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Political Participation thumb|100px|Logo of the Autism National Committee

The Autism National Committee (known also as AUTCOM or AutCom) is an American advocacy association of autistic people and their allies. AutCom operates as a non-profit organization. AutCom is the only autism advocacy organization dedicated to "social Justice for all Citizens and Autism" through a shared vision and a commitment to positive approaches to protect and advance the human and civil rights of all persons with autism, Pervasive Development Disorder, and related differences of Communication and behavior.

What is Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The signs can all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize. How this all occurs is still unknown and not well understood. Autism is the one of the three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum, the two other being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Examples are, environmental causes, such as heavy medtals, pesticides or childhood vaccines. The occurance of autism is about 1-2 per 1,000 people worldwide. In the United States the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports approximately 9 per 1,000 children are diagnosed with autism. . The number of people diagnosed with autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.

History

AUTCOM was founded in 1990 to protect and advance the human rights and civil rights of all persons with autism, Pervasive Development Disorder, and related differences of communication and behavior. It was founded by the late Dr. Herb Lovett. In the face of social policies of devaluation, which are expressed in the practices of segregation, medicalization, and aversive conditioning, we assert that all individuals are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Public Policy

AutCom believes strongly that no person should be subject to restraint, seclusion, aversives, or other forms of abuse. Children in school should receive positive supports and accommodations for their disability needs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that hundreds of children have been subjected to these techniques, including a 7 year old dying after being held face down for hours by staff, and 5 year olds tied to chairs with duct tape and suffering broken arms and bloody noses. According to Unsafe in the Schoolhouse: Abuse of Children with Disabilities (J. Butler COPAA 2009), a large number of students who are abused have autism.

AutCom advocates for the right of autistic people to communicate via whatever form of augmentative and alternative communication they choose, including Facilitated Communication (FC), which is a controversial technique involving one person's providing physical assistance to a communicatively impaired individual with the aim of helping the latter point or type. CNN reported on the experiences of some users of FC at AutCom's 2007 conference. In a position paper published in 2008, AutCom argued that FC should not be dismissed out of hand; that research findings are equivocal; and that FC is a valid means of communication for certain individuals (e.g., those who have gone on to type independently or with minimal physical support).

See also

Autism rights movement

External links

• Official AutCom website