Our Mission

The Autism Research Foundation (TARF) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to researching the neurological underpinnings of autism and other related developmental brain disorders. Since 1990, TARF has been a top-notch organization seeking to rapidly expand and accelerate research into the pervasive developmental disorders by:

•  Investigating the neuropathology of autism in our own laboratories staffed by bright & energetic researchers.
•  Informing the autistic community of the critical need for brain donations in order to expand the present understanding of these disorders.
•  Collecting & redistributing brain tissue to promising research groups for use by projects approved by the Tissue Resource Committee.
•  Bringing together the most renowned researchers from a variety of fields to share & explore new avenues of research at Autism Think Tanks.
•  Forming the Autism Research Consortium, a group of investigators from the US, Canada & Great Britain, to study frozen autistic brain tissue collected by TARF.
• Exploring new opportunities to collaborate with additional researchers nationally & internationally.
• Cultivating an understanding for the neurobiological foundations of autism through brochures, conferences, & our web site so that parents, teachers & other professionals can best improve the lives of autistic individuals.

TARF has long been at the forefront of autism research. We believe that only aggressive scientific & medical research will reveal the underlying neurological basis for autism, and that this will in turn, help us find better medical & therapeutic approaches to treatment, and hopefully, a cure for this lifelong disorder.