Autism Research Institute

The Autism Research Institute is an organization that promotes the idea that autism can be "cured" through extensive behavior modification. They were formerly known as Defeat Autism Now! They appear on Quackwatch's list of "questionable research entities". Even Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue agree that they are quacks, refusing to give grants to anyone who consults them. You know what they say about stopped clocks…

Nevertheless, Charity Navigator gives them 4/4 stars, proving that you should take Charity Navigator ratings with a grain of salt.

History
Dr. Bernard Rimland founded the Autism Research Institute, believing that autism was caused not by poor parenting but by vaccines, and autistic children needed detoxing.

The "Defeat Autism Now!" protocol involved bizarre biomedical "treatments" such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chelation therapy, and restrictive diets. The Autism Research Institute is also looking into behavioral curing and genetic causes of autism.