Today we simply don’t know enough about autism.

SPARK—a landmark autism research project—aims to make important progress possible. SPARK stands for ‘Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research,’ and the mission is simple: we want to speed up research and advance our understanding of autism to help improve lives.

As autism is a spectrum, researchers need many people with autism to participate in all types of research. Until now, only a small number of individuals and families affected by autism have ever participated in research.

SPARK wants to invite the entire autism community to dramatically expand its participation. SPARK will provide researchers with medical and genetic information from tens of thousands of individuals and families affected by autism. This data will power important new research that aims to advance the understanding of autism and provide meaningful information and resources to participants.