Autism Speaks Advert

[Comefromaway]

Am I correct in thinking mumsnet has done control over which companies ads can show up on the site.

An advert for Autism Speaks just came up. This is a hate group that is seeking a “cure” and pre natal for autism and advocates eugenics.

Many autistic people find them very offensive.

Hi @Comefromaway thanks for reporting this. Are you able to send a screenshot please? If possible, please can you also send us the URL of the ad? If you turn your phone/device to airplane mode or turn off the connection, you should be able to just click on the ad. This will show the URL which you can copy and paste without actually opening the webpage.

@Comefromaway Autism Speaks in NOT a hate group.
It's people like you who think a cure for a disorder that prevents my boys (with level 3 autism) from living a normal fulfilling life, people who don't even acknowledge their existence and needs, who are hateful.

I object to being called hateful for calling out a group in favour of eugenics. Autism as you will very well know is often co-morbid with a variety of other developmental conditions.

Parenting an autistic child is incredibly hard, when you see others living a “normal” life and achieving simple things that your child cannot. I know that.

I reiterate that Autism Speaks is a hate group.

Sorry mumsnet, the ad disappeared when I clicked onto another page.

Autistic people can live a fulfilling life, it's just fulfilling in different ways.

My son has severe autism and will be "cured" over my dead body. If I could moderate his severe anxiety I would, but take away the essence of his personhood? The special interests that make him him? Never.

Thank you Ava.

As an aside my autistic child has recently been diagnosed with migraines. The propranolol that was prescribed for that has reduced his anxiety no end. Unfortunately my other child cant be prescribed it as they don’t have migraines but i can’t believe the effect it’s had.

@AvaCallanach I appreciate this is your experience but autism has added NOTHING to the essence of my boys' personality. There is not even one thing that it has added to their lives. Quite the opposite.

One of my boys is very affectionate. It breaks my heart that he can't express it or that his loving affectionate personality is sometimes overshadowed by his anger fits.
My other boy is very playful, but due to the lack of safety awareness, needs constant supervision or he would his life in danger every day.

Instead of having the childhood experiences that typical kids have, their whole day and life are being spent in therapy trying to learn basic skills.

I pray for a cure every day. If some don't need a cure, no one will impose it on you. But saying that a cure isn't needed for anyone is dismissing my and my boys' experiences.

(And also, no, Autism Speaks doesn't support eugenics)

Ok but if autism can be diagnosed prenatally and become a valid reason to abort, how do we know that kids like mine won't be aborted en masse? (They will...)

There's nothing to cure. That's what I don't get. He IS the autism. It can't be removed and leave a non autistic ds behind. There would be nothing there. It affects how he perceives the world and interacts with it in every way. It can't be removed from him. They will never find a cure.

@AvaCallanach that is true for YOUR son. My sons are NOT their autism. The same as a person with Bipolar Disease is NOT his BP ( and it is known that some people with BP love their hypomania that makes them creative and efficient), or a person with any disease is not their disease.

Please read about gene research. The aim is gene therapy not eugenics. The same as for other diseases and yet you don't hear anyone saying we should stop gene research about say diabetes because babies will be aborted.

AS have been advertising on here for years, and people have been complaining about it for years, but nothing has changed.

Autism Speaks is a US charity, none of the UK autism organisations are controversial like Autism Speaks. The US context is quite different in any case because obviously it's based on private healthcare and paid for by insurers, this is what has driven ABA as the main approach to dealing with autism in the states. If you live in the UK, AS is best ignored.

Autism speaks are an organisation that only exist to further themselves. They are as far removed from an organisation that an autistic or their family would want to be involved with as possible.