ASSOCIATION FOR AUTISM AND NEURODIVERSITY INC
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Mission Statement
AANE helps Autistic and similarly Neurodivergent people build meaningful, connected lives. We provide individuals, families, and professionals with education, community, and support, in an inclusive atmosphere of validation and respect.
About This Cause
Originally founded in Massachusetts in 1996 by parents and professionals as the Asperger’s Association of New England, AANE set out to build a supportive community by providing education, information, and referrals to individuals with what was then called Asperger’s Syndrome, their extended families, and the professionals who work with them. In its first two decades, AANE also engaged in legislative advocacy for appropriate, quality services for Autistic individuals, and lobbied for autism legislation and funding at the local, state, and national levels. We advocated for services for individuals of all ages and focused on supporting a vast range of currently unsupported needs. The AANE staff and community were instrumental in the passing of the Massachusetts Autism Omnibus Bill, the Anti-Bullying Act, and a Massachusetts bill which requires an IEP Team to consider and specifically address the full range of a child’s complex communication, social, behavioral, and academic needs resulting from Autism Spectrum Disorder to help ensure provision of state-of-the-art supports and services (Massachusetts laws 71B section 3 paragraph 6). In October of 2014, AANE changed its name to the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), keeping the same acronym while evolving to meet changes in the diagnostic environment. The new name also acknowledged our reach beyond New England. As the Asperger/Autism Network, more people were able to find us, regardless of where they lived or what diagnosis they received under the new DSM-5 guidelines. In May, 2019, AANE expanded by joining forces with the Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association (AHA), a like-minded non-profit organization originally based in New York. For more than 30 years, AHA had been an important resource to Autistic individuals, families and professionals in the Tri-state area, and a frequent collaborator with AANE. Combining the two organizations enabled AANE to grow and innovate to better serve the Autistic community. Between 2020 and 2023, our community rapidly expanded, and today, AANE reflects the many identities Autistic people embody in our society. From the newly diagnosed to those who have known about their autism for years, AANE serves Autistic and similarly Neurodivergent individuals from a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, identities, and locations. Over this period of rapid growth, as Brenda Dater, Executive Director, notes in the video above, it became clear that “our name, the Asperger/Autism Network, no longer aligns with how the majority of people we serve, and intend to serve, refer to themselves and their loved ones. We sought a new name that reflects our current and future community, the breadth of our services, and our inclusive values.” In September 2023, we became the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity.