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{{Infobox company
The '''Autism Research Institute''' ('''ARI''') is an organization that created a controversial program, '''Defeat Autism Now!''' ('''DAN!'''), in 1995.<ref name="about"/>
| name = Autism Research Institute
__TOC__
| logo = <<Insert logo>>
| logo_caption =
| image =
| image_caption =
| former_name =
| former type =
| type = Non-profit 501(c)3<ref name="primary">{{cite|url=http://www.autism.com/about-ari|title=About Our Work|publisher=Autism Research Institute|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref>
| industry =
| foundation = 1967<ref name= "Autism Matrix"/>
| founder = Bernard Rimland<Ref name="nyt">{{cite news|title=Bernard Rimland, 78, Scientist Who Revised View of Autism, Dies|first=Benedict|last=Carey|date=November 28, 2006|accessdate=August 8, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/obituaries/28rimland.html?_r=0}}</reF>
| location_city = San Diego, CA<ref name="primary"/>
| location_country = United States<ref name="primary"/>
| locations = <!-- Number of -->
| area_served =
| key_people = Stephen M. Edelson, Director<ref>{{cite|url=http://www.autism.com/staff|title=About ARI: ARI Staff|publisher=Autism Research Institute|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref>
| products =
| services = Online education, phone support, research grants, Autistic Global Initiative
| revenue = $1,754,803 (2012)<ref name= "Charity Nav"/>
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| homepage = {{URL|autism.com}}
| footnotes =
| intl =
| bodystyle =
}}<b>The Autism Research Institute (ARI)</b> is a San Diego-based non-profit organization that promotes alternative treatments for autism. It conducts or sponsors autism research, networking and education programs for patients and doctors. It also provides resources such as the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), which evaluates changes over time in autism-related symptoms.


ARI was founded in 1967 by [[Bernard Rimland]]. ARI created the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) program in 1995. DAN! promoted the now discredited belief that vaccines were a cause of autism and that it could be treated by removing heavy metals from the body; views that were not accepted by the medical field, but popular among many patients. In light of new research, the organization changed its views in the early 2000s and discontinued DAN! activities. It now focuses on nutrition and reducing one's exposure to toxins.
== Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) ==


==History==
⚫
DAN! advocated for [[alternative medicine|alternative]] treatments for [[autism]] and maintained a registry of doctors that were trained by the program to perform them.<ref name="one"/> DAN! was one of the more prominent advocates for the now medically discredited belief that [[Causes of autism#Vaccines|vaccines may be a cause of autism]].<ref name= "Autism Matrix">{{cite book |last1= Eyal |first1= Gil |first2= Brendan |last2= Hart |first3= Emine |last3= Onculer |first4= Neta |last4= Oren |first5= Natasha |last5= Rossi |displayauthors= 4 |title= The Autism Matrix |year= 2010 |publisher= [[Polity (publisher)|Polity]] |isbn= 9780745643991 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=63wehcBSu7EC&pg=PA246|pages=237–238}}</ref> Its "highest rated" autism treatment was [[Chelation therapy#Use in alternative medicine|chelation therapy]], which involves removing heavy metals from the body.<ref name="one"/> Its chelation treatment was not supported by mainstream doctors.<ref>{{cite news |last= Brownstein |first= Joseph |date= March 9, 2010 |title= Father sues doctors over 'fraudulent' autism therapy |url= http://abcnews.go.com/Health/TheLaw/doctors-sued-autism-chelation-therapy/story?id=10045951&singlePage=true |work= [[ABC News]]}}</ref> Doctors told the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' the treatments were dangerous and that misleading tests were used to show that those with autism had a high rate of heavy metals.<ref name="one">{{cite news|title=Risky alternative therapies for autism have little basis in science|date=November 22, 2009|first1=Trine|last1=Tsouderos|first2=Patricia|last2=Callahan|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-11-22/health/chi-autism-treatments-nov22_1_james-coman-autism-one-conference-defeat-autism|accessdate=August 8, 2014|newspaper=The Chicago Tribune}}</ref> According to the ''Chicago Tribune'', metals occur naturally in the body and very little is known about what a normal range is.<ref name="one"/> As of 2009, three-fourths of families with a child diagnosed with autism will try an alternative treatment like those that were prescribed by DAN!.<ref name="one"/>
The Autism Research Institute (ARI) was founded in 1967 by Bernard Rimland originally under the name Child Behavior Research Institute (CBRI).<ref name= "Autism Matrix">{{cite book |last1= Eyal |first1= Gil |first2= Brendan |last2= Hart |first3= Emine |last3= Onculer |first4= Neta |last4= Oren |first5= Natasha |last5= Rossi |displayauthors= 4 |title= The Autism Matrix |year= 2010 |publisher= [[Polity (publisher)|Polity]] |isbn= 9780745643991 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=63wehcBSu7EC&pg=PA246|pages=237-238}}</ref> Rimland founded the organization in order to promote alternative treatments to autism, especially megavitamin therapies that he witnessed hospitals experiment with as a treatment for schizophrenia.<ref name= "Autism Matrix"/> According to ARI, it also studied and published information on behavioral therapy in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.<ref name="primaryrry">{{cite news|title=The Expanding Mission of ARI|url=http://www.autism.com/expanding_2014|accessdate=August 5, 2014|publisher=Autism Research Institute}}</reF> ARI began publishing a quarterly newsletter, the Autism Research Review International (ARRI), in 1987.<ref name= "Autism Matrix"/>


⚫
In 1995 the controversial<ref name="about"/> Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) program was founded as a part of ARI.<ref name= "Autism Matrix"/> DAN! advocated for [[alternative medicine|alternative]] treatments for [[autism]] and maintained a registry of doctors that were trained by the program to perform them.<ref name="one"/> DAN! was one of the more prominent advocates for the now medically discredited belief that [[Causes of autism#Vaccines|vaccines may be a cause of autism]].<ref name= "Autism Matrix">{{cite book |last1= Eyal |first1= Gil |first2= Brendan |last2= Hart |first3= Emine |last3= Onculer |first4= Neta |last4= Oren |first5= Natasha |last5= Rossi |displayauthors= 4 |title= The Autism Matrix |year= 2010 |publisher= [[Polity (publisher)|Polity]] |isbn= 9780745643991 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=63wehcBSu7EC&pg=PA246|pages=237–238}}</ref> Its "highest rated" autism treatment was [[Chelation therapy#Use in alternative medicine|chelation therapy]], which involves removing heavy metals from the body.<ref name="one"/> Its chelation treatment was not supported by mainstream doctors.<ref>{{cite news |last= Brownstein |first= Joseph |date= March 9, 2010 |title= Father sues doctors over 'fraudulent' autism therapy |url= http://abcnews.go.com/Health/TheLaw/doctors-sued-autism-chelation-therapy/story?id=10045951&singlePage=true |work= [[ABC News]]}}</ref> Doctors told the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' the treatments were dangerous and that misleading tests were used to show that those with autism had a high rate of heavy metals.<ref name="one">{{cite news|title=Risky alternative therapies for autism have little basis in science|date=November 22, 2009|first1=Trine|last1=Tsouderos|first2=Patricia|last2=Callahan|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-11-22/health/chi-autism-treatments-nov22_1_james-coman-autism-one-conference-defeat-autism|accessdate=August 8, 2014|newspaper=The Chicago Tribune}}</ref> According to the ''Chicago Tribune'', metals occur naturally in the body and very little is known about what a normal range is.<ref name="one"/> As of 2009, three-fourths of families with a child diagnosed with autism will try an alternative treatment like those that were prescribed by DAN!.<ref name="one"/>
⚫
ARI's director said in 2011 that the organization's views on autism treatments had changed.<ref name="about">{{cite news |last= Rudy |first= Lisa Jo |title= Biomedical treatments for autism from the Autism Research Institute |url= http://autism.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/DANQandA.htm |date= November 4, 2011 |work= About.com|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref> The DAN! program and doctor registry was discontinued in January 2011,<ref>{{citation|last=Rudy|first=Lisa Jo|title=DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) Is No More|url=http://autism.about.com/b/2011/09/02/dan-defeat-autism-now-is-no-more.htm|publisher=About.com|date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> which was followed by the disbanding of the DAN! conference in 2012.<ref name= "Disband DAN">{{cite web |title= Disbanding the ARI Conference |url= http://www.autism.com/conferences_disband |website= autism.com |publisher= Autism Research Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Dominus |first= Susan |date= April 20, 2011 |title= The crash and burn of an autism guru |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24Autism-t.html?pagewanted=print |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] |accessdate= May 11, 2014|quote=He [ [[Andrew Wakefield]] ] no longer speaks at the popular Autism Research Institute conference}}</ref>


⚫
The organization's founder, Bernard Rimland, died in November 2006<ref name="nyt"/> and was replaced by Steven M. Edelson.<ref name="about">{{cite news |last= Rudy |first= Lisa Jo |title= Biomedical treatments for autism from the Autism Research Institute |url= http://autism.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/DANQandA.htm |date= November 4, 2011 |work= About.com|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref> ARI's new director said in 2011 that the organization's views on autism treatments had changed.<ref name="about">{{cite news |last= Rudy |first= Lisa Jo |title= Biomedical treatments for autism from the Autism Research Institute |url= http://autism.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/DANQandA.htm |date= November 4, 2011 |work= About.com|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref> The DAN! program and doctor registry was discontinued in January 2011,<ref>{{citation|last=Rudy|first=Lisa Jo|title=DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) Is No More|url=http://autism.about.com/b/2011/09/02/dan-defeat-autism-now-is-no-more.htm|publisher=About.com|date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> which was followed by the disbanding of the DAN! conference in 2012.<ref name= "Disband DAN">{{cite web |title= Disbanding the ARI Conference |url= http://www.autism.com/conferences_disband |website= autism.com |publisher= Autism Research Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Dominus |first= Susan |date= April 20, 2011 |title= The crash and burn of an autism guru |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24Autism-t.html?pagewanted=print |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] |accessdate= May 11, 2014|quote=He [ [[Andrew Wakefield]] ] no longer speaks at the popular Autism Research Institute conference}}</ref> It now focuses heavily on nutrition and reducing a child's exposure to toxins.<ref name="about"/>
⚫
== References ==
⚫
{{reflist|2}}


==Current activities and services==
== External links ==
The Autism Research Institute developed the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), a 77-item questionnaire intended to be completed six to ten times over two to three months to measure autism treatment progress.<ref name="Sperry2012">{{cite book|author=Len Sperry|title=Family Assessment: Contemporary and Cutting-Edge Strategies|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=faNPBU1sak4C&pg=PT364|date=May 4, 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-70665-3|pages=364}}</ref> A study in the <i>Journal of Intellectual Disability Research</i> published in 2011 found that there was a strong correlation between autism symptoms and a patient's ATEC score.<ref name="MagiatiMoss2011">{{cite journal|last1=Magiati|first1=I.|last2=Moss|first2=J.|last3=Yates|first3=R.|last4=Charman|first4=T.|last5=Howlin|first5=P.|title=Is the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist a useful tool for monitoring progress in children with autism spectrum disorders?|journal=Journal of Intellectual Disability Research|volume=55|issue=3|year=2011|pages=302–312|issn=09642633|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01359.x |url= http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/6785/1/Magiati2011Is302.pdf}}</ref> ARI publishes books and newsletters, hosts conferences, networking groups and online discussion forums related to autism treatment.<ref name="primaryrry"/> It also conducts research and sponsors studies by others through grants.<ref name="primaryrry"/>


==Organization==
* [http://www.autism.com/ Official website]
The Autism Research Institute is funded primarily from donations. 90 percent of the funding raised is spent on programs related to its mission.<ref name= "Charity Nav"/> The remaining 10 percent is spent on fundraising and administration.<ref name= "Charity Nav"/> [[Charity Navigator]] gave the organization four out of four stars for financial performance, accountability and transparency.<ref name= "Charity Nav">{{cite web|url= http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8792#.U22ymCg7bfg |title= Charity Navigator Rating - Autism Research Institute |work= [[Charity Navigator]] |date= |accessdate= May 10, 2014}}</ref>


⚫
==References==
[[Category:1967 establishments in the United States]]
⚫
{{reflist|30em}}
[[Category:Alternative medicine organisations]]
[[Category:Autism-related organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations based in San Diego, California]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1967]]

Revision as of 15:23, 10 March 2015

Autism Research Institute
Company typeNon-profit 501(c)3[1]
Founded1967[2]
FounderBernard Rimland[3]
Headquarters
San Diego, CA[1]
,
United States[1]
Key people
Stephen M. Edelson, Director[4]
ServicesOnline education, phone support, research grants, Autistic Global Initiative
Revenue$1,754,803 (2012)[5]
Total assets4,008,738 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Websiteautism.com

The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is a San Diego-based non-profit organization that promotes alternative treatments for autism. It conducts or sponsors autism research, networking and education programs for patients and doctors. It also provides resources such as the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), which evaluates changes over time in autism-related symptoms.

ARI was founded in 1967 by Bernard Rimland. ARI created the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) program in 1995. DAN! promoted the now discredited belief that vaccines were a cause of autism and that it could be treated by removing heavy metals from the body; views that were not accepted by the medical field, but popular among many patients. In light of new research, the organization changed its views in the early 2000s and discontinued DAN! activities. It now focuses on nutrition and reducing one's exposure to toxins.

History

The Autism Research Institute (ARI) was founded in 1967 by Bernard Rimland originally under the name Child Behavior Research Institute (CBRI).[2] Rimland founded the organization in order to promote alternative treatments to autism, especially megavitamin therapies that he witnessed hospitals experiment with as a treatment for schizophrenia.[2] According to ARI, it also studied and published information on behavioral therapy in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.[6] ARI began publishing a quarterly newsletter, the Autism Research Review International (ARRI), in 1987.[2]

In 1995 the controversial[7] Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) program was founded as a part of ARI.[2] DAN! advocated for alternative treatments for autism and maintained a registry of doctors that were trained by the program to perform them.[8] DAN! was one of the more prominent advocates for the now medically discredited belief that vaccines may be a cause of autism.[2] Its "highest rated" autism treatment was chelation therapy, which involves removing heavy metals from the body.[8] Its chelation treatment was not supported by mainstream doctors.[9] Doctors told the Chicago Tribune the treatments were dangerous and that misleading tests were used to show that those with autism had a high rate of heavy metals.[8] According to the Chicago Tribune, metals occur naturally in the body and very little is known about what a normal range is.[8] As of 2009, three-fourths of families with a child diagnosed with autism will try an alternative treatment like those that were prescribed by DAN!.[8]

The organization's founder, Bernard Rimland, died in November 2006[3] and was replaced by Steven M. Edelson.[7] ARI's new director said in 2011 that the organization's views on autism treatments had changed.[7] The DAN! program and doctor registry was discontinued in January 2011,[10] which was followed by the disbanding of the DAN! conference in 2012.[11][12] It now focuses heavily on nutrition and reducing a child's exposure to toxins.[7]

Current activities and services

The Autism Research Institute developed the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), a 77-item questionnaire intended to be completed six to ten times over two to three months to measure autism treatment progress.[13] A study in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research published in 2011 found that there was a strong correlation between autism symptoms and a patient's ATEC score.[14] ARI publishes books and newsletters, hosts conferences, networking groups and online discussion forums related to autism treatment.[6] It also conducts research and sponsors studies by others through grants.[6]

Organization

The Autism Research Institute is funded primarily from donations. 90 percent of the funding raised is spent on programs related to its mission.[5] The remaining 10 percent is spent on fundraising and administration.[5] Charity Navigator gave the organization four out of four stars for financial performance, accountability and transparency.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c About Our Work, Autism Research Institute, retrieved August 5, 2014
  2. ^ a b c d e f Eyal, Gil; Hart, Brendan; Onculer, Emine; Oren, Neta; Rossi, Natasha (2010). The Autism Matrix. Polity. pp. 237–238. ISBN 9780745643991. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |displayauthors= ignored (|display-authors= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "Autism Matrix" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Carey, Benedict (November 28, 2006). "Bernard Rimland, 78, Scientist Who Revised View of Autism, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  4. ^ About ARI: ARI Staff, Autism Research Institute, retrieved August 5, 2014
  5. ^ a b c d "Charity Navigator Rating - Autism Research Institute". Charity Navigator. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "The Expanding Mission of ARI". Autism Research Institute. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d Rudy, Lisa Jo (November 4, 2011). "Biomedical treatments for autism from the Autism Research Institute". About.com. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e Tsouderos, Trine; Callahan, Patricia (November 22, 2009). "Risky alternative therapies for autism have little basis in science". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  9. ^ Brownstein, Joseph (March 9, 2010). "Father sues doctors over 'fraudulent' autism therapy". ABC News.
  10. ^ Rudy, Lisa Jo (September 2, 2011), DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) Is No More, About.com
  11. ^ "Disbanding the ARI Conference". autism.com. Autism Research Institute.
  12. ^ Dominus, Susan (April 20, 2011). "The crash and burn of an autism guru". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2014. He [ Andrew Wakefield ] no longer speaks at the popular Autism Research Institute conference
  13. ^ Len Sperry (May 4, 2012). Family Assessment: Contemporary and Cutting-Edge Strategies. Routledge. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-136-70665-3.
  14. ^ Magiati, I.; Moss, J.; Yates, R.; Charman, T.; Howlin, P. (2011). "Is the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist a useful tool for monitoring progress in children with autism spectrum disorders?" (PDF). Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 55 (3): 302–312. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01359.x. ISSN 0964-2633.
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