On April 23, 2007, my article on the politics of autism was published at Blogcritics. I received mostly positive responses, but the one that sticks out in my mind today was comment #11 by Phil Schwarz who asked, “What if, instead of ‘Autism Every Day‘ and ‘Getting the Word Out,’ we had public relations collateral that eloquently illustrated the ‘make or break’ difference that the right kind of help, advocacy, and support can have, in the lives that autistic people lead?”

I think I got so into the politics of autism and autism charities that I merely complained about them without offering any ideas for improvement, something which I have criticized others for doing with regard to a number of other issues like; the Iraq war, the threat of terrorism, and America’s health care woes. My penance for that offense will be to write an article suggesting ways that autism charities could actually be helpful to autistic people.

However, I will need some help, for I can only speak for myself and my family’s needs and have little to no idea of what would be helpful to those whose circumstances are different than ours. Also, as the neurotypical mother of autistic children, I lack the perspective of autistic adults and what their requirements for services, therapy, job training, etc. might be.

So, I’m going to go on my merry way to spread the word in the hope that some of the good people I have met in my travels through the cyberspace district of the autistic community will stop by and lend a helping sentence or two — or maybe even a whole paragraph — to help answer the question: What kind of help, advocacy, and support should autism charities provide to autistic people and their families?

(Yes, I know they need to stop perpetuating negative stereotypes of autistic people, and that they should not speak of autism as if it is a disease in need of a cure, but I’m looking for the positive answers; what they can do, as opposed to what they should not do, and what would be helpful, rather than what is currently unhelpful.)

Thank you all for your participation.