David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D and Erin Leif, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
ASAT is a science-based organization, and part of our mission is to educate the public about effective autism treatment and to improve the accuracy with which autism and its treatment are portrayed in the media. We do the latter by monitoring relevant news articles and providing praise, feedback, and information to journalists through our Media Watch letters. Many people with autism and their families, members of the public, service providers, and medical professionals turn to the media for information. Sadly, the media’s portrayals of autism and its treatment are not always accurate and are often fraught with inaccuracies and misinformation.
Through our Media Watch effort, we aim to improve the accuracy of media representations through four broad initiatives:
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- To respond to both accurate and inaccurate information or portrayals of treatments for autism by the media.
- To increase awareness of the importance of both scientific evidence in autism treatment and scientific methods that can lead to real hope for those touched by autism.
- To share specific information about science-based autism treatment with media professionals and their readers; and
- To support the efforts of the broader journalism community to share information effectively and accurately about autism treatment.
Through our Media Watch efforts, which began in 2006, we provide written feedback to journalists and other media professionals who write about autism and its treatment. For accurate depictions of autism intervention based on the current state of the science, we strive to acknowledge the efforts of those individuals responsible for educating the public with sound, accurate information. However, when an autism intervention is portrayed inaccurately, we provide feedback to media professionals to encourage correction of the inaccurate information in the article or more careful consideration when writing future articles. Inaccurate portrayals of autism treatments in the media include, but are not limited to:
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- Exaggerating the research support for an intervention for which no research exists, as well as existing research that is flawed, poor in quality, or otherwise limited.
- Ignoring the research basis that may already exist for the treatment in focus.
- Disregarding the relevance of science.
- Discounting position statements from various professional organizations that warn against or discourage the use of a particular treatment; and
- Failing to acknowledge research that does NOT support a particular intervention.
To read actual Media Watch responses authored by individuals affiliated with ASAT, please click here. We have a long history of following media representations related to lifespan issues in particular (e.g., innovative entrepreneurships employing adults with autism, concerns about the lack of services available to adults and shortage of adult services and providers). In addition, many of our letters have addressed a broad array of topics related to the behavior analytic treatment of autism (e.g., addressing misconceptions, ABA’s place within early intervention, and applications with adolescents and adults).
We welcome you to join these efforts. You could be involved by alerting us of articles or media pieces that may warrant our attention, or you could assist us with tracking information more formally by setting up an alert system to identify important articles as they come out. If you would like more specific information about how to participate in Media Watch, you can reach us at media@asatonline.org. We hope to hear from you!
Media Watch would not be possible without the participation and efforts of several individuals. We have representation from our Board of Directors and Externs but have also supplemented this team with others who help us to respond in a timely manner. Please note that our published responses represent the views of the individual writer(s) and do not necessarily represent a formal position taken by the Board of ASAT.
Some Quick Links
Citation for this article:
Celiberti, D., & Leif, E. (2023). A spotlight on ASAT’s Media Watch effort. Science in Autism Treatment, 20(4).
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