When President Barack Obama nominated Ari Ne'eman to the National Council on Disability, many families touched by autism took it as a positive sign. Ne'eman would be the first person with the disorder to serve on the council.
But he has since become the focus of criticism from other advocates who disagree with his view that society ought to concentrate on accepting autistic people, not curing them.
A hold has been placed on Ne'eman's nomination, which requires Senate confirmation. Whether the hold is related to the criticism of Ne'eman (pronounced NAY-men) and what it might take to lift it is unclear.
But Ne'eman, the 22-year-old founder of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, seems to be a lightning rod for a struggle over how autism will be perceived at a time when an estimated 1 in 100 American children and teenagers are given such a diagnosis.
Ne'eman is at the forefront of a growing movement that describes autism as a form of "neurodiversity" that should be embraced and accommodated, just as physical disabilities have led to the construction of ramps and handicapped stalls in public restrooms for people with disabilities. Autism, he and others say, is a part of their identity.
But that viewpoint, critics say, represents only those on the vast autism spectrum who at least have basic communication skills and are able to care for themselves.
"Why people have gotten upset is, he doesn't seem to represent, understand or have great sympathy for all the people who are truly, deeply affected in a way that he isn't," said Jonathan Shestack, a co-founder of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, whose mission is to help finance medical research to find a cure for the disorder.
Ne'eman declined to be interviewed, citing the pending action on his nomination. But in previous interviews with The New York Times and other publications, he has argued that those most severely affected by autism are the ones who benefit least from the pursuit of a cure, which he suggests is unattainable anytime soon. Instead, he says, resources should be devoted to accommodations and services that could improve their quality of life.