It has been a chaotic start to the new year. There is a lot of very overwhelming news. We’re here to explain some of what’s happened the past few months. We’ll share actions you can take to help autistic people & the disability community. One of the big things that happened recently is that the...

These comments are available as a PDF here. February 5, 2026 Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee428 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510-6300 House Education and the Workforce Committee2176 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515-6100 To Chairmen Cassidy and Walberg and Ranking Members Sanders and Scott — The undersigned members of the Collaboration...

<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow">Formal Language <p>Last Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced 21 new public members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). It is a complete overhaul. No previous members of the committee are reappointed despite many seeking renomination. The new IACC is&nbsp; overwhelmingly made up of anti-vaccine advocates and peddlers of dangerous quack autism “treatments.” At a time when the autistic community desperately needs quality research that could genuinely improve our lives, we fear that this IACC will direct research funding towards known dead ends and influence federal activities away from policies that would best serve the autistic community. In past administrations, the IACC was a diverse decision-making body in which many opinions and groups were represented. ASAN is appalled by the government’s decision to warp it into another part of the HHS disinformation machine.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a government advisory board housed within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The IACC makes recommendations about what types of autism research the government should fund. It is responsible for monitoring autism research and best practices for services and supports. It also summarizes the latest research on autism that furthers our understanding of autism, informing policymaking and legislation. The IACC is required by law to be made up of representatives of government agencies (federal members) and people who do not work for the government that have expertise about autism (public members). Public members must make up more than one third, but less than one half of total membership. Legally, at least 3 of the IACC’s public members must be autistic, although ASAN has always advocated for that number to be significantly higher. Previous IACC rosters have included autistic people who were also autism researchers, policy experts, and self-advocacy movement leaders, including Hari Srinivasan, Sam Crane, Dr. Jenny Mai Phan, and Dr. Morénike Giwa Onaiwu. There are also requirements to have at least 3 parents or legal guardians or autistic people and 3 representatives of leading research, advocacy, and service organizations for autistic people.&nbsp;</p> <p>We think the new IACC lacks the necessary expertise to fulfill the responsibilities of the IACC and is unrepresentative of the broader community. None of the previous, qualified public members have been reappointed. Instead, they were replaced with individuals handpicked to enact Secretary Kennedy’s agenda, just like the Advisory Council on Immunization Policy (ACIP). Several autism-focused organizations nominated many qualified advocates, both autistic and non-autistic, including policy and academic experts. None were appointed. The rejection of candidates shows a repeated pattern of the administration to disregard expertise and the lived experience of those most impacted.</p> <p>The views of the new members largely do not reflect the views of most autistic people, their families, advocates, or researchers. There are several new public members who have said they believe vaccines do or could cause autism.&nbsp; Many are known associates of anti-vaxxer and current HHS employee, Mark Blaxill. Several are or were affiliated with Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs, a group funded by the supplements industry that promotes an anti-vaccine agenda under the guise of educating medical professionals about autism and other disabilities. Multiple new members promote or even practice dangerous quack “cures” like chelation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and one, Dr. Daniel Rossignol, has even been <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/TheLaw/doctors-sued-autism-chelation-therapy/story?id=10045951">sued</a> for providing fake treatment to autistic patients.</p> <p>This IACC is illegitimate and does not represent our community. We do not trust it. We think no one should trust it. ASAN will work to hold the government accountable and spread accurate and science-backed information. We will continue to fight for the dignity and respect of all autistic people.</p> </details> <details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow">Plain Language <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Words to Know</h2> <p><strong>Anti-vaccine </strong>— when someone doesn’t support giving people vaccines. People who are anti-vaccine usually believe things about vaccines that aren’t true. For example, they may believe that there is a link between vaccines and autism. This is not true.</p> <p><strong>Chelation</strong> — a medical treatment for problems like lead poisoning. Chelation can be dangerous. Some people say that chelation can cure autism, but they are lying.</p> <p><strong>Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)</strong> — the part of the US government that makes rules about health and medicine.</p> <p><strong>Disinformation</strong> — fake or misleading ideas that people spread on purpose to trick others.</p> <p><strong>Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)</strong> — a medical treatment for problems like infections. It can also be used on divers who come up from deep water too fast. HBOT can be dangerous. Some people say that HBOT can cure autism, but they are lying.</p> <p><strong>Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)</strong> — part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The IACC gives the government advice about autism research. The IACC tells the government what kind of research the government should pay for. The IACC also keeps track of autism research and what it tells us about how to help autistic people. </p> <p><strong>Vaccine</strong> — a shot or spray that keeps people from getting sick with a specific disease. Vaccines are safe and work very well.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ASAN Alarmed By New Anti-Vaccine IACC Roster</h2> <p>Last Wednesday, the <strong>Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)</strong> announced 21 new members of the <strong>Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)</strong>. None of the new members have been on the committee before. No one who used to be on the committee was put back on the committee this year, even though many of them asked to be put back.&nbsp;</p> <p>Most of the people on the IACC now are <strong>anti-</strong><a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/resources-3/covid-pl/#elementor-toc__heading-anchor-13"><strong>vaccine</strong></a>, or support dangerous fake autism “treatments.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Right now, autistic people really need better autism research. We need research that can make our lives better. Instead of supporting that kind of research, we are worried that this new IACC will support research that won’t help anyone. For example, we are worried that they will try to prove a link between vaccines and autism. Lots of studies have already proven there is no link. But we are worried that the IACC will try to prove one anyway.</p> <p>Earlier versions of the IACC included people with different opinions about autism. That was normal. Now, the government has made an IACC where almost everyone has the same wrong ideas. That is not normal. The government has made an IACC that will spread <a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/debunking-autism-misinformation/"><strong>disinformation</strong></a>. This is wrong.</p> <p>The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The IACC’s job is to give the government advice about autism research. The IACC tells the government what kind of research the government should pay for. The IACC also keeps track of autism research and what it tells us about how to help autistic people. You can learn more about the IACC <a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/policy/toolkits/iacc/">here</a>.</p> <p>The law that set up the IACC says that the IACC has to have both federal members and public members. Federal members are people who work for the government. Public members are people who do not work for the government, but know a lot about autism. The law says that at least 3 of the IACC’s public members have to be autistic. (ASAN wants this number to be a lot higher.)</p> <p>Earlier versions of the IACC included autistic people who were also:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Autism researchers.</li> <li>Policy experts</li> <li>Self-advocacy movement leaders.</li> </ul> <p>This included people like Hari Srinivasan, Sam Crane, Dr. Jenny Mai Phan, and Dr. Morénike Giwa Onaiwu.&nbsp;</p> <p>We don’t think the people on the new IACC know enough about autism to do what the IACC is supposed to do. Also, they do not represent the autistic community. There used to be a lot of autism experts on the IACC, but none of them were put back on the committee. Instead, the government picked people who have similar beliefs to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This also happened on another committee, the <a href="https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/12/pl-roundup-whats-going-on-and-how-you-can-help/">Advisory Council on Immunization Policy (ACIP)</a>. The government fired the experts on ACIP and replaced them with anti-vaccine advocates.</p> <p>Autism organizations like ASAN gave the government recommendations about who should be on the new IACC. We recommended that they put autism experts on the committee. We recommended autistic people and non-autistic people. The government did not put anyone who ASAN recommended on the committee. The government did not put anyone who other organizations recommended on the committee. This shows that the government does not care whether there are real experts on the committee.</p> <p>There used to be 7 autistic people on the IACC. Now there are only 3. This is the minimum number of autistic people that the law lets the government put on the IACC. This shows that the government does not want a lot of autistic people to be on the committee.</p> <p>Some of the new IACC members have said they think vaccines cause autism. Some of them have said that they think vaccines might cause autism. This is wrong. Some of the new IACC members work with a group called Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs. This group spreads lies about vaccines. Some of the new IACC members believe that dangerous fake “treatments” like <strong>chelation</strong> and <strong>hyperbaric oxygen therapy</strong> can cure autism. This is not true. These treatments do not cure autism. But they can kill people, like <a href="https://www.chop.edu/news/death-autistic-child-chelation-therapy-oped">Abubakar Nadama</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/04/oxygen-chamber-maha">Thomas Cooper</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>One of the new IACC members, named Dr. Daniel Rossignol, has even been <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/TheLaw/doctors-sued-autism-chelation-therapy/story?id=10045951">sued</a> for giving fake treatment to autistic patients.</p> <p>This new IACC does not represent our community. We do not trust it. We think no one should trust it. ASAN will keep telling the government what we think. We will keep spreading real science about autism. And we will keep fighting for all autistic people to get respect.</p> </details>

ASAN January Newsletter Dear friend, 2026 has already brought a mix of joy and grief. While we plan for the year ahead, we also mourn and fight. Our community and so many others continue to face violence and hate. We continue to fight, together, for a better world for all autistic people. This month, we...

Conducted for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network HEARD is an abolitionist organization of deaf and disabled people that advocates with and for deaf/disabled people impacted by carceral violence. For this post, we interviewed a graduate from HEARD’s Public Education Team (PET) to share his story. HEARD’s PET is a group of formerly incarcerated disabled/deaf people,...

These comments are available as a PDF here. January 20, 2026 Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil RightsHubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 509F200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201 RE: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance (RIN: 0945-AA27) The...

In the past five years, over 548 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives, or caregivers. On Saturday, March 1st, the disability community will gather virtually and across the nation to remember these disabled victims of filicide – disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers. In the year since our...

ASAN is thrilled to announce the release of an autistic Barbie! This doll is a project made along with Mattel. We hope she shows all kids that autistic people are a valuable part of our communities. During our meetings with Mattel, we talked about how there are many ways that autistic people express ourselves —...

Applications for the 2026 Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) Leadership Academy are now open. The 2026 program will be held virtually from Monday, July 13 to Sunday, July 19, 2026.

These Shared Learning Groups (SLGs) are an opportunity to dive into important topics together, sharingresources, information, and ideas to better support people with intellectual and developmentaldisabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions.These meetings will be led by members of our Steering Committee and project partners. ASAN is a Link Center...

ASAN December Newsletter Dear friend, December has seen its fair share of fights, and in a year with as many struggles as we have seen in 2025, it’s more important than ever that we continue to grow, fight, and organize together. Read about what we’ve been up to and how you can get involved. This...

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a national grassroots disability rights organization run by and for Autistic Americans, advocating for systems change and ensuring that the voices of Autistic people are heard in policy debates and the halls of power. Our staff work to educate communities and improve public perceptions of autism. As a 501(c)(3)...

When I was a small child, I learned about autism from Jim Sinclair, Ari Ne’eman, and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). ASAN made it clear that autistic people deserve respect, autonomy, and a say in our own lives. It never occurred to me that I couldn’t go to college. It was my assumption that...

These comments are available as a PDF here. December 19, 2025 Andrew Good, ChiefOffice of Policy and StrategyU.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesDepartment of Homeland Security5900 Capitol Gateway DriveCamp Springs, MD  20746 Autistic Self Advocacy Network Comment Re: DHS Docket No. USCIS-2025-0304, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) appreciates the opportunity...

It’s been a tough time to be disabled in America this past month. We know the amount of news happening is overwhelming. We’re here to help, with updates about what’s going on and actions you can take. Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits There’s been a lot of news about the premiums for the Affordable...

For the past two days, the Advisory Council on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss various topics related to vaccination. At this meeting, ACIP members continued to spread false information about vaccine ingredients and autism. ACIP members and presenters falsely claimed that these claims haven’t been disproven. This is not true. Studies have demonstrated over...

ASAN November Newsletter Dear friend, As we move through November, we’re reflecting on our community’s strength, creativity, and persistence. November 13 marked ASAN’s anniversary, and every year, we’re reminded that our work is only possible because of you — self-advocates, organizers, and community members who keep fighting for a world where we all have what...

As national organizations dedicated to advancing the well-being of autistic individuals and partners across the disability and public health sectors, we are deeply disappointed by the latest update to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website on autism and vaccines. The website now states: “‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based...

Introduction Last week, the government said they are moving some parts of the Department of Education to different agencies. You can learn about that here. The government did not say anything about their plans for special education. But ASAN knows that the government plans to change who is in charge of special education. You can...

**Formal Language** Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control radically rewrote a website addressing false claims linking vaccines to autism. Previously, the CDC had correctly stated that a strong scientific consensus has concluded that vaccines are not associated with autism. The website now falsely claims that this statement is “not evidence-based” and that “studies supporting a link between vaccines and autism have been ignored by health authorities”. These are lies. Vaccines are important for protecting the public from dangerous infectious diseases. Claiming that vaccines cause autism discourages parents from vaccinating their children, resulting in the unnecessary spread of infectious diseases and the resurgence of illnesses that have long been controlled by the widespread adoption of vaccines. Declining vaccination rates stemming from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s consistent lies since taking office endanger disabled and otherwise medically vulnerable people. The lie that vaccine components cause autism has led to scientifically dubious “treatments” that have harmed and killed autistic people for years. The science is clear. As the American Academy of Pediatrics stated, “Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There’s no link between vaccines and autism.” The CDC under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Acting CDC director Jim O’Neill has proven that it can no longer be trusted to provide truthful information about health to the American public. We deserve public health information we can trust to help us make important health care decisions for ourselves and with our loved ones. The only way to begin to rebuild the trust that HHS has broken  is to remove Secretary Kennedy and Acting Director O’Neill from office immediately. While we fight for the CDC to return to a practice of sharing factual public health information, we encourage everyone in our community to instead rely on information from the American Academy of Pediatrics and their HealthyChildren.org resource, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center, immunize.org, and the American Public Health Association. ASAN will continue to provide information to our community from trustworthy sources. **Plain Language** Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) changed a page on their website. The page was about autism. Some people say that vaccines cause autism, but this is not true. The CDC’s web page used to be about how vaccines do not cause autism. Yesterday, they changed it. Now, the web page says that vaccines might cause autism. It says that there is some proof that vaccines might cause autism. It says that people in charge of public health have been ignoring this proof. These are lies. Vaccines are  really important. Vaccines protect everyone from dangerous diseases. When the government says that vaccines might cause autism, it makes people scared. Parents who are scared about vaccines might not give vaccines to their children. When fewer children have their vaccines, more people get dangerous diseases. We have already seen that since HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. started working in the government, fewer parents are giving their children vaccines. When people say vaccines cause autism, it scares parents of autistic kids. Those parents might make bad decisions. They might get fake autism “treatments” for their kids. These treatments are dangerous. They can hurt or kill people. Science has already shown over and over again that vaccines do not cause autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics, a group of doctors who treat children, said this on their website. They said: “Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear… There’s no link between vaccines and autism.” Americans cannot trust the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) anymore. We cannot trust the people in charge of the CDC: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Acting CDC director Jim O’Neill. We cannot trust that they will tell us the truth about health and safety. This makes it harder for all of us to make health care decisions for ourselves and our loved ones. The CDC has broken our trust. The only way to fix it is to fire Secretary Kennedy and Acting Director O’Neill from their jobs. If the President won’t do that, Congress should. ASAN will keep fighting to make the CDC go back to telling Americans the truth. In the meantime, here are some places you can get true health information: * The American Academy of Pediatrics and their HealthyChildren.org resource * The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists * The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center * Immunize.org * The American Public Health Association. ASAN will keep telling our community the truth. We will back up what we say with sources we can trust.

On November 18, the Trump administration announced plans to proceed with its efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. Check out our formal and plain language statements on this to learn more and see what you can do to take action!

We are missing our friend Alice Wong. Alice died on November 14. We are proud to call her an ally and a friend. And while we mourn her passing, we want to uplift her work and her own words too. Alice was a powerhouse — her impact on the world, on disability justice, on so...

Introduction Disabled students have the right to a free education that meets their needs. They should get the same rights in schools as non-disabled students. The law that says so is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA helps disabled students get services and support to get a good education alongside non-disabled students....

What is happening with SNAP? The government shutdown is still happening. You can learn about the government shutdown by reading our plain language explainer here. The government shutdown has a big effect on benefit programs. Benefit programs are programs the government runs to help people get what they need to live. One benefit program that...

October 30, 2025 Department of Health and Human ServicesFood and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H 5630 Fishers Lane Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Autistic Self Advocacy Network Re: FDA-2025-P-4153-0001, Citizen Petition from Siri & Glimstad LLP on behalf of Informed Consent Action Network The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) appreciates the opportunity to provide information to...