ASAN advocates for the inclusion of autistic people in decisions that affect them, including: legislation, depiction in the media, and disability services.

The organization is based in Washington, D.C., where it advocates for the United States government to adopt legislation and policies that positively impact autistic people.

[6][7] The Autistic Self Advocacy Network was co-founded on November 13, 2006, by its former president, Ari Ne'eman,[8] and former Board of Trustees member and Vice Chair of Development, Scott Michael Robertson.

[9] ASAN's early work mostly focused on fighting the use of aversives, restraint, and seclusion in special education;[10][11][12] in December 2007, they spoke out publicly against Autism Speaks,[13] and against the NYU Child Study Center's Ransom Notes ad campaign, which compared autism, ADHD, OCD, and eating disorders to kidnappers holding children hostage.

[18] On July 18, 2016, Ari Ne'eman announced that he would resign as president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, to be replaced by Julia Bascom in early 2017.

[19] In 2020, ASAN published a statement supporting the FDA's ban on the electric skin shock devices used to torture children and adults with disabilities at the Judge Rotenberg Center.

ASAN began seeking a permanent replacement for Julia Bascom’s position,[21][22] and on June 12, 2024, the organization announced that Colin Killick would become the next executive director starting November 1.

[41][42] The first campaign was suggested by Zoe Gross of California, who had heard of a case where a young autistic man was murdered by his mother, who later committed suicide.

[48] The Loud Hands Project, a transmedia publishing effort for curating and hosting submissions by autistic people about voice, has also been active during 2012, in the form of a kickstarter campaign[49] and an anthology,[50] both founded and organized by Julia Bascom.

Additionally, Ne'eman said that "The use of the 'wandering' label on adults will enable abuse and restrict the civil rights of Americans with Disabilities" and that it would "make it easier for school districts and residential facilities to justify restraint and seclusion in the name of treatment.

[58] In 2013, a local ASAN chapter successfully protested for the removal of billboards by the Seattle Children's Hospital that advocated "wiping out" autism.

ASAN stated: "Until Autism Speaks makes significant changes to their practices and policies of fighting against the existence of autistic people, these appointments to the board are superficial changes.