Autistic Self Advocate Appointed to National Council on Disability

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate 8 new members to the National Council on Disability, including Ari Ne’eman, Founder and President of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).   In a press release, President Obama said, “I am grateful that these fine individuals have chosen to serve in my administration. They will bring a depth of experience and valued perspective to their roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

Mr. Ne’eman is the first diagnosed Autistic presidential appointee, and, through the organization he founded, works to fight against aversives, restraint, and seclusion of individuals with autism.   Mr. Ne’eman also serves as Vice Chair of the New Jersey Adults with Autism Task Force, where he represents autistic adults in reviewing the state’s autism services.  He also previously served on the New Jersey’s Special Education Review Commission, where he authored a minority report on the topic of aversives, restraint and seclusion.  Mr. Ne’eman previously served as the Policy Workgroup Leader for the Youth Advisory Council to the National Council on Disability. He is a board member of TASH and the Autism National Committee. In 2008, he received the HSC Foundation “Advocates in Disability” Award.

All of us at the Autism Science Foundation congratulate Ari on this important appointment.

Thank you for an Amazing First Year at ASF!

During this season of joy and giving, we wanted to thank you for the support and friendship you’ve shown the Autism Science Foundation. The Autism Science Foundation was established last April with the primary goals of supporting great autism research, and sharing research findings with clinicians and families. It was time to create an organization that focused completely on science and evidence. 
 
                 Click here to make an online year-end donation today

Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, we are on our way toward funding the science that will help us understand what causes autism and develop new, effective treatments for people of all ages. There is a long road ahead, but this is a critical time for autism research and your support now will help accelerate the pace of this important work.  The Autism Science Foundation offers donors the most effective way to get their contributions to the scientists whose work will make a difference in people’s lives.  Our organization is extremely lean and efficient, and our costs are remarkably low.  We truly make every dollar count.
 
We have accomplished so much in the eight months since our launch!  Our first round of grant proposals exceeded our expectations and our Scientific Advisory Board is now hard at work reviewing them all. We can’t wait to make our first funding announcements next  February.  Our website provides daily news about the latest autism research to families, and our board members and volunteers are actively working with families who have received an autism diagnosis to make sure they find the path to progress.  Our unwavering commitment to evidenced-based science  has earned us the respect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
 
We are so grateful to all of our donors and volunteers.  We couldn’t have come this far so fast without you.  But there is so much more we need to do. We hope we can fund every worthy proposal we received and need your continued support to be able to do so. As an organization and a community, we aspire to fund all the research our children deserve.
 
Please consider a year-end gift to support the Autism Science Foundation.  We are a 501c3 non-profit corporation and donations are deductible to the full extent permitted by law. 

To make a donation, please click on this link or mail your donation to:

Autism Science Foundation
3 Continental Road
Scarsdale NY 10583. 
 
Thank you so much for supporting the autism community with the gifts of hope and science. 

Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday season,
Alison Singer and Karen London
Co-founders, Autism Science Foundation

Register for Friday’s IACC Meeting

Registration is now open for Friday’s IACC meeting. The IACC will meet by phone from 9am-1pm on Friday December 11, 2009. We will continue to discuss recommendations for the annual update of the IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research. We will focus on sections 1 and 7 on this call. 

 –Alison Singer