Autistic representation

Autism Speaks has faced criticism from autistic advocates in the past for not including enough input from the community in our decision-making processes and for promoting harmful stereotypes about autism.

We have made significant efforts to consult autistic people in the development of key programs and initiatives, host roundtables and community conversations to help direct and create programming, uplift the autistic people within our own walls and highlight the stories and perspectives of autistic people across the lifespan in our content and resources.

Aside from employing autistic team members, we make it a regular practice to consult advisory boards of autistic people, their parents and family members, as well as healthcare professionals, researchers and advocates who work closely with the autistic community. We also work regularly with autistic content writers and our Champions of Change to ensure our messaging and programming reflects the diverse perspectives of the community.

We hope that by engaging closely with autistic people, telling their stories and including them in decision making at Autism Speaks, we can help correct some of the harmful stereotypes and misinformation that perpetuate the stigma, discrimination and misunderstanding of autistic people.

Here are some of the community members that are actively informing, advising and participating in conversations with Autism Speaks on topics to constantly offer better support, services and resources:

Alex Astrella Self-Advocate Inclusion Champion	Alyssa Chapman Self-Advocate Inclusion Champion	Victoria Handy Self-Advocate Inclusion Champion	Tonya Haynes Self-Advocate Inclusion Champion
Tyler Haynes Self-Advocate Inclusion Champion	Eileen Lamb Self-Advocate Director of Social Media	Dr. Stephen Shore Self-Advocate Board Member	Logan Slaughter Self-Advocate Inclusion Champion