| Autism Society of America | |
| Status: | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |
| Founded: | 1965 |
| Founders: | Bernard Rimland,[1] Ruth C. Sullivan, and others |
| Headquarters: | Rockville, Maryland, United States |
| Leader Name: | Lori A. Ireland[2] |
| Leader Title: | Executive Chair |
| Leader Name2: | Christopher Banks |
| Leader Title2: | President/Chief Executive Officer |
| Employees: | 27[3] |
| Employees Year: | 2013 |
| Volunteers: | 20 |
| Volunteers Year: | 2013 |
| Revenue: | $2,396,020[4] |
| Revenue Year: | 2013 |
| Expenses: | $2,378,089 |
| Expenses Year: | 2013 |
| Endowment: | $50,000 |
| Subsidiaries: | Autism Society of America Foundation |
| Formerly: | National Society for Autistic Children[5] |
The Autism Society of America (ASA) was founded in 1965[6] by Bernard Rimland[1] together with Ruth C. Sullivan and a small group of other parents of children with autism. Its original name was the National Society for Autistic Children;[5] the name was changed to emphasize that autistic children grow up. The ASA's stated goal is to increase public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by autistic people as well as their families and the professionals with whom they interact.[7] Although the group has promoted the pseudoscientific belief that vaccines cause autism in the past, it now affirms that there is no link between vaccination and autism.[8] In 2021, the ASA launched a new brand including a logo consisting of multicolor lines forming a fabric with a new slogan, "The Connection Is You".[9]
See main article: Bernard Rimland. Bernard Rimland (November 15, 1928 – November 21, 2006) was an American research psychologist, writer, lecturer, and influential person in the field of developmental disorders who is known for promoting autism-related pseudoscience. In 1964, Dr. Bernard Rimland wrote a book, Infantile Autism, that convinced others working in the field that autism is a physiological disorder, not a mental or emotional problem.[10] Rimland was a founder of the Autism Society of America in 1965, but left to create the Autism Research Institute in 1967.[11] He later promoted several theories, which have since been disproven, about the causes and treatment of autism, including vaccine denial, facilitated communication, chelation therapy, and false claims of a link between secretin and autism.