April is Autism Acceptance month — and acceptance is more than a buzzword. Working toward acceptance means welcoming autistic people’s leadership on the issues that most affect our lives. Since Autism Acceptance Month began, the autistic community has made a tremendous cultural impact in terms of how our society views autism. But autism research has lagged behind. The research agenda is still dominated by biomedical “causation and prevention” research, including genetic research on autism. As genetic research continues to develop, autistic people must have our say in how it should be used, and not used.
For Autism Acceptance Month 2022, ASAN is releasing a statement on genetic research and autism. Written in plain language, this statement gives background information on autism research, lays out ASAN’s concerns about genetic research as applied to autism, and recommends safeguards to make sure that any genetic research on autism is done by and for the autistic community.
Click here to download the entire Statement on Genetic Research & Autism. Or, you can click on one of the parts below to download it separately.