Abbreviation | ASAT |
---|---|
Formation | 1998 |
Founder | Catherine Maurice (co-founder) |
Type | not-for-profit organization |
Purpose | Disseminating information about science-based autism treatment and combatting misinformation |
Location | |
Region served | Global |
Membership | Over 12,000 subscribers |
Staff | 1 |
Volunteers | 50+ |
Website | asatonline |
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) is a non-profit organization devoted to autism. It was founded in 1998 and is currently based in Hoboken, New Jersey. [1] [2] Members of its advisory board include Eric Fombonne and Stephen Barrett; [3] Tristram Smith was one of its board members until his death in August 2018. [4] A report by the Association for Behavior Analysis International mentioned ASAT's website as a useful resource for parents of children with autism, [5] as does the website of the University of North Texas [6] and that of the University of Michigan Health System. [7]
ASAT has warned against chelation therapy as an autism treatment, noting that two children have been reported to have died as a result of this therapy, and concluding that "there is not enough scientific evidence available at this time to advocate a role for chelation of heavy metals in the treatment of autism, and there is potential for adverse side effects." [8] They take a similar viewpoint with regard to the use of secretin. [9] Treatments they consider to be unproven, rather than disproven, include homeopathy [10] and animal therapy. [11] Published research related to the hundreds of autism treatments are provided on ASAT's website.
ASAT was criticized in 1999 by Bernard Rimland, who contended that applied behavior analysis is not as effective as ASAT claims and called their position on autism treatments "nonsensical and counterfactual". [12] ASAT responded by saying that, in recent years, the Autism Research Review International, where Rimland had published his article, had displayed "a consistent pattern of premature and uncritical promotion of treatment 'breakthroughs' in the absence of credible research support", including facilitated communication. [13]
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. Asperger syndrome has been merged with other conditions into autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is no longer a diagnosis in the WHO's ICD-11 or the APA's DSM-5-TR. It was considered milder than other diagnoses which were merged into ASD due to relatively unimpaired spoken language and intelligence.
A gluten-free casein-free diet, also known as a gluten-free dairy-free diet, is a diet that does not include gluten, and casein. Despite an absence of scientific evidence, there have been advocates for the use of this diet as a treatment for autism and related conditions.
Developmental disorders comprise a group of psychiatric conditions originating in childhood that involve serious impairment in different areas. There are several ways of using this term. The most narrow concept is used in the category "Specific Disorders of Psychological Development" in the ICD-10. These disorders comprise developmental language disorder, learning disorders, developmental coordination disorders, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In broader definitions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is included, and the term used is neurodevelopmental disorders. Yet others include antisocial behavior and schizophrenia that begins in childhood and continues through life. However, these two latter conditions are not as stable as the other developmental disorders, and there is not the same evidence of a shared genetic liability.
Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. Chelation therapy has a long history of use in clinical toxicology and remains in use for some very specific medical treatments, although it is administered under very careful medical supervision due to various inherent risks, including the mobilization of mercury and other metals through the brain and other parts of the body by the use of weak chelating agents that unbind with metals before elimination, exacerbating existing damage. To avoid mobilization, some practitioners of chelation use strong chelators, such as selenium, taken at low doses over a long period of time.
Ole Ivar Løvaas was a Norwegian-American clinical psychologist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is most well known for his research on what is now called applied behavior analysis (ABA) to teach autistic children through prompts, modeling, and positive reinforcement. His application of the science was also noted for its use of aversives (punishment) to reduce undesired behavior, which are no longer supported as a part of most ABA treatment plans.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA), also referred to as behavioral engineering, is a psychological discipline that applies the principles of learning based upon respondent and operant conditioning to change socially significant behavior. ABA is the applied form of behavior analysis; the other two are: radical behaviorism and experimental analysis of behavior, which focuses on basic experimental research.
Bernard Rimland was an American research psychologist, writer, lecturer, and influential person in the field of developmental disorders. Rimland's first book, Infantile Autism, sparked by the birth of a son who had autism, was instrumental in changing attitudes toward the disorder. Rimland founded and directed two advocacy groups: the Autism Society of America (ASA) and the Autism Research Institute. He promoted several since disproven theories about the causes and treatment of autism, including vaccine denial, facilitated communication, chelation therapy, and false claims of a link between secretin and autism. He also supported the ethically controversial practice of using aversives on autistic children.
Generation Rescue is a nonprofit organization that advocates the scientifically disproven view that autism and related disorders are primarily caused by environmental factors, particularly vaccines. The organization was established in 2005 by Lisa and J.B. Handley. Today, Generation Rescue is known as a platform for Jenny McCarthy's autism related anti-vaccine advocacy.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to autism:
The Autism Society of America (ASA) was founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland together with Ruth C. Sullivan and a small group of other parents of children with autism. Its original name was the National Society for Autistic Children; the name was changed to emphasize that autistic children grow up. The ASA's stated goal is to increase public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by autistic people as well as their families and the professionals with whom they interact. Although the group has promoted the pseudoscientific belief that vaccines cause autism in the past, it now affirms that there is no link between vaccination and autism. In 2021, the ASA launched a new brand including a logo consisting of multicolor lines forming a fabric with a new slogan, "The Connection Is You".
Autism therapies include a wide variety of therapies that help people with autism, or their families. Such methods of therapy seek to aid autistic people in dealing with difficulties and increase their functional independence.
Derrick Lonsdale was a British-born American pediatrician and researcher into the benefits of certain nutrients in preventing disease and psychotic behavior. He was a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), and also a Fellow of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (FACAM).
Alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities include a range of practices used in the treatment of dyslexia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome and other developmental and learning disabilities. Treatments include changes in diet, dietary supplements, biofeedback, chelation therapy, homeopathy, massage and yoga. These therapies generally rely on theories that have little scientific basis, lacking well-controlled, large, randomized trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy; small trials that have reported beneficial effects can be generally explained by the ordinary waxing and waning of the underlying conditions.
Classic autism, also known as childhood autism, autistic disorder, or Kanner's syndrome, is a formerly diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder first described by Leo Kanner in 1943. It is characterized by atypical and impaired development in social interaction and communication as well as restricted, repetitive behaviors, activities, and interests. These symptoms first appear in early childhood and persist throughout life.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or simply autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder "characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts" and "restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities". Sensory abnormalities are also included in the diagnostic manuals. Common associated traits such as motor coordination impairment are typical of the condition but not required for diagnosis. A formal diagnosis requires that symptoms cause significant impairment in multiple functional domains; in addition, the symptoms must be atypical or excessive for the person's age and sociocultural context.
Geraldine Dawson is an American child psychologist, specializing in autism. She has conducted research on early detection, brain development, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and collaborated on studies of genetic risk factors in autism. Dawson is William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and professor of psychology and neuroscience, former director, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and founding director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development at Duke University Medical Center. Dawson was president of the International Society for Autism Research, a scientific and professional organization devoted to advancing knowledge about autism spectrum disorders. From 2008 to 2013, Dawson was research professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was chief science officer for Autism Speaks. Dawson also held the position of adjunct professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and is professor emerita of psychology at University of Washington. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Society, American Psychological Association, International Society for Autism Research, and the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
James Jeffrey "Jeff" Bradstreet, was an American doctor, alternative medicine practitioner, and a former preacher who ran the International Child Development Resource Center in Melbourne, Florida, a medical practice in Buford, Georgia and in Arizona, where he practiced homeopathy. He also founded the Good News Doctor Foundation, which aimed to combine Christian beliefs with his medical practice.
Karoly Horvath is a Hungarian-American pediatrician and gastroenterologist who was formerly the director of the Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is best known for proposing a link between secretin, gastrointestinal disorders and autism and for, as a result, proposing that secretin might be an effective treatment for autism.
Martha G. Welch is an American physician and researcher specializing in the fields of infant and child development. Welch currently serves as a Professor of Psychiatry in Pediatrics and in Pathology & Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Welch's writing and research focuses on the posited benefits of prolonged close physical contact and eye contact between mothers and children.
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