ARI’s Accomplishments During the First Six Months of 2007

The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is still grieving over the passing of Dr. Bernard Rimland last November. Under the guidance of new director Dr. Steve Edelson, ARI’s dedicated staff has done an extraordinary job of carrying on Dr. Rimland’s vision.

In the past six months, ARI has accomplished the following:

ARI awarded 17 research grants, totaling $423,000. These grants are funding cutting-edge research designed to foster treatments that will actively help today’s autistic children.
ARI premiered its www.Autism.com website with new additional content. The website offers an extensive collection of articles and videos for both parents and professionals, covering every aspect of autism.
Toward the end of last year, ARI signed a formal agreement (Memorandum of Understanding, MOU) to work closely with the Autism Society of America (ASA). This year we signed similar formal agreements with several other non-profit organizations, including SafeMinds, Generation Rescue, Unlocking Autism, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), the National Autism Association (NAA), AutismOne, and TreatingAutism. These agreements will create “strength in numbers” by allowing our organizations to coordinate our activities and combine our resources to achieve our mutual goals.
ARI launched the Autism Resource Call Center: 1-866-366-3361 (toll-free). This service provides free information, contacts, and support for parents implementing special diets.
ARI hired an experienced interpreter to coordinate the translation of many of our papers. As of the first of the year, we had papers translated into French, Spanish, Armenian, Arabic, and Japanese.
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, not just the brain. Many of the MOU organizations, including ASA, are collaborating on this project with us. This tissue bank 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 began publishing a monthly e-newsletter.
ARI’s Defeat Autism Now! project achieved the following goals:
ARI published two issues of the quarterly newsletter, the Autism Research Review International.
ARI began a collaboration with the Autism Network for Hearing and Visually Impaired Persons. We have already updated their database as well as recruited more families and professionals to participate in the network.
ARI began connecting “network parents” from around the country. Collectively, they wrote ARI’s Frequently Asked Questions document, containing more than 60 questions. In addition, they wrote the article titled “Finding a Clinician using a Defeat Autism Now! Approach: Questions to Ask.”
ARI began 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 Colville and Kettle Falls, both cities located in northeastern Washington State.
ARI co-sponsored a debate between David Kirby and Arthur Allen on thimerosal and its role in autism. A video of the debate was uploaded to ARI’s website within a few days after the event and can be viewed free of charge.
Dr. Steve Edelson was elected to the Autism Society of America’s Board of Directors. He also drove from San Diego to Seattle and back to meet with “network parents” and to give several lectures.

As you can see, ARI made every month in 2007 count—and we have many more plans 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!