Autism Society of America

The Autism Society of America (ASA) was founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland together with Ruth C. Sullivan and a small group of other parents of autistic children. Its original name was the National Society for Autistic Children; the name was changed to emphasize that autistic children grow up. The ASA's stated goal is to increase public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by autistic people as well as their families and the professionals with whom they interact. Although the group has promoted the pseudoscientific belief that vaccines cause autism in the past, it has more recently affirmed that there is no link between vaccination and autism, without acknowledging previous actions to the contrary. In 2021, the ASA announced new branding, including a logo consisting of textured multicolor lines and the slogan, "The Connection Is You". In the past, the ASA has utilized controversial puzzle-piece imagery, including a trademarked puzzle-piece ribbon and a graphic of a boy's head interwoven with puzzle pieces.