ASAT
Media Watches
Media Watch (a subcommittee of the Public Relations Committee) has three primary initiatives:
- Educating the public about effective autism treatment through proactive contact with the media;
- Responding to inaccurate information or proposed treatments described by the media (as it relates to scientific findings about their effectiveness); and
- Supporting accurate media depictions of empirically–sound interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
We seek to increase awareness of the scientific underpinnings surrounding autism treatment that can lead to real hope for those touched by this disorder.
Below are some recent letters showcasing our Media Watch efforts.
ASAT Responds to USA Today's "Video games boost autistic kids"
Monday, June 11, 2012
Source http://www.usatoday.com/.../2012-06-01-Autism_ST_U.htm
The testimonials you highlighted are ... very dangerous if those responsible for the education and treatment of children with autism make treatment and funding decisions based on these "feel good" unsubstantiated stories...
ASAT Responds to Boston.com's "Massachusetts Emergency Workers Learn to Recognize Autism'
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Source http://articles.boston.com/.../31869894_1_autism-mohammad-usman-chaudhry-parents-of-autistic-child
Teaching first responders about autism and the complexities involved in interacting with individuals with social and communication delays is an incredibly worthwhile effort...
ASAT Responds to Boston.com's "Could sensory integration disorder be the primary problem?"
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Source http://www.boston.com/.../could_sensory_integration_diso.html
"...consider that a child who spends 15 minutes per school day engaged in ineffective sensory therapies will lose 50 hours per year or more of school time that could be spent on programming related to the promotion of independence..."
ASAT Responds to Macleans.ca's "The Battle Over The 'Cure' for Autism"
Monday, May 28, 2012
Source http://www2.macleans.ca/.../the-battle-over-the-cure-for-autism
Treatment outcome is not black and white, and an exclusive focus on "cure" cheapens the incredible gains that are made by children and adults with autism every day...
ASAT Responds to BBC News "France's autism treatment 'shame' "
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Source http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17583123
...The fact that only 20% of French children with autism attend school, and that psychiatric placement is prevalent, likely has to do with which has been the treatment of choice in France over the last several decades...
ASAT Responds to Palm Beach Post's "Autism rate rises; disorder now affects 1 in 88 children"
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Source http://www.palmbeachpost.com/health/autism-rate-rises-disorder-now-affects-1-in-2270734.html?printArticle=y
While we understand that you were summarizing the comments and opinions of others, the story unfortunately contains some misleading information...
ASAT Responds to UPI.com's 'Doctor fired over autism treatment'
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Source http://www.upi.com/.../?spt=hs&or=tn
Although your report underscores the ineffectiveness of HBOT, it also would have helpful if science-based treatment options had been offered...
ASAT Responds to Huffington Post's "The Autism Vaccine Controversy and the Need for Responsible Science Journalism"
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Source http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-mnookin/need-for-reliable-science-journalism_b_1183429.html
The fact that ostensibly responsible journalists fail to understand the simple theory of falsifiability is difficult to swallow...
ASAT Responds to Des Moines Register's "Autistic man struggles in Iowa's mental health system"
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Source http://www.desmoinesregister.com/.../Autistic-man-struggles-Iowa-s-mental-health-system
Behavior challenges in children and young adults that are not adequately addressed may escalate in severity over time...
ASAT Responds to Irish Times "French film ban raises autism issue"
Friday, February 17, 2012
Source http://www.irishtimes.com/.../1224311507688.html
Indeed, there is no scientific support for the psychoanalytic theory or treatment of autism...
