The Autism Research Institute's Accomplishments in 2007

Under the guidance of new director Dr. Steve Edelson, ARI’s dedicated staff has done an extraordinary job of carrying on Dr. Bernard Rimland’s vision. In the past 12 months, these things have been accomplished with that vision in mind:

ARI awarded more than $650,000 for 18 grants for cutting-edge research on causes and on treatments that will help today’s children and adults affected by autism
ARI began publishing a monthly e-newsletter.
ARI launched its www.Autism.com website with outstanding new content offering an extensive collection of articles and videos covering every aspect of autism for both parents and professionals.
ARI activated the Autism Resource Call Center: 1-866-366-3361 (toll-free), providing free information, contacts, and support for parents implementing special diets.
We signed a formal agreement (Memorandum of Understanding, MOU) to work closely with the Autism Society of America (ASA) at the end of 2006, and this year similar formal agreements were established with several non-profit organizations, including SafeMinds, Generation Rescue, Unlocking Autism, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), the National Autism Association (NAA), Autism One, the Schafer Autism Report, and Treating Autism. These agreements will create strength in numbers by allowing our organizations to coordinate activities and combine resources in order to better achieve mutual goals.
ARI hired an interpreter to coordinate the translation of many of our papers into French, Spanish, Armenian, Arabic, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Japanese; these include “'Leaky Gut' and the Gluten- / Casein-Free Diet,” “What I Would Do If I Were a Parent of An Autistic Child: Recommendations Based on 30 Years of Research Experience,” and “Vitamin B6 (and magnesium) in the treatment of autism.”
ARI entered a partnership with the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the University of Maryland to set up a tissue bank that will store extra-cranial tissue. This is crucial because it will facilitate research into the systemic effects of autism—for example, the gut problems that play an integral role in the disorder. ARI provided the necessary equipment and was instrumental in recruiting a medical examiner to participate in the tissue-bank network . We also developed educational materials explaining how human tissue donation offers hope in finding answers to help end the autism epidemic.
We produced a video interview on the Rapid Prompting Method, and produced two interview videos on autism and sexuality (one pertaining to men and one to women). Both videos were uploaded to our website and can be viewed free of charge.
ARI began a collaboration with the Autism Network for Hearing and Visually Impaired Persons, updating their database and recruiting more families and professionals to participate in the network
ARI organized “network parents” from around the country. Collectively, they wrote ARI’s Frequently Asked Questions document, containing more than 60 questions and answers. In addition, they wrote the article, “Finding a Clinician using a Defeat Autism Now! Approach: Questions to Ask.”
ARI devised the model for a Rural Outreach Pilot Project to aid parents in areas with few resources for children with autism spectrum disorders. The first outreach meetings were held in Washington State.
ARI sponsored printing and distribution of an autism awareness handbook developed by the Helping Autism Now Society (HANS), and sent a copy to every pediatrician west of the Mississippi River.
ARI co-sponsored a debate between David Kirby and Arthur Allen on the role of thimerosal in autism, and two talks by Dr. Arthur Krigsman on gastrointestinal issues in autism. These videos were uploaded to ARI’s website within days after the events, and can be viewed online free of charge.
Dr. Edelson, with board member Jane Johnson, met with representatives from the National Institute of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in an effort to begin a dialogue on supporting biomedical research. Jane also met with NIMH Director Tom Insel, MD and NICHD Director Duane Alexander, MD, two of the lead agencies responsible for autism research, in an effort to promote communication and partnerships with The National Institutes of Health
ARI co-sponsored autism walk fundraisers in Phoenix and Los Angeles
ARI premiered a web-based program that allows parents and professionals to access ARI’s treatment-rating database of more than 25,000 cases. It can help to determine the most appropriate treatment(s) for a particular child. The program is located at www.autism.com.
In addition, Dr. Edelson drove throughout the mid- and north-west to collect documentation on recovered autistic children, and to evaluate them in person. He also visited several autism clinics and met with numerous parents during this six-week field trip. On a separate trip, he drove roundtrip from San Diego to Seattle to meet with “network parents” and to give several lectures.
Dr. Edelson was elected in 2007 to the Autism Society of America’s Board of Directors.

Defeat Autism Now! – a program of the Autism Research Institute

We sponsored two two-day Think Tanks in Alexandria, Virginia and Garden Grove, California The Think Tanks included over 50 leading researchers and clinicians from around the world.
We sponsored two successful three-day conferences (Alexandria, Virginia and Garden Grove, California) and several two-day mini-conferences, including one in Rome, Italy. Approximately 2,600 parents and professionals attended these conferences. The videos from the three-day conferences have been uploaded to ARI’s website.
We sponsored practitioner-training seminars in Alexandria, Virginia; Garden Grove, California; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Jacksonville, Florida. More than 250 practitioners attended.
We developed a new policy for practitioners, defining requirements for inclusion on ARI’s Defeat Autism Now! Clinician Registry. The new Clinician Registry will be posted to ARI’s website on January 3, 2008.
*Representatives from Defeat Autism Now! addressed members of the Institute of Medicine during a workshop on “Autism and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities,” regarding the potential for partnerships in research and treatment initiatives.
We sponsored several practitioner-to-practitioner conference calls. The aim of this pilot project is to provide better communication between experienced practitioners who integrate the Defeat Autism Now! approach, and those recently trained.
We published a supplement to the Jon Pangborn and Sid Baker book, Autism: Effective Biomedical Treatments.
We published a book on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), written by Judy Chinitz and Dr. Sidney Baker, titled We Band of Mothers

ARI and DAN! made every day in 2007 count—and we have many plans and more ideas for the coming months and years. ARI relies on the generosity of its donors to continue helping individuals with autism spectrum disorders and advancing the field of autism research. We appreciate your support, now more than ever!

*****

ARI is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization, Fed ID No. 95-2548452,
and donations are tax-deductible.

ARI's work relies on charitable contributions from concerned individuals
and organizations. We are proud to be the only autism non-profit to be awarded
the coveted Charity Navigator 'Four Star Award" for sound fiscal management .