Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness, research, advocacy and family services for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.  Where do your dollars go? 


Family Services
Community Grants
These grants help community organizations expand existing programs to serve more individuals with autism, and create new programs that demonstrate true innovation in providing services in one of the following areas of need: Education, Recreation/Community Activities, Equipment/Supportive Technology or Young Adult/Adult Services.

Additional Family Resources 

• 100-Day Kit for Newly Diagnosed Families -- this free kit provides helpful, personalized information which includes local resources, support groups, where and how to find services, local conferences and recreational activities (also available in Spanish). 
• School Community Toolkit -- available online to assist members of the school community in understanding and supporting students with autism.
• Family Services Resource Guide -- lists over 26,500 resources nationwide. This extensive, searchable online database brings resources to families, like early intervention to adult services, and is searchable by zip code.
• Autism Response Team (ART) -- the ART team are experienced and trained to respond to a variety of questions and concerns from families affected by autism. Call 1-800-AUTISM2 to speak with an ART representative.

Science
Since inception, Autism Speaks has committed $131 million to support scientific research, which includes over 780 grants and fellowships into the causes and treatments of autism.  These grant monies are designed to produce significant findings that will be reported in peer-reviewed journals and lead to additional research support from government or other funding agencies. The investment in these research grants alone has been leveraged into nearly $153 million in NIH and other funding for the continuation of these scientific studies.

National Research Initiatives
Autism is a complex disease and we believe initiatives that bring together researchers in varied fields (genetics, behavioral sciences and many others) promote a collaborative approach that will help solve the mysteries of this devastating disorder as quickly as possible. 

• Environmental Factors Initiative -- examines the potential involvement of toxins as well as infectious agents in our environment.
• Innovative Technology for Autism -- supports the development of products that provide real world solutions to issues faced by those with autism
• Treatment Initiative -- working towards achieving standardization of treatment, development and translation of innovative therapies, creation of assistive technologies and formation of centers with integrated multi-disciplinary medical teams
• Biomarkers -- Biological markers can also help define autism subtypes and reveal potential therapeutic targets.
• High Risk Baby Sibs -- discover the earliest behavioral and biomedical markers of autism spectrum disorder.
• Toddler Treatment Network -- focus on parent-delivered interventions. 
• Autism Epidemiology Network -- international collaborative effort in autism epidemiology.
• Autism Genome Project -- the largest study ever conducted to find the genes associated with inherited risk for autism.
• Brain Development Initiative -- the creation of effective biologically-based treatments for autism will require knowledge of the underlying brain defects. Identifying what goes awry in the developing brain of children with autism is the first step.

Advocacy
Nationwide, few private insurance companies or other employee benefit plans cover autism therapies. In fact, most insurance companies designate autism as a diagnostic exclusion, meaning that no autism-specific services are covered. Autism Votes, an initiative of Autism Speaks, is working to change state insurance laws to require private health insurance policies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Sign up to receive legislative updates at www.AutismVotes.org. 

Awareness