It's hard to believe that 2009 marks Autism Speaks' four-year anniversary. In 2005, we had just two employees in a small room at 30 Rockefeller Center. From those bare-bones beginnings we have grown into an organization with nearly 200 employees in the U.S. and Canada and we have established affiliate chapters in the United Kingdom and the Middle East. We have become the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the world and are humbled and awed by all that has been accomplished in such a short time.

In the past 48 months alone, thanks to the tireless commitment of our employees, volunteers, and supporters, we have made tremendous strides both nationally and abroad. In 2008, national autism awareness rose an unprecedented 43 percentage points as a result of our Ad Council campaign and volunteer efforts; our 100 Day Kit was launched and has been translated into Spanish, bringing much needed support and resources to an underserved community; our science team has embarked on global research collaborations that are building bridges of knowledge and education that will one day yield the answers that are so desperately needed; and we have celebrated the groundbreaking passing of autism insurance reform legislation in eight states that is changing the lives of families once crippled by out-of-pocket autism treatment expenses. These important advancements and many more will be highlighted in the following pages.

Last year Autism Speaks expanded its outreach in the international autism community with a call to action sent around the world. In February we saw the beginning of an exciting partnership with the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, in Doha, Qatar. On April 2 we celebrated the inaugural World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in 40 countries on six continents. Our global efforts ramped up in September when over 100 of the world's first ladies, ambassadors' spouses, and UN dignitaries attended our first ever “United Nations World Focus on Autism” at the opening of the 63rd UN General Assembly. It was thrilling to listen to Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of the UN Secretary General, speak to the importance of an immediate, worldwide reaction to this global public health crisis. The response from the assembled dignitaries was inspiring as they each took home with them a new understanding of autism and a dedication to changing the lives of families in their own countries who struggle with the disorder.

We hope to expand our international relations around the world while continuing our efforts here at home. It is only through global collaboration that we will find the answers for which we yearn. Our organization was founded around the simple but powerful statement that “autism speaks” and that its voice needed to be heard. We remain committed to speaking louder than ever, empowered with a voice filled with hope, compassion and determination, which will continue until all families and individuals with autism are heard.

Warmest Regards,






Suzanne and Bob Wright
Co-founders, Autism Speaks