Our History

Founded by Dr. Lawrence P. Kaplan in 1995 as Special Abilities, then evolved in 2005 as the US Autism & Asperger Association, the organization was created to help individuals navigate the challenges of autism and related disorders. Team members Dr. Kaplan, Dr. Phillip C. DeMio, Theresa Wrangham, Dr. Marlo Payne Thurman and Dr. Stephen Shore, along with dozens of contributing speakers and volunteers hosted sixteen World Autism Conferences between the years of 2005 and 2018. One highlight from these years was the 2010 World Autism Conference that was streamed live around the world, reaching hundreds of thousands, making it the most viewed autism conference in history.

In 2018, the organization evolved into the US Autism Association. Then in 2020, Dr. Kaplan passed the torch of leadership to Dr. Marlo Payne Thurman who forwarded the mission during the Covid-19 Pandemic. She interviewed and recorded the world’s leading autism experts, many who were either on the spectrum themselves or were parents of those diagnosed. This led to the creation of the US Autism Video Streaming Library which features over 150 hours of expert-driven content. In 2023, the organization hosted its 17th World Autism Conference in Colorado.

Our Future

Today, following an organizational restructuring and under the shared leadership of Dr. Kaplan and Dr. Thurman, the US Autism Association name will soon evolve again to become the US Autism World Alliance. With the support of our entire US Autism Community including our Board of Directors, Advisory Board, speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and financial supporters, all US autism names, brands, and projects, past and present, will be merged together to form the Divergent World Collective.

Divergent World Collective represents the combined work of the US Autism Association / US Autism World Alliance, Different Minded Renaissance, World Autism Conference, the US Autism Association Video Streaming Library, World Autism Learning, and World Autism Training, and will add Wisdom Biomedical Wellness along with several other new entities to serve the expanded goal of delivering world-class, expert-driven conferences, training, and online professional development to help all who are divergent, worldwide, to continue to achieve their fullest potential.