430/http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/acceptance-month-conclusion/ |archive-date=4 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/about/ |title=About |publisher=Autism Acceptance Month |date=18 April 2013 |access-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405002954/http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/about/ |archive-date=5 April 2013}}</ref> Autism Acceptance Day is now held every April.<ref name="autismacceptancemonth1"/> Awareness focuses on informing others of the existence of autism, while acceptance pushes towards validating and honoring the autism community. By providing tools and educational material, people are encouraged to embrace the challenges autistic people face and celebrate their strengths. Instead of encouraging people to wear blue, Autism Acceptance Day encourages people to wear red.<ref>{{Cite news |title=April Is Autism Acceptance Month |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-jo/april-is-autism-acceptance-month_b_7004260.html |work=[[HuffPost]] |access-date=26 October 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409070622/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-jo/april-is-autism-acceptance-month_b_7004260.html |archive-date=9 April 2015 |date=6 April 2015}}</ref>

=== Autreat ===
At [[Autreat]]—an annual autistic gathering—participants compared their movement to gay rights activists, or the Deaf culture, where sign language is preferred over surgery that might restore hearing.<ref name="Harmon"/> Other local organizations have also arisen: for example, a European counterpart, Autscape, was created around 2005.<ref name="Gal">{{cite news |last=Gal |first=Limor |date=2007-06-28 |title=Who says autism's a disease? |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/876283.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701201936/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/876283.html |archive-date=1 July 2007 |access-date=2007-07-16 |work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref>

==Scholarship==
Autism received increasing attention from [[Social science|social-science]] scholars in the early 2000s, with the goals of improving support services and therapies, arguing that autism should be tolerated as a difference not a disorder, and by how autism affects the definition of personhood and identity.<ref name=Silverman>{{cite journal |journal=BioSocieties |year=2008 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=325–341 |title=Fieldwork on another planet: social science perspectives on the autism spectrum |author= Silverman C |doi=10.1017/S1745855208006236 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Sociological research has also investigated how social institutions, particularly families, cope with the challenges associated with autism.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Contexts |year=2009 |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=40–45 |title=Autism, through a social lens |last=Poulson |first=Stephen |doi=10.1525/ctx.2009.8.2.40 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

A study published on 20 January 2021, by the [[University of Texas at Dallas]] suggests that educating non-autistic people about the strengths and challenges of autistic people can help reduce stigma and misconceptions surrounding autism, which may help increase social inclusion of autistic people.<ref name=":0">{{cite press release |title=Reducing biases about autism may increase social inclusion, study finds |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210208085441.htm |work=ScienceDaily |publisher=[[University of Texas at Dallas]] |date=8 February 2021}}</ref> The study also found that [[Implicit stereotype|implicit biases]] about autism were harder to overcome for non-autistic people.<ref name=":0" />

== Controversies ==
There are a wide variety of both supportive and critical opinions about the movement among people who are autistic or associated with people with autism. A common criticism leveled against autistic activists is that the majority of them do not have co-occurring intellectual disability and critics argue that their views do not represent the views of autistic people with intellectual disability and their parents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autism, PDD-NOS & Asperger's fact sheets {{!}} The Autism Rights Movement |url=http://www.autism-help.org/points-autism-rights-movement.htm |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=www.autism-help.org |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523025259/http://autism-help.org/points-autism-rights-movement.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Source indicates that its information is based on two Wikipedia articles; this is equivalent to a Wikipedia self-reference.|date=June 2025}}

==See also==
* ''[[Autism: The Musical]]''
* [[Ole Ivar Lovaas]]
* ''[[Look Me in the Eye]]''
* [[Mad pride]]
* [[TASH (organization)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last1=Singer |first1=Judy |title=NeuroDiversity: The Birth of an Idea |date=2017 |publisher=Judy Singer |isbn=978-0-6481547-0-9 }}
* {{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-981-13-8437-0 |title=Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement |date=2020 |isbn=978-981-13-8436-3 |editor-last1=Kapp |editor-first1=Steven K. }}
* {{cite book |last1=Waltz |first1=M. |title=Autism: A Social and Medical History |date=2013 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |isbn=978-0-230-52750-8 }}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |last1=Amdur |first1=Neil |title=Asperger's Syndrome, on Screen and in Life |url=http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/health/04aspe.html |access-date=30 June 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=3 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408185123/http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/health/04aspe.html?=_r=6& |archive-date=8 April 2013 |page=D5}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Davidson |first1=Joyce |title=Autistic culture online: virtual communication and cultural expression on the spectrum |journal=Social & Cultural Geography |date=November 2008 |volume=9 |issue=7 |pages=791–806 |doi=10.1080/14649360802382586 }}
* Grandin, Temple. (2011). ''Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism''. New York: Vintage. {{ISBN|978-1935274216}}
* Grandin, Temple. (1995). Sachs, Oliver (foreword). [https://archive.org/details/thinkinginpictur0000gran/page/n7/mode/2up   ''Thinking in Pictures, and other stories from my life with autism'']. New York: Doubleday. {{ISBN|0-385-47792-9}}
* ''Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking''. Washington, DC: [[Autistic Self Advocacy Network]], 2012. Bascom, Julia. (Foreword). {{ISBN|978-1938800023}} {{OCLC|823510362}}
* {{cite book |author= Nadesan, Majia |year= 2005 |title= Constructing Autism: Unravelling the "Truth" and Discovering the Social |publisher= London: Routledge |doi= 10.4324/9780203299500 |isbn=978-0-415-32180-8}}
* {{cite journal |vauthors=Rossetti Z, Ashby C, Arndt K, Chadwick M, Kasahara M |title= 'I like others to not try to fix me': agency, independence, and autism |journal= Intellect Dev Disabil |volume=46 |issue=5 |pages=364–75 |year=2008 |pmid=19090638 |doi=10.1352/2008.46:364-375 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikiquote|Autism}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080511000025/http://www.writersvoice.net/2008/03/podcast-62-life-with-aspergers/ John Elder Robison radio interview about life with Asperger's Syndrome]
* {{cite web |title=This Podcast Has Autism |url=https://thispodcasthasautism.com/ |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319175028/https://thispodcasthasautism.com/ |archive-date=19 March 2022 |date=24 November 2019}}

{{Pervasive developmental disorders}}
{{Autism resources}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Autistic Rights Movement}}
[[Category:Autism rights movement| ]]