Yesterday I posted this on Twitter:
Dear @peta,
Is it lost on you that you are demonizing #autistic people with your Got #Autism/ #Milk campaign? That action has consequences.
A little while ago they responded with a non-response:
@luau Researchers have backed up many families’ findings that a dairy-free diet can help kids with autism: http://t.co/yl9O76Gmve
No acknowledgement of dehumanizing autistic people; just uncited “research” not even tangentially justifying their actions.
And so I said this:
@peta you’re still demonizing autistics – THAT has consequences!!! How many parents have killed their autistic child b/c of demonization?
And this:
@peta if the “science” were true, there are better ways you could have said so…
@peta instead you chose to perpetuate the demonization.
@peta it’s lazy and narrow minded….and again, has consequences.
I kept wondering how I could put their campaign in a light that they might understand. The best I could come up with while driving down I-90 was this:
@peta let me ask u this – I know little about PETA….
…but many friends say u r money grabbing attention whores… Do you feel this is a fair assessment? Of course not…
…perhaps I should do my own research, right?
…so my question: did u interview anyone in the autistic community? And not @autismspeaks – they are a parent organization…
…did you speak to any autistic adults? Without cherry picking data?
…I would recommend speaking to the autistic community NOT the autism community.
So, I know it was completely ineloquent, but I would like to know if PETA ever even considered talking with autistic people? My guess is they would have found that in those autistics with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies, going off dairy would have shown improvement in some co-morbid issues, whereas in others, there would have been no difference in the way an autistic individual went through their day whether they had milk or not.
If PETA wants to be taken seriously, they should behave as one, instead of irresponsibly demonizing more 1% of the population.
***apologies for any typos – written on the fly on my phone***
Run Luau Run 
No one should consume dairy. Dairy cows lead a miserable existence. Drink soy or almond milk instead.
Whether or not that is the case (and I DO think there are some valid points regarding the awful treatment of cow or any other farm animal), that still does not make okay PETA’s demonization/dehumanization/marginalization of autistic people. They invalidate themselves and their goal by essentially putting nearly 2% of the population, some of the most vulnerable members of the population, in a category that PETA considers less than human. Their response to my issue was hardly a response – it became readily apparent they knew nothing about autism and autistic people and were simply jumping on junk science to further their cause (which I grant you, could be considered a worthy one)…all at the expense of autistic individuals everywhere. Until PETA offers an apology to the autistic community, I cannot take them seriously, because it means they think my daughter and those like her are less than human.