In 2008, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) launched a campaign against the consumption of milk. The advert posted above was spread widely, with a page posted on their blog further explaining PETA’s view and citing studies that had supposedly demonstrated that the behaviour of autistic children had improved once the children had stopped consuming casein (a protein found in milk and other dairy products).
The problems with this advertisement are several. Time News magazine, The Atlantic newspaper, and various other news sources have criticized the ad in 2008 when the campaign was first launched, as well as in 2014 and 2017, when outrage around the ad was re-ignited. One of the central problems is that the studies cited by PETA have been discredited because of the research methods used as well as the small sample group (only 20-36 children in each study). One of the studies PETA references has even been removed from the National Library of Medicine PubMed website.
In addition to the bad science PETA uses to justify their claim that dairy products can cause autism and intensify socially unacceptable autistic behaviours, the subtext of their imagery is problematic. The frowning face in the bowl of milk shown in the advertisement demonstrates PETA’s clear belief that autism is bad, that autistic behaviours and individuals are unwelcome, and that autism can and should be avoided (in other words, autism = sad face). This is a troubling message for autistic individuals, their family members, and the general public. This kind of messaging perpetuates the idea of autistic folks as Other, instead of incorporating a wider understanding of the diverse ways in which people can exist in their bodies and interact with themselves and one another.