Welcome
The Coalition of Autism Scientists formed in 2025 in reaction to U.S. Department for Health and Human Services' actions to dismiss decades of autism research and establish questionable research protocols without input from the autism community. The Coalition is comprised of the leading autism researchers from across the United States who advocate for high quality, transparent, and collaborative research approaches that inform the global understanding of autism. The Coalition will publicly refute misinformation about autism and monitor progress by the federal government in supporting the highest quality research that addresses the priority needs of the autism community.
Coalition of Autism Scientists Publishes Case Study on Standing Up for Science in Child and Adolescent Health
December 17, 2025 – As written by Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg, Professor Emerita at Boston University, “Since April 2025, we have been witnessing an unprecedented set of direct attacks on autism science, clinical practice, and the wider autism community by leaders at the highest levels of the US federal government.” In reaction, she founded the Coalition of Autism Scientists to publicly push back against “misinformation and pseudoscience.” Today, the group includes an active Executive Committee and nearly 350 autism experts from the United States and around the world.
Since our founding, the Coalition has loudly and frequently provided expert perspective to news media and other stakeholders about autism and autism research. You can review this perspective on our “In the News” page.
Recognizing that the attack on science goes beyond autism, Dr. Flusberg recently contributed a case study to Child and Adolescent Health titled, “Debate: Standing up for science – how to combat misinformation in child mental health: protecting the integrity of autism research and practice in the United States.” We hope that our ongoing efforts serve as a model for other HCPs and researchers looking to join forces and respond to misinformation that risks the wellbeing of the people to whom we’ve dedicated our careers through research and direct care.
Abstract:
In 2025, the Coalition of Autism Scientists was formed to counter the misinformation and pseudoscience that was being advanced at the highest levels of the federal government in the United States. The background and history of how the Coalition was formed and its major activities, which include regular meetings, issuing public statements, and providing information and interviews to the media, are described. The importance of engaging in active advocacy in support of autism science is discussed along with some examples of the Coalition’s impact. Given the direction that politics is going, sowing greater dissent between science and the public, continued vigilance in support of the highest quality research is critical if we are to meet the urgent needs of autistic people and their families.
Article link: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/camh.70058