The Autism Community in Action (TACA) (formerly known as Talk About Curing Autism) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded in 2000 by Lisa Ackerman and based in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

. The mission statement is "TACA provides education, support and hope to families living with autism." TACA Programming includes Parent Education and Support through Chapter Meetings & Coffee Talks Education Events, Autism Journey Guides Website & Support Hotline Community Events Parent Mentoring National Conferences in California and Georgia Webinars and online parent education. TACA is frequently at odds with the

scientific consensus Scientific consensus is the generally held judgment, position, and opinion of the majority or the supermajority of scientists in a particular field of study at any particular time. Consensus is achieved through scholarly communication at confe ...

about

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

's causes and treatments, with various spokespeople for the group having publicly indicated support for

Andrew Wakefield Andrew Jeremy Wakefield (born September 3, 1956) is a British anti-vaccine activist, former physician, and discredited academic who was struck off the medical register for his involvement in ''The Lancet'' MMR autism fraud, a 1998 study that ...

, author of a fraudulent research paper linking

vaccines and autism Extensive investigation into vaccines and autism has shown that there is no relationship between the two, causal or otherwise, and that the vaccine ingredients do not cause it. Vaccinologist Peter Hotez researched the growth of the false claim a ...

. Group founder Lisa Ackerman used to attribute autism to a wide range of causes, urging parents to get rid of flame-retardant clothing or mattresses and new carpeting. She advocated for vitamin shots and

hyperbaric oxygen chamber A diving chamber is a vessel for human occupation, which may have an entrance that can be sealed to hold an internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurised gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of ...

treatments.

Relationship with the anti-vaccine movement

Among other critics,

David Gorski David Henry Gorski is an American surgical oncologist, professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, specializing in breast cancer surgery. He is an out ...

identified TACA as "a group that promotes the idea that vaccines cause autism, as well as advocates dubious 'biomedical' treatments to 'cure' autism". TACA was one of the sponsor groups of the Green our Vaccines march in Washington D.C on June 4, 2008, along with

Generation Rescue Generation Rescue is a nonprofit organization that advocates the scientifically disproven view that autism and related disorders are primarily caused by environmental factors, particularly vaccines. The organization was established in 2005 by ...

. Actress and noted anti-vaccine activist

Jenny McCarthy Jennifer McCarthy Wahlberg (' Jennifer Ann McCarthy; born November 1, 1972) is an American actress, model, and television personality. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for ''Playboy'' magazine and was later named their Playmate of ...

and then-boyfriend

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

were prominently featured at the rally, along with several speakers making specific links between vaccines and autism. In 2010, when the medical journal ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

'' issued a full retraction of Andrew Wakefield's research paper linking

, Rebecca Estepp, speaking for TACA, insisted she still trusted Wakefield's research. In 2015, the co-coordinator of TACA's Maryland chapter indicated that even though they question vaccines, her group was not a follower of McCarthy.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Autism Community in Action Anti-vaccination organizations Autism-related organizations in the United States Charities based in California Organizations established in 2000 Anti-vaccination in the United States 2000 establishments in the United States

Relationship with the anti-vaccine movement

See also

References

External links