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Media Watch Letters
Dear Mr. Wong, Thank you for discussing the need for effective social skill instruction for children with autism in your recent engadget article, Using Lego therapy for autism: How the humble plastic brick could help children’s social development. Wouldn’t it be great if Legos, a staple of our childhood and a beloved toy for millions, could…
Dr. Stea, One of the dangers of widespread pseudoscience is that it can give some treatment providers and proponents an excuse to do what they feel like doing or what is easier for them divorced from published scientific support and established best practice. With that, we were delighted to see your recent article in Psychology…
Dear Ms. Croke, We at the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) would like to commend you for your article, Spectrum Designs will provide opportunities for those on the autism spectrum. At a time when so many adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed, it is imperative that we raise awareness of this situation and…
Dear Mr. Ellis, Thank you kindly for your recent article Early Death in Those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. As you aptly stated in your piece, you anticipated that sharing these studies would shock your readers. We also hope that it motivates the autism community to reflect carefully on what we are doing (and what we are…
Dear EurekAlert: Thank you for your article which suggested that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were nearly 2.5 times more likely than children without ASD to be reported for suspected abuse/neglect by the age of 8. These data support other troubling statistics regarding the risks facing children with ASD, including higher mortality rates and…
Thank you, Liam Davenport, for your February 25th article, “Unproven Therapies are ‘Muddying’ Cell and Gene Advances” in Medscape. Although it was published several months ago, the content is well worth sharing with our readers. Your article shines a light on yet another example of the “cart before the horse,” where treatments are marketed…
Dear Ms. Barloso, Thank you for your recent article showcasing various interventions for autism for children with autism based on the time-tested and scientifically-validated principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). A common denominator among these approaches is that each enjoys scientific support and rely on data to make important decisions. At present, there are over 500 different…
Source Dear Ottawa Citizen, First and foremost, we want to thank you for publishing the editorial by our colleague Beverley Sharpe, “A national strategy for autism would help save families and save taxpayers’ money. So where is it?” What a powerful account of a mother’s journey to help her daughter with autism realize her fullest…
Source Dear Mr. Marland, We are writing in response to your article entitled “Optician Banned Over Claim He Could Treat People with Autism.” Your article discusses an optician who wrongfully claimed he could treat individuals with autism through colored filters. We applaud you for identifying that this is an unethical medical practice since there…
Source Dear Ms. Zulkifli, We are writing in response to your article, “The Wonders and Benefits of Art for Children with Autism.” In your article, you note that art therapy can benefit children with autism in many ways, including improving eye contact, communication, and social skills. While we appreciate your efforts to raise awareness about…
Source Dear Mr. Philpott. Thank you for sharing information on the importance of evidence-based intervention for children with autism. We commend Tricare for funding interventions based on the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for children of military families. However, we were concerned to read that ABA does not currently meet Tricare’s requirements…