Autism Science Foundation

The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) is a non-profit organization that supports research into autism.[8] The organization was founded in April 2009 by Alison Tepper Singer, a former senior executive of Autism Speaks and a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), and Karen Margulis London, co-founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research. Both Singer and London are parents of autistic children.

Autism Science Foundation
AbbreviationASF
FoundedMarch 24, 2009 (2009-03-24)[1]
FoundersAlison Tepper Singer,
Karen Margulis London
26-4522309[2]
Legal status501(c)(3) non-profit organization
HeadquartersNew York City[3]
Coordinates40.748496°N 73.9898322°W / 40.748496; -73.9898322
Gregg E. Ireland[4]
Alison Singer[5]
Scientific Advisory Board Chair
Matthew State, MD, PhD[6]
Revenue (2016)
$1,231,922[2][7]
Expenses (2016)$1,270,604[2]
Employees (2016)
6[2]
Volunteers (2016)
50[2]
Websitewww.autismsciencefoundation.org

Formation

Autism Science Foundation was created as a split from Autism Speaks, which assigned a high priority to investigating the debunked claim that vaccination is associated with autism risk, and this high priority had raised concerns among parents and researchers.[9]

Alison Singer, a senior executive of Autism Speaks, resigned in January 2009 rather than vote for committing money to new research studies into vaccination and autism. The U.S. Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, of which Singer was a member, voted against committing the research funds; this was contrary to the Autism Speaks policy on vaccine safety research. Singer said:

"There isn't an unlimited pot of money, and every dollar spent looking where we know the answer isn't is one less dollar we have to spend where we might find new answers. The fact is that vaccines save lives; they don't cause autism."

She said that numerous scientific studies have disproved the link first suggested more than a decade ago and that Autism Speaks needs to "move on."[10] Later that year, along with NAAR's cofounder Karen London, Singer launched the ASF as a nonprofit organization supporting autism research premised on the principles that autism has a strong genetic component, that vaccines do not cause autism, and that early diagnosis and intervention are critical.[11]

Eric London resigned from Autism Speaks' Scientific Affairs Committee in June 2009, saying that arguments that "there might be rare cases of 'biologically-plausible' vaccine involvement ... are misleading and disingenuous", and that Autism Speaks was "adversely impacting" autism research. London is a founding member of the ASF's Scientific Advisory Board.[12]

On January 5, 2011, Brian Deer published the first part of his British Medical Journal series on Andrew Wakefield's "elaborate fraud" which started the dubious MMR vaccine controversy.[13] On January 7, 2011, Alison Singer was interviewed by Kiran Chetry on CNN's American Morning.[14] Singer discussed the repercussions of Deer's report, stating, "...we can finally put the question of autism and vaccines behind us."

Activities

ASF has been a sponsor of the "International Meeting for Autism Research" (IMFAR) since 2009, and has interviewed a number of researchers at the event.[15] ASF offers travel grants to IMFAR, which are given to individuals and family members affected by autism to attend the conference.[16]

The ASF also funds pre- and postdoctoral researchers.[17][18]

In 2019, Alison Singer, the president of the ASF, announced that she had joined the National Council on Severe Autism.[19]

Funding

Vaccinologist Dr. Paul Offit, a founding board member of the Autism Science Foundation, donates all royalties from his most recent book Deadly Choices to the ASF.[20] The Autism Science Foundation also receives royalties from paperback sales of Dr. Paul Offit's previous book, Autism's False Prophets.[21]

Awards

GuideStar named the Autism Science Foundation a top nonprofit startup in disabilities category in 2011, calling it "a shining star to those interested in real science and evidence based interventions".[22]

Scientific advisory board

The Autism Science Foundation has ten scientific advisory board members, including Ami Klin and Harold S. Koplewicz.[23]

See also
  • List of autism-related topics

References
  1. "AUTISM SCIENCE Foundation". Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Government of the District of Columbia. Accessed on February 25, 2016.
  2. "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Autism Science Foundation. Guidestar. December 31, 2016.
  3. "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Autism Science Foundation. Guidestar. December 31, 2013.
  4. "Board of Directors". Autism Science Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  5. "Staff". Autism Science Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  6. "Scientific Advisory Board". Autism Science Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  7. "Autism Science Foundation" (PDF). Foundation Center. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  8. "Autism Blog - Autism Science Foundation " Left Brain/Right Brain". Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  9. Stokstad E (2009). "Resignations highlight disagreement on vaccines in autism group". Science. 325 (5937): 135. doi:10.1126/science.325_135a. PMID 19589974.
  10. Luscombe R (2009-01-25). "Charity chief quits over autism row". Observer. London. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  11. "Autism Science Foundation launches operations: new advocacy group will focus on non-vaccine-related autism research" (Press release). Autism Science Foundation. 2009-04-18. Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  12. Kalb C (July 1, 2009). "Another resignation at Autism Speaks". The Human Condition. Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  13. "How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed". Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  14. "The mystery of autism". CNN. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  15. "Autism Science Foundation's interviews with IMFAR researchers: David Mandell - Wellsphere". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  16. "ASF IMFAR Travel Grants".
  17. "Current Grantees - Autism Science Foundation website". Archived from the original on 2012-01-04.
  18. "Past Grantees". Autism Science Foundation. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14.
  19. Lutz, Amy S.F. "National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA) Launches". Psychology Today. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  20. "Behind the Vaccine Science: An Interview with Dr. Paul Offit, Author of Deadly Choices, How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All". Archived from the original on 2011-01-07. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  21. "Dr. Paul Offit's book, Autism's False Prophets". Archived from the original on 2012-04-03.
  22. "GuideStar names ASF a top nonprofit startupl".
  23. "Scientific Advisory Board". Archived from the original on 2012-02-20.
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