Autism National Committee
The Autism National Committee (known also as AUTCOM or Autcom) is an American advocacy association of autistic people and their allies. Autcom operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and was founded in 1990. Autcom works to protect and advance the human and civil rights of all persons with the label of autism, PDD, and related differences in behavior or communication.
The Autcom website states: "We welcome the participation of all family members, people with autism/PDD, caring professionals, and other friends who wish to implement, not debate, the right to self-determination by hearing and heeding the voices of people with autism."
Sanjay Gupta of CNN reported on Autcom's 2007 conference, including the experiences of autism advocate Amanda Baggs, whom he had previously interviewed.
Autcom advocates for the right of autistic people to communicate via whatever form of augmentative and alternative communication works for them, including Facilitated Communication (FC), which is a controversial technique involving one person's providing physical assistance to a communicatively-impaired individual with the aim of helping the latter point or type. CNN reported on the experiences of some users of the FC at Autcom's 2007 conference. In a position paper published in 2008, Autcom argued that FC should not be dismissed out of hand; that research findings are equivocal; and that FC is a valid means of communication for certain individuals (e.g., those who have gone on to type independently or with minimal physical support).
See also
Autism rights movement