Association for Science in Autism Treatment

How Your Donations Help Us

Since autism was first identified, there has been a long history of failed treatments and fads, levied on vulnerable individuals as well as on their families. From the scandal of the “refrigerator mother” theory, to the ongoing parade of “miracle cures” and “magical breakthroughs,” the autism community has been distracted by improbable theories about causation and treatments and parents and other providers have been distracted by a dizzying array of marketing ploys. As a result, individuals with autism have been denied the opportunity to realize their fullest potential.  

Since ASAT was established in 1998, it has been our goal to work toward adopting higher standards of accountability for the care, education, and treatment of all individuals with autism. We promote safe, effective, science-based treatments for people with autism by disseminating accurate, timely, and scientifically sound information; advocating for the use of scientific methods to guide treatment; and combating unsubstantiated, inaccurate and false information about autism and its treatment. Help us disseminate accurate, science-based treatment information with your donation today! Your donations will be used to:

• Expand our coverage of genetics, epidemiology, assessment, and biologically based treatment issues.
• Expand our presence internationally to reach global communities and families who have little support for evidence-based autism treatment;
• Widen our impact on the media’s portrayal of autism and its treatment by creating materials to disseminate to journalists about effective autism treatments and appropriate ways to communicate with a global audience; and
• Continue our efforts to focus on evaluating efficacy of and disseminating information about treatment and services across the lifespan.

Who are we?

ASAT is a not-for-profit organization of parents and professionals committed to improving the education, treatment, and care of people with autism. Our board of directors and advisory board are comprised of parents of individuals with autism and highly trained professionals and practitioners working in multiple disciplines, such as pediatricians, scientists, academicians, clinicians, educators, speech therapists, and financial experts. We also have dozens of additional volunteers who work tirelessly to support our mission. Collectively, we have hundreds of years of experience and training related to autism treatment. ASAT has the expertise to disseminate sound recommendations, share resources, and make a difference in the lives of individuals with autism and their families.

ASAT 2013 Highlights

• Contracted with a web designer to overhaul or existing website funded by a grant from an ASAT Founder. Stay tuned for the unveiling of our new website!
• Published 27 Media Watch letters in response to media stories regarding autism treatment and encouraged consideration of the state-of-the-science in autism treatment.
• Expanded website offerings to include translation of content into Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Mandarin!
• Successfully expanded our fundraising with Dine InDeed, a Rock'n 4 Autism Awareness concert, Tastefully Simple, Kettlebells, Bidding for Good, Gives that Give, business donation jars, and established Team ASAT for the 2013 NYC Marathon.
• Increased our use of social media to reach families and professionals (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and Fundly)...including garnering over 6,500 Facebook “Likes”!
• Collaborated with Bilinguals Inc. and held a conference on autism treatment with about 130 participants. Also collaborated with Achieve Beyond and the College of New Rochelle to hold conferences with 90 and 60 conference participants, respectively.
• Graduated our first class of Externs many of whom have assumed Coordinator-level roles within ASAT.
• Published 4 content-packed issues of the Science in Autism Treatment Newsletter, with each issue including covering topics of interest to families and professionals (e.g., Clinical Corner, Research Synopses).
• Held bimonthly board meetings by conference call to advance an aggressive 2013 strategic plan and had our annual, in-person board meeting in Newark, NJ in December to finalize this plan.

For more information, visit  http://asatonline.org/