Autism Speaks presents mixed-media artwork from the cast and crew of HEROES, alongside pieces from 12 of the world's most celebrated Autistic artists at Avalon in Hollywood on April 20, 2009

View the photos here:
http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/photos/gallery#item=70753

It was April 19th. NBC.com lies!

I appreciate them working to get the autism cause out there, but as a father of a child with autism, I am not a big fan of Autism Speaks. Their major purpose is to find the gene/cause for pre-natal testing and the abortion of said children before they were born. I would never want my son another way as he is who he is and has taught me, my family, and everyone around us a lesson in differences, acceptance, and unconditional love. While I hear they Autism Speaks may be moving away from this slowly, I will believe it when I see it in action.
But again, thanks for bringing attention to autism. Helping society accept the differences is key to productive, successful lives.

Thank you.

As someone with a higher-functioning form of Autism, I agree that all that gene-screening is against the natural order...

It has been argued that the reason why Autism is on a major increase is because its a paradigm shift. The fact that most people with some form of autism are able to excel in the field they specialise in gives some creedence to the theory that the brain is restructuring itself, and the reason for the wide spectrum of autism is that... well... you try to figure out how to build a better brain, it'll take a long time to work out... genetics is still experimenting with the right way to go about it.

Still... that aside.

All this research into a cure. There is no cure.

Genetic screening is what the Nazi's called it too...

Just FYI:



Source: www.heroesforautism.com (where there are links to the auction and photo book)

I appreciate that this is a very emotive subject, especially for those who are autistic or have autistic relatives. I only have a tertiary link as a neurobiologist in autism for the last 25 years.

One thing is very clear to me; early diagnosis and therapy result in a much improved quality of life across the board. These are not cures and many diseases have to be managed because there is no cure (diabetes, Alzheimer's). It is this management that I see working in patients when it begins early and this can be optimized by a pre- or postnatal screening.

It is heartbreaking to see a patient unable to cope with their surroundings at the age of 20 because of one or two years missed opportunity at the age of 2-5.

Poster #3, #4, and #6, I'm with you. My children would not be themselves if they were neurologically typical. The early diagnosis and therapies are what really help out. My children have Asperger Syndrome so they are on the upper end of functioning. Help needs to really come for those children (and adults) who are on the lower end of functioning.

This world would be a very different place without our beloved Aspies and others on the Autism Spectrum.

Thanks for the photos of the event. I enjoyed the art.