Autism Speaks, CDC and partners answer COVID vaccine questions for the autism community 

January 29, 2021

Autism Speaks hosted the CDC’s Georgina Peacock, M.D., and the presidents of the Autism Society of America and Autism Science Foundation on Wednesday for a webinar about COVID vaccines and autism. 

The panel discussion, moderated by Stuart Spielman, senior vice president of advocacy for Autism Speaks, answered questions for more than 400 attendees about the impact of the coronavirus on people with autism, vaccine safety, priority access and resources for the autism community to learn about the vaccine and how to access it.  

“The autism community has been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic, and our hope is that autistic people and those who care for them can quickly access the available COVID vaccines they need to safely participate in the community and receive needed services,” said Spielman. 

In addition to a recording of the webinar on YouTube, a plain-language summary of the questions answered by panelists live during the webinar is available as an FAQ document. Additional questions not answered during the live event are answered in this extended Q&A document, and Dr. Peacock's slides are available here.

Autism Speaks thanks our featured panelists for their valuable contributions: 

  • Dr. Georgina Peacock, MD, MPH, FAAP, Director, Division of Human Development and Disability, CDC 

  • Arun Karpur, Director of Data Science, Autism Speaks 

  • Christopher Banks, President and CEO, Autism Society of America 

  • Alison Singer, President, Autism Science Foundation 

Members of Autism Speaks Autism Response Team (ART) also provided personal guidance for those with questions specific to their situation or location. The Autism Response Team can answer your questions, connect you with tools and resources, and help you find autism services and supports in your community. Call 1-888-AUTISM2 (en español 1-888-772-9050) or email help@autismspeaks.org.  

For those interested in advocating for the autism community, visit www.autismspeaks.org/advocacy or email advocacy@autismspeaks.org for more information.