| • There are 1.77 million cases of autism in the U.S. • A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes • There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year • 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism • The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and expected to more than double in the next decade • Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. • Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases • There is no medical detection, treatment, or cure for autism • Boys are 4 times more likely than girls to have autism (Autism refers to a wide spectrum of disorders, ranging from severe to mild.) | INCIDENCE VS. FUNDING Leukemia 1 in 25,000 Funding: $300 million Muscular Dystrophy 1 in 20,000 Funding: $160 million Cystic Fibrosis 1 in 5000 Funding: $75 million Juvenile Diabetes 1 in 500 Funding: $140 million Autism 1 in 166 Funding: $15 million (Dollar amounts reflect approximate annual funds raised by major private advocacy groups.) | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH FUNDS ALLOCATION $29 billion Total NIH funding $5 billion Funding of relevant NIH departments: Child Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, Neurological Disorders $100 million* Portion of the $5 billion allocation that directly or indirectly impacts autism research *This represents 0.3% of total NIH funding. |
Note/Warning:
Autistic people have fought the inclusion of ABA in therapy for us since before Autism Speaks, and other non-Autistic-led autism organizations, started lobbying legislation to get it covered by insurances and Medicaid.
ABA is a myth originally sold to parents that it would keep their Autistic child out of an institution. Today, parents are told that with early intervention therapy their child will either be less Autistic or no longer Autistic by elementary school, and can be mainstreamed in typical education classes. ABA is very expensive to pay out of pocket. Essentially, Autism Speaks has justified the big price tag up front will offset the overall burden on resources for an Autistic’s lifetime. The recommendation for this therapy is 40 hours a week for children and toddlers.
The original study that showed the success rate of ABA to be at 50% has never been replicated. In fact, the study of ABA by United States Department of Defense was denounced as a failure. Not just once, but multiple times. Simply stated: ABA doesn’t work. In study after repeated study: ABA (conversion therapy) doesn’t work.
What more recent studies do show: Autistics who experienced ABA therapy are at high risk to develop PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions. Historically, the autism organizations promoting ABA as a cure or solution have silenced Autistic advocates’ opposition. ABA is also known as gay conversion therapy.
The ‘cure’ for Autistics not born yet is the prevention of birth.
The ‘cure’ is a choice to terminate a pregnancy based on ‘autism risk.’ The cure is abortion. This is the same ‘cure’ society has for Down Syndrome.
This is eugenics 2021. Instead of killing Autistics and disabled children in gas chambers or ‘mercy killings’ like in Aktion T4, it’ll happen at the doctor’s office, quietly, one Autistic baby at a time. Different approaches yes, but still eugenics and the extinction of an entire minority group of people.
Fact: You can’t cure Autistics from being Autistic.
Fact: You can’t recover an Autistic from being Autistic.
Fact: You can groom an Autistic to mask and hide their traits. Somewhat. … however, this comes at the expense of the Autistic child, promotes Autistic Burnout (this should not be confused with typical burnout, Autistic Burnout can kill Autistics), and places the Autistic child at high risk for PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions.
[Note: Autism is NOT a disease, but a neurodevelopmental difference and disability.]
Fact: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.
International Badass Activists 