Autism Science Foundation

Autism Science FoundationAbbreviation| ASF

|

Founded| March 24, 2009; 14 years ago (2009-03-24)[1]
Founders| Alison Tepper Singer,
Karen Margulis London

Tax ID no.

| 26-4522309[2]
Legal status| 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Headquarters| New York City[3]

Chairman of the Board

| Gregg E. Ireland[4]

President

| Alison Singer[5]

Scientific Advisory Board Chair

| Matthew State, MD, PhD[6]

Revenue (2016)

| $1,231,922[2][7]
Expenses (2016)| $1,270,604[2]

Employees (2016)

| 6[2]

Volunteers (2016)

| 50[2]
Website| www.autismsciencefoundation.org

The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) is a non-profit organization that supports research into autism.[8] The organization was founded in April 2009 by Alison Tepper Singer, a former senior executive of Autism Speaks and a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), and Karen Margulis London, co-founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research. Both Singer and London are parents of autistic children.

## Contents

* 1 Formation
* 2 Activities
* 3 Funding
* 4 Awards
* 5 Scientific advisory board
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Formation[edit | edit source]

Autism Science Foundation was created as a split from Autism Speaks, which assigned a high priority to investigating the debunked claim that vaccination is associated with autism risk, and this high priority had raised concerns among parents and researchers.[9]

Alison Singer, a senior executive of Autism Speaks, resigned in January 2009 rather than vote for committing money to new research studies into vaccination and autism. The U.S. Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, of which Singer was a member, voted against committing the research funds; this was contrary to the Autism Speaks policy on vaccine safety research. Singer said:

"There isn't an unlimited pot of money, and every dollar spent looking where we know the answer isn't is one less dollar we have to spend where we might find new answers. The fact is that vaccines save lives; they don't cause autism."

She said that numerous scientific studies have disproved the link first suggested more than a decade ago and that Autism Speaks needs to "move on."[10] Later that year, along with NAAR's cofounder Karen London, Singer launched the ASF as a nonprofit organization supporting autism research premised on the principles that autism has a strong genetic component, that vaccines do not cause autism, and that early diagnosis and intervention are critical.[11][third-party source needed]

Eric London resigned from Autism Speaks' Scientific Affairs Committee in June 2009, saying that arguments that "there might be rare cases of 'biologically-plausible' vaccine involvement ... are misleading and disingenuous", and that Autism Speaks was "adversely impacting" autism research. London is a founding member of the ASF's Scientific Advisory Board.[12]

On January 5, 2011, Brian Deer published the first part of his British Medical Journal series on Andrew Wakefield's "elaborate fraud" which started the dubious MMR vaccine controversy.[13] On January 7, 2011, Alison Singer was interviewed by Kiran Chetry on CNN's American Morning.[14] Singer discussed the repercussions of Deer's report, stating, "...we can finally put the question of autism and vaccines behind us."

## Activities[edit | edit source]

ASF has been a sponsor of the "International Meeting for Autism Research" (IMFAR) since 2009, and has interviewed a number of researchers at the event.[15] ASF offers travel grants to IMFAR, which are given to individuals and family members affected by autism to attend the conference.[16]

The ASF also funds pre- and postdoctoral researchers.[17][18]

In 2019, Alison Singer, the president of the ASF, announced that she had joined the National Council on Severe Autism.[19]

## Funding[edit | edit source]

Vaccinologist Dr. Paul Offit, a founding board member of the Autism Science Foundation, donates all royalties from his most recent book Deadly Choices to the ASF.[20] The Autism Science Foundation also receives royalties from paperback sales of Dr. Paul Offit's previous book, Autism's False Prophets.[21]

## Awards[edit | edit source]

GuideStar named the Autism Science Foundation a top nonprofit startup in disabilities category in 2011, calling it "a shining star to those interested in real science and evidence based interventions".[22]

## Scientific advisory board[edit | edit source]

The Autism Science Foundation has ten scientific advisory board members, including Ami Klin and Harold S. Koplewicz.[23]

## See also[edit | edit source]

* List of autism-related topics

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ "AUTISM SCIENCE Foundation[permanent dead link]". Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Government of the District of Columbia. Accessed on February 25, 2016.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax Archived 2021-09-23 at the Wayback Machine". Autism Science Foundation. Guidestar. December 31, 2016.
3. ↑ "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Autism Science Foundation. Guidestar. December 31, 2013.
4. ↑ "Board of Directors Archived 2021-08-20 at the Wayback Machine". Autism Science Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
5. ↑ "Staff Archived 2021-08-20 at the Wayback Machine". Autism Science Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
6. ↑ "Scientific Advisory Board Archived 2021-08-28 at the Wayback Machine". Autism Science Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
7. ↑ "Autism Science Foundation" (PDF). Foundation Center. 25 October 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
8. ↑ "Autism Blog - Autism Science Foundation " Left Brain/Right Brain". Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
9. ↑ Stokstad E (2009). "Resignations highlight disagreement on vaccines in autism group". Science. 325 (5937): 135. doi:10.1126/science.325_135a. PMID 19589974.
10. ↑ Luscombe R (2009-01-25). "Charity chief quits over autism row". Observer. London. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
11. ↑ "Autism Science Foundation launches operations: new advocacy group will focus on non-vaccine-related autism research" (Press release). Autism Science Foundation. 2009-04-18. Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
12. ↑ Kalb C (July 1, 2009). "Another resignation at Autism Speaks". The Human Condition. Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
13. ↑ "How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed". Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
14. ↑ "The mystery of autism". CNN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
15. ↑ "Autism Science Foundation's interviews with IMFAR researchers: David Mandell - Wellsphere". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
16. ↑ "ASF IMFAR Travel Grants". Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
17. ↑ "Current Grantees - Autism Science Foundation website". Archived from the original on 2012-01-04.
18. ↑ "Past Grantees". Autism Science Foundation. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14.
19. ↑ Lutz, Amy S.F. "National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA) Launches". Psychology Today. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
20. ↑ "Behind the Vaccine Science: An Interview with Dr. Paul Offit, Author of Deadly Choices, How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All". Archived from the original on 2011-01-07. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
21. ↑ "Dr. Paul Offit's book, Autism's False Prophets". Archived from the original on 2012-04-03.
22. ↑ "GuideStar names ASF a top nonprofit startupl". Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
23. ↑ "Scientific Advisory Board". Archived from the original on 2012-02-20.

## External links[edit | edit source]

* Official website
* Autism's fight for facts: A voice for science Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, Nature Magazine

* v
* t
* e

Autism resources

* Autism
* outline
* spectrum

Awareness|

* Autism friendly
* Autism Sunday
* Communication Shutdown
* World Autism Awareness Day

Culture|

* Autistic art
* Autism spectrum disorders in the media
* Fictional characters
* Films about autism
* Circle of Friends
* Neurodiversity
* Medical model of autism
* Societal and cultural aspects of autism

Therapies

| Psychotropic medication (antipsychotics)|

* Aripiprazole
* Risperidone

|

Applied behavior analysis (ABA)|

* Cognitive behavior therapy
* social skills training
* Discrete trial training (Lovaas)
* Early start denver model
* Pivotal response treatment
* Schoolwide positive behavior support

Developmental|

* Floortime (The PLAY Project)

Controversial|

* Auditory integration training
* Aversive therapy/Electric shocks (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center)
* Chelation of mercury
* Ethical challenges to autism treatment
* Facilitated communication
* Gluten-free casein-free diet
* Hug machine
* Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
* Holding therapy
* Relationship development intervention
* Secretin
* Sensory integration therapy
* Son-Rise
* Vitamin B12

Related|

* Occupational therapy
* Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
* Social Stories
* Speech therapy
* SSRI antidepressants
* Structured teaching (TEACCH)

Centers

| Research|

| United States|

* Association for Science in Autism Treatment
* Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
* Autism Research Institute
* Autism Science Foundation
* National Alliance for Autism Research
* Yale Child Study Center

|

United Kingdom|

* Autism Research Centre (UK)

other / see also|

* Conditions and research areas
* Researchers

Therapy|

| United States|

* Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
* MIND Institute

|

Schools|

* ESPA College (UK)
* Exceptional Minds (USA)
* Pathlight School (Singapore)
* Sunfield Children's Home (UK)
* TreeHouse School (UK)
* Western Autistic School (Australia)
* List of schools

Organizations

| Americas|

| United States|

* Autism National Committee
* Autism Network International
* Autism Science Foundation
* Autistic Self Advocacy Network
* Autism Society of America
* Autism Speaks
* Centro Ponceño de Autismo
* Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation
* Generation Rescue
* Interactive Autism Network
* Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
* LENA Foundation
* National Alliance for Autism Research
* National Council on Severe Autism
* Talk About Curing Autism

|

other|

* Centro Ann Sullivan (Peru)
* Domus Instituto de Autismo (Mexico)
* Filipino-Canadian Autism Parent Support Group (Canada)
* Geneva Centre for Autism (Canada)

Asia|

* Action for Autism (India)
* Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)

Caribbean|

* Autistic Society (Trinidad and Tobago)
* Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation (Jamaica)

Europe|

| UK|

* Autism Anglia
* The Autism Directory
* Autism Awareness Campaign UK
* Autism Cymru
* Autism Plus
* Autistica
* National Autistic Society
* Sacar

|

other|

* Specialisterne (Denmark)
* Aspies For Freedom
* Alliance Autiste

Oceania|

* Luke Priddis Foundation (Australia)

International|

* Autism rights movement
* Wrong Planet

Literature

| Non-fiction|

* The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from My Silent Son
* Animals in Translation
* Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger's Syndrome
* Autism's False Prophets
* Extreme Love: Autism
* Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8
* Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence
* In a Different Key
* Life Animated
* Like Colour to the Blind
* Look Me in the Eye
* Mother Warriors
* My Autobiography
* Neurotribes
* Nobody Nowhere
* Overcoming Autism
* The Reason I Jump
* Somebody Somewhere
* Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues
* Strange Son
* Switched On
* Unstrange Minds

|

Fiction|

* The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
* Dear John
* House Rules
* Mockingbird
* Saving Max
* Speed of Dark
* The Winter Journey
* With the Light

For younger people|

* Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism
* Ian's Walk: A Story about Autism
* Marcelo in the Real World
* Rage: A Love Story
* Rules

Journals|

* Autism
* Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
* Molecular Autism
* Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

* v
* t
* e

Pervasive developmental disorders and autism spectrum (ICD-10 Chapter V: Mental and behavioural disorders, F84, 299)

Main|

* Causes
* Comorbid conditions
* Epidemiology
* Heritability
* Societal and cultural aspects
* Medical model
* Therapies

Diagnoses|

* Autism spectrum (High-functioning autism
* Classic autism
* Asperger syndrome
* Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified
* Childhood disintegrative disorder
* Rett syndrome)

Related conditions|

* Alexithymia
* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
* Anxiety disorder (obsessive–compulsive disorder)
* Late talker
* Epilepsy
* Fragile X syndrome
* Hyperlexia
* Savant syndrome
* Sensory processing disorder
* Intellectual disability
* Developmental coordination disorder
* Multiple complex developmental disorder

Controversies|

* Autism rights movement
* Autistic enterocolitis
* Facilitated communication
* MMR vaccine
* Rapid prompting method
* Thiomersal (Chelation)

Diagnostic scales|

* Gilliam Asperger's disorder scale
* Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule
* Autism Diagnostic Interview
* Autism-spectrum quotient
* Childhood Autism Rating Scale

Lists|

* Autism-related topics
* Fictional characters
* Schools

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