If you have a child affected by autism you already know that “recovery” doesn’t mean “cure.” Our conferences provide the latest information that leads to medical treatment and metabolic support sufficient to reduce physical pain and roadblocks in children with autism, to the extent that many are newly able to communicate and learn.

Defeat Autism Now!® is distinguished by its commitment to invite only the most credible, accredited, and forward-thinking researchers and clinicians as speakers. Information on a medical treatment is presented at our conferences only after a special preview committee has deemed it both safe and effective.

There is no other conference with an agenda devoted to teaching how GI disorders, detoxification and other metabolic issues, and nutrition impact a child’s sense of self, behavior, attention, speech, and general health. Our scientific principles and protocols apply to affected children of all ages and varying conditions. Often, an underlying metabolic problem is found to be the cause of symptoms associated with autism, so that when a biochemical “glitch” is identified by lab test and then addressed, the child’s “quirk” diminishes or goes away.

Are we saying the biomedical approach is the only way to tackle autism? Definitely not. Many therapies, including Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), occupational therapy (OT), and speech therapy (among others), help a child's chances of improving, and in some cases recovering. But without addressing the physiological disorders and medical conditions that lie at the core of autistic disorders, little true or lasting progress or benefit can be expected.

Defeat Autism Now!® is known worldwide as the premier conference to uncover the causes, focus on effective treatments, and share our happiness at the recovery of some children. We do not claim to have all the answers; in fact, knowing we don’t is what keeps us moving forward. But thanks to the insights and tenacity of the community, and the determination, professionalism, and open-mindedness of our researchers and clinicians, we can say unequivocally at every Defeat Autism Now!® Conference: Autism is Treatable. Recovery is Possible! We know this to be true.

Jane Johnson, Director, 
Defeat Autism Now!

The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. ARI conducts and sponsors “research that makes a difference, ”focusing on studies that translate into immediate benefits for today’s generation of children and adults with autism. Over the past three decades ARI has pioneered a number of successful treatments supported by experimental and clinical evidence.

Defeat Autism Now! is a project of ARI dedicated to the exploration, evaluation, and dissemination of scientifically documented biomedical interventions for individuals within the autism spectrum, through the collaborative efforts of clinicians, researchers, and parents.