Tell the Autism Science Foundation What You Think

by Kristina Chew · 2009-04-18 15:03:00 UTC
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New path and lighthouse from http://www.whitehavencoast.co.uk/assets/userfiles/project/project_log/.resized_395x526_new_path_1.jpg
Alison Singer, the former Executive Vice President of Autism Speaks who resigned over concerns about that organization's policy on vaccine research, and Karen London, the co-founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), which merged with Autism Speaks in 2006, have started a new organization, the Autism Science Foundation. On the board are Dr. Paul Offit, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Autism's False Prophets; Bad Science, Risky Medicine and the Search for a Cure, and Michael Lewis, attorney, mediator and grandfather of a child with autism. Singer and London are both parents of a child on the spectrum, and Singer also has a brother on the spectrum.

The new organization's mission states autism has a "strong genetic component" and also states that vaccines do not cause autism---both positions which should make the Autism Science Foundation the recipient of more than a little ire from proponents of the notion that vaccines can be linked to autism. As Singer is quoted in a press release:

After I left Autism Speaks, I heard over and over from parents who said they needed an organization they could trust to fund nothing but the very best science; science that would open new doors and ask questions that have not yet been answered. That's what we'll do at the Autism Science Foundation."

The Autism Science Foundation's Science Board is still in formation; some members can be seen here.

As this new organization moves forward, and in order to help it best achieve its goals, I highly urge the Autism Science Foundation to include at least one board member who is an individual on the autism spectrum. The Autism Science Foundation's mission is laudable and I think we're all hoping that some new directions, new paths, in understanding autism and finding treatments might result. You can contact the Autism Science Foundation here (I've already emailed them): Please let Singer and London and the board members know that it's vital---it's essential---that individuals on the autism spectrum be included in discussions about autism research.

Kristina Chew
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