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Media Watch Letters
Dear Skeptical Inquirer, The human costs of pseudoscience are profound, heartbreaking, and far-reaching. Not only do these false and unproven interventions divert individuals from treatments that genuinely help, but they also drain precious resources—time, money, and even hope. And then there are interventions, like Facilitated Communication, that more directly cause harm not just to those…
Dear Ms Adams, Thank you for this fascinating profile of a teenage girl in West Virginia, who was able to graduate from high school after a history of medical and developmental challenges stemming from her premature birth: “Family of Girl with ‘Profound Autism’ Worried She Wouldn’t Get Proper Therapy — Now She’s Graduating High School.”…
Dear Ms. Marshall, Thank you for your recent article discussing the new initiative in Oklahoma to add autism identifiers on state-issued IDs. You are spot on when you indicate that law enforcement officials need tools to identify and communicate with individuals with autism safely and effectively. Given the growing rate of autism in the United…
Dear Mr. DeVencentis, In the spirit of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, we at the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) extend our heartfelt appreciation for bringing Thalia’s inspiring journey to the forefront in your recent article, “Surrounded by Fighters.” This story is a celebration of a family coming together and doing what it…
Dear Ms. Bouranova, Thank you for your article titled Helping Autistic Adults Have Healthy Relationships. The article highlighted the HEARTS course, a creation of Professor Emily Rothman, chair of occupational therapy at the College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences at Sargent College. HEARTS offers online classes to autistic adults, providing them with the tools to…
Dear Mr. Probert, Thank you for your recent article, “How to Choose the Right Type of Autism Therapy for Your Child.” Parents of newly-diagnosed children face a dizzying array of purported treatments, some cleverly and deceptively marketed to target a parent’s genuine and heartfelt desire to get their child the help and support they need.…
Dear Mr. Bird, We are writing in response to your recent article published in VT Digger: “A closer look at hyperbaric oxygen therapy”. We were pleased to read about your genuine concern regarding the claims made by another opinion piece, written by Blume (2023), claiming hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) may be a suitable intervention for…
Dear Ms. Behm, We are writing in response to your article, “Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) Launches its New Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Accreditation Program” and we are thankful for your coverage of this important topic. The Applied Behavior Analysis field continues to grow as research supports the effectiveness of this approach for improving the…
Dear Mr. Choi, We would like to thank you for your recent article, Yen for routine seeds anxiety in autistic children, highlighting the increased prevalence of anxiety in individuals with autism. Research suggests there is a higher prevalence of anxiety in individuals with autism when compared to the neurotypical population. The study described in your…
Dear Ms. Rohman, We are writing in response to your article, “Northwestern Investigators Develop New Therapy for Autism Subtype.” We commend you for raising awareness about the importance of effective treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and for highlighting new advances in genetic research. We were very interested to learn more about the…
Dear Ms. Tung, We are writing in response to your recent article, “How a therapy once seen as a victory for autistic kids has come under fire as abuse”. We appreciate and thank you for your thorough account of the different perspectives and challenges surrounding the legitimacy and morality of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). On…