See also: Aspergers Syndrome, Social Skills, Organic Brain Syndrome, and PDD-N.O.S.
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, Maryland, USA 20814-3015
(301) 657-0881
(800) 328-8476
http://www.autism-society.org/ASA promotes lifelong access and opportunity for all individuals within the autism spectrum, and their families, to be fully participating, included members of their community. Education, advocacy, public awareness efforts and the promotion of research are all goals of ASA. The society is the leading source of information and referral on autism to parents, professionals, and members of the general public who are concerned with this disability.
ASA has local chapters, a listing can be requested for individual states, and will assist with the start up of a local support chapter. They publish a bi-monthly newsletter, Advocate, that is free with membership and several brochures. There is a new parent packet, "Getting Started", that includes local sources of information, reading list, the Nichcy News Digest, and professional information.
Autism Speaks
5455 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 715
Los Angeles, CA 90036
1-323-549-0500
http://www.autismspeaks.org/At Autism Speaks, our goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.
We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals.
Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle.
OAR - Organization for Autism Research
The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a non-profit organization formed and led by parents and grandparents of children and adults with autism. Its purpose is to put applied science to work in providing answers to questions that parents, families, individuals with autism, teachers, and caregivers confront each day. OAR’s mission is to apply research to the challenges of autism. The mission of “applying” research to answer questions of daily concern for those living with autism drives each of the goals and objectives that define OAR’s programs and determine its budget. OAR’s defines applied research as research that directly impacts the day-to-day quality of life of learners with autism. It entails the systematic investigation of variables associated with positive outcomes in such areas as education, communication, self care, social skills, employment, behavior, and adult and community living. In this context, it extends to issues related to family support, the efficacy of service delivery systems, and demographic analyses of the autism community. In simplest terms, applied autism research is “practical research that examines issues and challenges that children and adults with autism and their families face everyday.”
2000 North 14th Street, Suite 710
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 351-5031
OAR@autismorg.com
http://www.researchautism.org/OAR funds pilot studies and targeted research within specific modalities and issues affecting the autism community, primarily for studies whose outcomes offer new insights into the behavioral and social development of individuals with autism with an emphasis on communications, education, and vocational challenges. The identification of priorities for OAR’s research will be undertaken with focus groups comprised of parents, educators, clinicians, and leading authorities whose life work is the promotion of autism research and the dissemination of information to the autism community. Our immediate task is the creation of an overall strategy for research to address issues "across the lifespan." While OAR´s scope encompasses applied and biomedical research, its emphasis from the beginning is heavily weighted toward the applied.