The Autism National Committee (known also as AUTCOM or AutCom) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 advocacy

Advocacy

Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...

 association of autistic

Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

 people and their allies. AutCom operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 and was founded in 1990. AutCom works to protect and advance the human and civil rights of all persons with the label of autism, PDD, and related differences in behavior or communication.

The AutCom website states: "We welcome the participation of all family members, people with autism/PDD, caring professionals, and other friends who wish to implement, not debate, the right to self-determination by hearing and heeding the voices of people with autism."

Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia....

 of CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

 reported on AutCom's 2007 conference, including the experiences of autism advocate Amanda Baggs

Amanda Baggs

Amanda Baggs is an autism rights activist. In January 2007 she published a video on YouTube entitled In My Language describing her experiences as an autistic person, which became the subject of several articles on CNN...

, whom he had previously interviewed.

AutCom advocates for the right of autistic people to communicate via whatever form of augmentative and alternative communication

Augmentative and alternative communication

Augmentative and alternative communication is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language...

 they choose, including Facilitated Communication

Facilitated communication

Facilitated communication is a process by which a facilitator supports the hand or arm of a communicatively impaired individual while using a keyboard or other devices with the aim of helping the individual to develop pointing skills and to communicate...

 (FC), which is a controversial technique involving one person's providing physical assistance to a communicatively impaired individual with the aim of helping the latter point or type. CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

reported on the experiences of some users of FC at AutCom's 2007 conference. In a position paper published in 2008, AutCom argued that FC should not be dismissed out of hand; that research findings are equivocal; and that FC is a valid means of communication for certain individuals (e.g., those who have gone on to type independently or with minimal physical support).