Abandoning Autism: What April 2025 Revealed
From the series First They Came for the Calendar
Return to “First They Came for the Calendar” series hub
Autism Awareness Month should amplify understanding and inclusion. This year, it was met with exclusion, cuts, and silence.
April is Autism Awareness Month.
A time to increase understanding.
To promote inclusion.
To fund solutions and amplify the voices of autistic people—not just as subjects of care, but as leaders of their own lived experience.
But in 2025, that awareness was weaponized.
Programs weren’t expanded.
They were gutted.
Researchers weren’t included.
They were excluded.
And the message to the autistic community was unmistakable:
You are not valued here.
What Happened in April 2025
Autism Research Was Defunded at the Department of Defense
The DoD’s Autism Research Program (ARP)—a $15 million annual line item that supported promising research into early detection, support for military families, and neurodivergent well-being—was eliminated from the proposed FY2025 budget.
This was not a budget trim.
This was a full removal of a program dedicated to understanding one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental differences in the U.S.
Source: Time Magazine →
NIH Projects Were Canceled or Delayed—Especially on Diversity & Suicide Prevention
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that autism-related research—especially projects focused on:
Suicide prevention
Autistic people of color
LGBTQ+ neurodivergent youth
…were delayed, defunded, or de-prioritized.
These projects had been part of a growing wave of inclusive, intersectional research.
But intersectionality—like DEI—has now become a red flag in federal funding reviews.
Autistic Advocates and Researchers Were Shut Out of Federal Probes
In an investigation into federally funded autism programs, autistic people themselves—along with researchers and community advocates—were excluded from testimony and review panels.
A group of respected scholars and leaders issued a public letter protesting their exclusion.
Their expertise and lived experience were disregarded.
Source: Disability Scoop →
Support Services Were Quietly Tied to “DEI” and Cut
At the Department of Education, efforts continued to review and eliminate disability-related resources—particularly those that linked disability with inclusion, social identity, or systemic support.
Though not publicized, advocates report that school-based materials on autism and equity quietly disappeared from websites and technical assistance centers.
What the THX Frameworks Reveal
12 Utilities Eroded
The 12 Utilities measure whether an experience is useful, functional, and fair. In April we lost:
Resource Utility – Tangible funding for autism research was removed
Access – Schools, parents, and service providers lost visibility into supportive resources
Accuracy – The most up-to-date, inclusive research into autism’s lived realities was defunded
Emotion Evoked – Instead of hope and recognition, autistic individuals were left with confusion, betrayal, and grief
PERMAH Disrupted
Health & Wellbeing – Mental health programs for autistic individuals, especially suicide prevention efforts, were sidelined
Meaning – The month meant to center inclusion instead sent the message that inclusion is expendable
Relationship – Trust between government institutions and the autism community was damaged by exclusion and silence
Admiration Equation Undone
Autism Awareness Month should generate gratitude, awe, and respect—not only for those living with autism, but for the families, educators, and researchers who are building more inclusive futures.
But this April, there was little to admire.
When stories are erased, programs cut, and voices shut out, admiration cannot bloom.
We were denied the opportunity to tell new stories of brilliance, growth, and dignity.
Prospect Theory in Action
When people expect recognition—and instead experience exclusion, the emotional pain is magnified.
That’s Prospect Theory: losses hurt more than gains help.
What should have been a moment of celebration became a moment of rejection.
And because this happened during a designated month of awareness, the betrayal was not only felt—it was named.
Call It What It Is
This wasn’t a missed opportunity.
It was a reversal.
A retreat from inclusion.
A reframing of “awareness” as a window for quiet erasure.
And it tells every community: if they’ll gut Autism Awareness Month, they’ll gut anything.
🔜 Next: May – Gutting Mental Health
Because the next month wasn’t spared either.
And the cuts hit even closer to crisis.
