Autistic people protest Autism Speaks (ASAN - Central Ohio) 

I agree! I'm a person, not a puzzle piece!

some of these comments about supporting Speaks bug me. i want to make a parody of speaks called Autism Spanks. autism, no matter what kind, can give positives such as high intelligence, memory and sense of detail, and groups like Speaks ignore this rather willingly.

This makes me feel accepted! Thank you for this. I agree, I'm a person not a puzzle piece.

People not Puzzles!!!

As an aspie on the spectrum myself, the fact that Autism Speaks goes lengths to demonize autism is just revolting. I've never been more repulsed by their actions.

remember boys and girls Just because someone is different than 'normal people' does not necessarily mean that the person is any less of a human than any other person. Autism Speaks DOES NOT speak for me

I was lucky enough to be diagnosed with autism at an early age, so I've gotten the help I need. But these "Autism Speaks" people are so full of shit, you could call the whole damn organization a toilet.

"80% of parents of children get divorced." ARE YOU SERIOUS?

I wish I could join the Autistics against Autism Speaks !

and by the way, just because someone can't talk doesn't mean they're unhappy. of course if they can't talk that you should teach them, but it doesn't mean they're already unhappy. maybe they're thinking about things they really like

Wow, this shit is really offensive. I'm autistic and I now consider it a gift, one that took me many years to accept. The first 15 years of my life WAS HELL because not only did I not know I was autistic, my parents neglected me in helping me figure out what was wrong. Eventually I was finally diagnosed, when I was 23, I'm 24 now. It blows my mind how little people care or know about it.

Autism Speaks needs to sod off. I'm not Autistic, but I have a few friends who are. They get angry whenever this is mentioned, and I don't blame them. What AS is doing is disgusting.

I've always wanted to do a vlog against autism speaks, but I am afraid of being sued

YOU ARE RIGHT!!! KEEP GOING. I LOVE the Autistic community and i believe they are advanced humans.

Good for you people! I am autistic, and autism speaks, does not speak for me!

NO MORE SHAME! NO MORE DOUBT!! NO MORE BIGOTRY AND HATE!!!😡😤🤬😖😠👿😾🗯

When I saw Autism Speaks colors at my new job coach's building where she works I started getting really uncomfortable. I told her I have a burning hatred for the puzzle symbol and she fucking brushed it off like no big deal. I told her I'm a person not a puzzle, I don't have a missing piece I don't need to be solved, and A$ is a horrible orginization and they're the one who came up with that shitty symbol in the FIRST PLACE. She didn't even listen to me. Hearing these #actuallyautistic people and their allies chanting "People not puzzles!" made me feel better. Thank you.

"80% of parents with autistic children get divorced." I'm autistic, and my parents are still married. Where the hell did Autism Speaks get this and other nonsensical statements from?!

At first I didn't really understand what the deal was with Autism Speaks... but now when you put it this way...seeing all the signs... wow, they are actually so negative

Oh my god....>< This pisses me off sooo much. If I was there and saw all those signs. ;D...I would really go to town destroying them.

I'd kick those signs down.

I wonder how supporters of Autism Speaks would feel if they knew that their money wasn't being spent on the things they thought. Here's a link to the Autism Speaks expenditure page, which they have a right to know about: www.autismspeaks.org/docs/Autism_Speaks_Form_990_2008.pdf

@TheEthereallotus Thanks. I'm not a very arrogant person btw, I just get really bummed out when people talk down about aspies, because I'm proud of who I am, and of what I am. The autistic part of my mind I believe allows me to focus on my interests better than others would. It's disheartening however, how with prenatal testing they are trying to eliminate people on the autistic spectrum before they have a chance to speak for themselves. Anyway, I wish your son the best. =)

When I think puzzle pieces I think actual puzzles

My IQ is around 140 and I was one of the youngest to graduate from my nursing program. I was student health sciences leader voted in by over 530 people, I spoke publicly at a conference in front of over 70 new professors, and lastly, I paid for my college program with over 10k in scholarship and bursaries. So I have a question: How many of you neurotypicals have done that? I'd love to see you tell me I'm socially damaged as an aspy when I can do things some of you can only dream of.

We are who we 'Aut' to be!!

@MyTotalRemedy As an Aspie, I very much disagree with you. The protest is about equality with "neurotypicals," not superiority over them. Apergers and autism isn't a death sentence, no matter how people portray it to be.

one good thing about living in australia is that i do not have to deal with autism speaks. we do still get similar prejudices though. my least favourite charity for the hate it spreads.

I was diagnosed at age 3 in 1993. sometimes in life you will come across people who seek to bring you down (such as the pro-abortion, ableist chumps at Autism Speaks) I love my life and choose to live it for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I started my own Autism education movement called, Puzzle Peace in 2009 (the name is just a play on words on how the world sees us, the official symbol is the Peace sign) and an internet ministry was introduced this year called Puzzle Praise.

BTW I mean the Autism Speaks signs. I'm really against those people. >>

@nutsndoltz What do you mean she's not low-functioning? What kind of FUD is that to discredit those who oppose Autism Speaks? The autistics with communication impairments are not the minority. You're right. I have communication impairment. You have. NTs have. Everyone has. Nobody communicates perfectly. I said that low-functioning autistics are the minority, and that's a fact.

This is so inspiring and I agree with your point :)

as an autistic person myself makes me feel proud that my autistic family members are standing up for them selves

I have autism

Thank you very much for your work.

I imagine they're gonna sue the protesters for ruining their image effectively ruining it themselves.

Link?

I want to yell at the Austism speaks people for thoughs sings , i dont have friends or family with Austim but i have a mild form or it and thats really offensive

I think part of the problem is that "Autism Speaks" is being very generic about it, while the minority of those on the spectrum are of the extreme case. While they refer to "autism" as a whole, this becomes offensive to the majority who are within the functional range. Replace "cure against autism" with a more support-oriented approach for the worst cases, otherwise it feels like a crusade against a whole group of people, who are being described almost as if being posessed by an intrusive evil.

Thankyou for this i am a human not a puzzle i understand race ethnicity religion lifestyle and much more i am a intelligent autistic human being

You go guys!

Please critique my comment. have seen this attitude in many upper spectrum individuals. I agree that everyone should embrace and accept diversity in individual personalities, and that finding a "cure" for autism is a condescending and poor strategy. But for those individuals who are less able to live independently, what does ASAN do to help them ?

@AnElephantThatPaints -Right now there is no cure of autism. The children who have "recovered" or greatly progress to the point that they are able to function independently had been affected environmentally in their development. Improving their health and assisting them intensively in their learning is what has assisted them. Parents will always want the best for their children, it is in their genes. You see you child sick, you act. You see your child excluded, you act. Of course you do!

IT’S UP TO CYMA TO CALL A HALMA!

I love your icon. AG is the best.

I'm autistic but only a little and may i say how could you say that? such a thing makes me loose hope for the place we call home (earth)

So as someone with autism I heard about Autism Speaks and something about they hate something about its a diseases

@nutsndoltz so explain why in france only 4 on 10 000 are diagnosticed autism(remember the autism must enough low functionning to be diagnosticed)

It's the same spectrum, you can come in :)

Of course.

I always took the puzzle piece(s) to mean trying to find the cause(s) of autism.

I like this slogan. I’m too a person not a pice of cardboard.

Including yourself.

Zip it all about this about hate saying it is a puzzle like gunman

great people who care bout autism ^^ i got it to had a rough school time -.- every called me names and never picked me during stuff like dodgeball my autism has been progressed so far i can go to shopping malls while a few years back i kinda panicked in rooms with many people but im steadilly getting used to it friend of mine has it to but he has it worse we got trough school together cant believe some people are assholes we had only 1 friend the rest called us gay and retards -.- damn school

👏👏👏👏👏❤️✊

lol i deleted the group because i found there one lol i just joined theres instead

Too bad.

i am so confused.

我工子比正权 I am working for autism rights around the world Je travai pour droits d l'autisme Я работаю за права аутизма Yo trabajo para derechos autisticos Eu trabalho para diertos autisticos انا اعمل في حكوك التوحد

I am SO confused and figured asking people who actually live w/Autism is the best place to ask this question. My son Kasen, 5, was just diagnosed. A lot of information I get is from Autism Speaks. While I understand (and agree) they should have more Autistic people work w/them (putting aside the politics) isn't the point to get people aware of Autism? There are still so many people who don't even know what it is so I just don't see the harm in them spreading the word.

i still don't get what is so wrong with what Autism Speaks is trying to do. theyre only trying to raise awareness about kids with autism. i am positive that they did not mean any harm by those boards. they seem harmless. i mean, yeah, of course autism isnt a disease. my brother has autism. theyre just thinking of what autism is medically, not mentally.

@AnElephantThatPaints Ok, your wish is my command. I'll be posting it to youtube. By the way, check out my other video channel, autisticsspeak. You can see how I was greeted by ASAN after giving them a hard time about not protesting against JRC.

@thisusernameistaken2 I'm not going into detail about her, but anyone who knows of her, knows she isn't low-functioning. Not everyone has a communication impairment. Don't dodge the issue like that. The low-functioning are not the minority. And not all in the category of high-functioning function that well.

I am confused. Wouldn't it be more productive to integrate autistic people into a movement that already leads the nation in resources, advertising, awareness, support, etc. for people with autism instead of saying they're bad because they aren't autistic? Also, I think I missed the part about wanting to eliminate and eradicate people with autism.

@thisusernameistaken2 Baggs is not low-functioning. That's been known for a long time. The autistics with communication impairments are not the minority.

You're not allowed to think for yourself. I have Asbergers syndrome and I hate it so much. I understand it messed up my life. I didn't ask for it, or choose to be defined by a life debilitating disease. I have no problem with Autism Speaks, and think the people thinking there's no problem and are bigoted against and look down on "neurotypicals", people who have it much better and can choose their personality and to live their life, regular people, are just deluding themselves. There, I said it.

Autism Society is in the Autism Speaks Network! We work togeather!

@AnElephantThatPaints Check tonight for the video on my channel and proof out of Ari's own mouth why he won't take a primary role in protesting against the JRC.

My son has high functioning autism, and the problem with ASAN is that though it purports to be in favor of self-advocacy, but it seems to confirm the same old attitude among many oppressed groups that feels it's more important to be accepted by society, or to "pass" as (fill in the blank: "white", "Gentile", "neuro-typical", etc). In the Civil Rights struggle, that is what was called an "Uncle Tom" attitude, and is a diservice to your more-afflicted peers, and ultimately to yourself.

i have autism myself and i notice many other autistics protest organizations like this. how ever i notice a trend...many of the autistics who are VERY dedicated in protesting this stuff like this live on their own,pay their own bills,drive a car,are married,even have a child or too and not to mention hypersexual too! so pretty much they are boarder lining normal as far as society goes. the reason they protest these programs is because they want to be accepting for their "differences" but in all honesty they arnt that different at all. weird how the ones who are the loudest about these protests are the ones who very NT-like....yea i have a bad history with "NT-like" autistics who claim to be sooooo disabled! they rub me the wrong way and while i used to be friends with these types of autistics because they seem to be the only ones who go to chats like Wrongplanet and similar,i since moved on and will stay far away as possible. i now go to a day program where they are way more own to earth and not superficial fools who still have the whole middle school/high school mindset of "i MUST be like everyone else!!! be a carbon copy!!" or the college kid mindset of "sex and drugs and sex and drugs im horny and i want to get high!!!!" fakest autistics i ever met!!!

I love to see people with autism uniting together and forming a community of support. But everyone in this video is very high functioning - able to speak and express their own opinions. Certainly none of these people need a "cure". I want to know what you think about finding a cure for those who are much less fortunate. I nanny for a child on the spectrum who is almost completely non-verbal. He can't express his pain in a clear way or ask for help when he needs it. As of right now he could nev

I don't know what "kind" of cure, but a cure. If I could take away all of my son's symptom's of Autism I would in a second. In the past I worked as a paraprofessional in a public school system with Autistic children and teens and I have seen the struggles awaiting my son. Yes if I could I would take all of it away.

Umm, you all are very capable people with Autism, and I understand why you would be upset. However my child is not faring as well as you all are, and she has Down Syndrome on top of it. In my daughter's case, the Autism is far more debilitating than the Down Syndrome. Please just realize that there is a huge range of affectedness in Autism with some people who are very capable of becoming independent and others who can barely function like my child. I say this as a person with ADD.

I to object to the use of the word "ableist" because it seems to imply autistic people are disabled. Which in my opinion is not correct.

What about the children with Severe Autism? I myself have a 4 yr old with high functioning Autism, and I have friends with children that have Severe Autism, should their children that will never utter a word not have the chance at a cure and possibly be able to function as you are able to. Shame on you for making Autism sound like an easy thing.

Look I can understand a Cure for people with nonverbal and difflut lots of problem but it should be there choice

I agree with you on that we need to educate the world! That we are people 2 and that we demand respect, we grow up and want and need the same things as Normals! But, get off the denial~Fraud train! We do not hate or attack you with false information! Watch my video if you have a free thinking mind! I am Autistic and everyone in Autism Speaks is either Autistic, a parent of or is a family member of someone with Autism! Meet with us so all Autistics be Individualy togeather as one! 1 great voice!

@AnElephantThatPaints Real autism propaganda, you mean the propaganda against real autism? Currently there is a large proportion of children with autism that are very affected and sick, if you guys think these children do not deserve help and treatment, then you are either totally unethical and unkind in your stance or simply grossly misinformed of their very own existence and the issues they face.

no one has said that autistic people are puzzles this i find ignorant

and you know what? my little brother has gotten help from both autism speaks and the autism society, but mostly from autism speaks! theyve helped countless kids with autism, and honestly, theyre doing more good than you guys are, protesting against what theyre doing right.

No disrespect but you do not represent people with autism who are a lot more affected than you are- you probably have no knowledge of the issues faced by these individuals. Your message does not help autism, it propagates illusions.

You're not allowed to think for yourself. I have Asbergers syndrome and I hate it so much. I understand it messed up my life. I didn't ask for it, or choose to be defined by a life debilitating disease. I have no problem with Autism Speaks, and think the people thinking there's no problem and are bigoted against and look down on "neurotypicals", people who have it much better and can choose their personality and to live their life, regular people, are just deluding themselves. There, I said it.