When Corporations Attempt “Autism Awareness”

This post by Chelsea K originally appeared on Grounded Parents, where you can read the entire article, including updates, and leave a comment.

It’s the weekend. You want to go out to eat. You don’t want takeout. You want to sit down and feel fancy, dammit, even if your kids are climbing on you with food smeared on their faces. Maybe you’re thinking about going to Chili’s. If you’re a supporter of science and autistic people, you might want to choose another restaurant.

Chili’s recently announced that on April 7, they’ll be donating 10% of profits to the National Autism Association.

What’s wrong with that? It’s nice to donate to autism organizations.
Yeah, well. Let’s look at the NAA. Here’s their position on vaccines:

27. What is NAA’s position on vaccinations?
NAA believes that every parent has the right to research and educate themselves about all medical products, including vaccinations. Informed consent is critical and each parent should have the freedom and information necessary to make the best decision for their child. NAA cannot make this decision for any parent, but we are happy to provide sources of information to anyone in need. We recommend visiting http://nvic.org.

Is that all? I mean, they don’t say vaccines are bad. 
Right. First of all, there’s no reason to play at a controversy anymore. There is no link between vaccines and autism. This is done. We know this. Continuing to promote that wishy-washy “Parents need to decide for themselves” attitude is disingenuous at best. Second, they link to the National Vaccine Information Center.

So? That sounds reasonable.
If you’ve read Deadly Choices by Dr. Paul Offit, you’ll know why NVIC is not as innocuous as it sounds. If you haven’t read that, here’s an example of the kind of “information” the NVIC provides:

So, back to the NAA itself.

Read the rest of this article on Grounded Parents.