Is Autism Speaks' Departure from Canada a Positive Development?

Autism Speaks Leaving Canada: A Shift in Perspective

Some Canadians are celebrating a major autism organization's decision to pull out of the country, highlighting a shift in the way people think about autism. But others say the group's positive contributions shouldn't be dismissed so quickly.

Controversial Departure

Autism Speaks quietly announced last month that it will end its Canadian operations on Jan. 31. The largest autism organization in the U.S., known for star-studded fundraising events, has long faced criticism from people in the autistic community who say its work has focused too much on trying to "cure" autism and eliminate behaviors associated with it — ideas that have fallen out of favor as advocates work to embrace neurodiversity.

Autism Speaks set up in Canada in 2006 with a goal of finding a "cure" for autism. It dropped that word from its mission statement in 2016, and an official with the organization told CBC News it has long since moved past those early ideas.

Backlash and Reflection

Some autism-related forums and accounts online cheered the news of Autism Speaks' exit. Disability satire Instagram page The Squeaky Wheel shared the news with a photo of children leaping happily, with one person commenting, "GOOD RIDDANCE." An autism advocacy account on Threads called the closure a "step forward for human rights." And a blog post from Autistics 4 Autistics (A4A) Ontario, a self-advocacy organization, quoted an autism advocate calling the news a "Christmas miracle."

Anne Borden, co-founder of A4A Canada and A4A Ontario, says Autism Speaks' exit is "a sign of the times." She believes it reflects the big question for autism non-profits and policymakers about the direction of autism services: Do you try to cure it, or do you include it? And what do parents and families want?

Impact of Research

Borden cites the MSSNG Project, a collaboration between Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Autism Speaks, Verily, and DNAstacks, which collected DNA from more than 12,000 children with autism for use in a shared database to create a genome sequencing database on autism. Some autistic Canadians worried the goal was to identify, and ultimately eliminate, an "autism gene," saying the research was driven by eugenic ideas.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological condition that affects the way the brain functions and results in difficulties with communication and social interaction. The Government of Canada said in 2019 that about two percent of Canadians aged one to 17 had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. But diagnoses have been skyrocketing in recent years, due in part to broader definitions of autism and growing public acceptance and understanding of neurodiversity.

Concerns and Perspectives

Tiffany Hammond, an author and content creator based in Texas who has an autistic teenage son, expressed mixed feelings about the news. She believes mainstream autism advocacy has ignored the diversity of needs in the community. Hammond found the celebratory online reaction "jarring" and emphasized the layers of nuance missing from mainstream autism advocacy, especially online.

Autism Speaks has also been criticized for promoting applied behavior analysis, or ABA, a type of therapy that trains people to change certain behaviors. Critics say it trains children to conform rather than embracing their unique qualities, and some have compared ABA to gay conversion therapy.

Conclusion

Autism Speaks' departure from Canada has sparked mixed reactions, reflecting the ongoing debate within the autism community about the best approach to supporting individuals with autism. The decision signifies a broader shift towards embracing neurodiversity and considering the diverse needs of those on the autism spectrum.