 By 2009, ASAN had 15 chapters.ASAN's early work mostly focused on fighting the use of aversives, restraint, and seclusion in special education; in December 2007, they spoke out publicly against Autism Speaks, 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.This counter-campaign put ASAN on the public's radar and has been referred to as the neurodiversity movement's coming of age.