Perspectives showcases articles and interviews about the triumphs and challenges of implementing science-based treatment at home, school and in the community. We invite family members, caregivers, self-advocates, and professionals to submit accounts of large and small victories, progress, and stumbling blocks in finding or providing quality care and education for people with autism across their lifespan.
Overview
There are a number of Internet forums and blogs that enable members of the public (e.g., family members, professionals and/or self-advocates) to share their experiences surrounding diagnosis, treatment and ongoing progress of individuals with autism. Perspectives is another such venue; however, this section of our website hosts contributions that reflect ASAT’s mission and guiding values as outlined below:
ASAT’s Mission: To promote safe and effective science-based treatments for people with autism by disseminating accurate, timely and scientifically sound information, advocating for the use of scientific methods to guide treatment, and combating unsubstantiated, inaccurate and false information about autism and its treatment.
ASAT’s Guiding Values: ASAT is committed to science as the most objective, time-tested and reliable approach to discerning between safe, effective autism treatments, and those that are harmful or ineffective. ASAT supports all scientifically sound research on the diagnosis, treatment and cure of autism, as well as all treatments for autism that are shown to be effective through solid scientific research, regardless of discipline or domain.
Please note that the material selected to be placed in the Perspectives section of our website represents the views of the individual authors of each selection, and does not necessarily represent a formal position taken by ASAT’s Board of Directors.Guidelines
Perspectives solicits a variety of voices from many walks of life. We encourage submissions from parents/caregivers, other family members, self-advocates, and professionals.
Content: ASAT’s intent is to solicit and consider submissions on a wide variety of autism-related topics. These may include the following: discussions of biomedical or behavioral treatment or research; day-to-day life with a child, adolescent or adult with autism; individual case histories of people who have been diagnosed with autism; comments about emerging research; and success stories, etc. It is important to note, however, that while we support legitimate inquiry into promising areas of research, we recognize that autism treatment has been fraught with unsubstantiated fads and dubious treatments. Therefore, we are particularly interested in those submissions that demonstrate an understanding of how science should inform intervention for autism. We do not accept submissions that advocate for treatments that have not been empirically verified as effective.
Tone: Submissions may be scholarly or personal in both tone and language. ASAT is interested in civil discussions of autism-related issues, so that we may continue to expand our understanding of how to help children and adults with autism. We do not publish or respond to submissions that contain inflammatory rhetoric or personal attacks.
Permissions/copyrights: Submissions must be the intellectual property of the submitting author(s). Any copyrighted material requires proper attributions or permissions. Research articles or summaries of recent research should reference the appropriate sources.
Editorial Review: Submissions to Perspectives will be selected by ASAT’s Editorial Review Committee. Any submission chosen for publication may be further edited, although no edited piece will be published without the author’s final approval. From time to time, the editors may solicit commentary on particular themes or topics as they become relevant.
How to submit
Email submissions to: newsletter@asatonline.org
Articles and Interviews
Check out many of the articles and interviews that ASAT has published by clicking the links below.
Advocacy- Barriers to Behaviors Services in NY - "In 2014, New York State became the 13th state to pass a licensure law regulating the profession of behavior analysis and the first, and only, state to include a restriction that limited the scope of practice of behavior analysts to individuals with autism only...”
- Standing up for science on parent social media - "Today, social media is in many ways a lifesaver for families – we have become each other’s experts. Family members can ask questions about everyday struggles at any time of day or night...”
- An interview with Jane McCready, ABAAccess4All - “I’m a London-based mum and stepmum of four, age 55, and I live with my husband John and two of our children. Our handsome, happy son Johnny is severely autistic and learning disabled...”
- A Canadian Love Letter - “Dear Neighbours to the South … Indeed, when we became increasingly concerned about our son’s development my first instinct was to race back home to the supposedly safe haven of Canadian healthcare...”
- Catherine Maurice's Opening Remarks at ASAT 2000 Conference : Science in Autism Treatment - In response to the numerous inquiries ASAT has received since Conference 2000, Science in Autism Treatment is pleased to reproduce Catherine Maurice’s opening remarks in full... “The Association for Science in Autism Treatment was formed by people who shared a dream: That every family whose child received a diagnosis of autism could have access to credible information and effective treatment…”
- ASAT Board Member/Parent Kathy Mannion Testified Before National Committee on Behalf of Children - “The National Bio-ethics Advisory Committee (NBAC) has drafted human research guidelines that may impact autism research, and consequently, autism treatment…"
- Interview with Sabrina Freeman, Parent, Author, and Advocate - “My 27-year journey has taught me many lessons that I’m happy to share with our readers. I was basically minding my own business, pursuing my doctoral degree at Stanford University, when my young child was diagnosed with autism…”
- Interview with Dr. Cyndy Hayes - “I feel strongly that we must shine a light on these individuals, challenge our assumptions and begin to create new and innovative programs that are about seeing the potential that lives within each one of them…”
- Promoting Autism Awareness and Acceptance in School Settings "It is our hope that these reflections and suggestions can raise awareness of autism, increase acceptance of autistic individuals, and make our environments more inclusive and comfortable for all."
- Jack Matters, Too: A Mother's Perspective on Her Son's Place in the Autism Community. "I love this young man with all of my heart. I worry about his future. He has so much to offer this world. But frequently, I read things that feel like seem to deny the realities of valuable humans like him.”
- Autism awareness in the Middle East: Adventures in dissemination to school-age children "I knew I would need to maintain my audience of children, so I condensed my typical 2-hour training into 420 seconds."
- The Myths I Believed About Behavior Analysis - "As the first dually certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) and behavior analyst in Indiana, I fully believe in the power of fusing speech, language, social, and applied behavior analysis (ABA) sciences together to deliver more effective treatment. But I have not always been a proponent of ABA..."
- A Mother’s Perspective - Recently, ASAT learned of material posted on the Web written by Michelle Dawson. While it is not ASAT’s usual policy to address every opinion on the Web that we find objectionable, fallacious, or dangerous…
- Interviews with Connor Archer, Self-advocate, and his Mother Jessica Archer - “He was content to play with a toy that made musical sounds, pressing the same buttons over and over again…"
- What Autism Awareness Should be About - Autism Awareness Day will soon come to a close. The blue puzzle pieces will disappear from Facebook pages and billboards, the media will focus their attention on other topics of interest, and we will return to business as usual. And business as usual is not OK…
- ASD, Neurodiversity, Advocacy, and Behavior Analysis: "What can we take away from the overlap among these topics?”
- An advocate and a scientist-practitioner’s take on the current pushback to ABA - “First, we must say upon reading the article, The Mismeasure of Misha, in the Boston Globe our hearts were broken.... ”
- The Use of Electroconvulsive Treatment (ECT) in the Treatment of ASD and Catatonia - “Complex cases require the input of broad expertise and the openness to treatments that may be individually advantageous... ”
- Bringing Out the Best in Aspiring Behavior Analysts - “One of the most rewarding and impactful jobs a behavior analyst... ”
- Autism Services in Jeopardy - “Since 2014, military families have been able to access ABA services only through the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration (ACD).”
- An Unexpected Journey into Retraction: “Having been asked to review articles for ASAT’s library of Research Synopses in the past, I always enjoyed having the chance to learn more about what is going on in autism research, particularly outside of my area of specialization”
- Beverley Sharpe, writes about managing a Home-Based ABA Program - "Remember, your home is a provider’s work environment..."
- Applied Behavior Analysis in Speech-Language Therapy - "As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), my first reaction to the idea of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a methodology with which to teach language to children with autism was discomfort…"
- A Family’s Journey to Obtain Effective Treatment - " "It’s very apparent to us that this is autism." The developmental pediatrician’s words hit me like a nuclear bomb as I sat in the examination room cradling my 19-month-old son…"
- Interview with Mary Beth Walsh - "At ASAT we receive emails from parents in Oman, Bangladesh, and Brazil, and I am always struck by the tremendous lengths parents are willing to go to in pursuit of effective intervention…"
- Interview with Barbara Wells - "I realize now that clever marketing had a more powerful impact on the treatment decisions I made than common sense. I wasted a lot of time, money and energy on treatments that had no scientific basis…"
- Interview with Pam Browne from BroJoe. - Pam is one of the many passionate and dedicated parents who are making employment for their children with autism a reality. "… Because Joseph loves and is able to draw pictures that people find interesting, we thought: 'How about a business with his designs featured on T-shirts?' So we decided to try the self-employment option and see how that worked out for him…"
- Interview with Dr. Corley, Mother of Malcom - Through the interview with Dr. Corley, we follow Malcolm’s steps that led him to a place where he developed the skill sets necessary to create and successfully operate such a unique business that represents one of his passions...
- Interview with Barbara McLeod, Mom of Alex, from The Canine Kitchen Co. - "In looking at employment options for Alex, we looked for jobs that he would do well – that had a specific list of tasks we could teach him with a check list and then fade ourselves from the process..."
- Interview with Beverley Sharpe, Mother of Allison - "No, I did not foresee that Allison would be able to be employed. My opinion changed after hiring a BC and seeing Allison’s acquisition of skills and improvement in her behaviors. We have not looked back since..."
- Interview with Purnima Hernandez, a dentist who became a mom and who then went out to acquire her BCBA - “Our son was born extremely premature…"
- Interview with Robyn Schneider, Author and Mother of Twins with Autism - “I had many moments of hesitation…"
- From Grief to Giving - Melissa “Missy” Moyer of Sunbury, PA, was, among many things, a champion for autism. Working as a personal care aide in a local school with a child on the autism spectrum...
- Looking Ahead - "I was flipping through recently developed photographs looking, as I usually do, for the pictures that stand out. I’m always looking for those special images that capture a precious expression, a beautiful face or a special memory..."
- Facing the Future with Serenity - "What does the future hold for him? What kind of person will he be? What will his life and our lives be like? What kind of relationship will he share with his brother? What will he be when grows up?…"
- Interview with Preeti Chojar, Board Member and Mom - "I was a few hours away from the diagnosis but still kept thinking he couldn’t possibly have autism …"
- Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child - "I am aware of five children with autism who have died tragically in the last year: three died in fire, and two drowned after slipping out of the home unnoticed..."
- Spelling Bee Victory - "Fortunately, that simple accommodation led to several other students’ participation..."
- Mainstream and Hope? - "My colleague Mark Steege, PhD, coined a phrase to describe the typical process of the education of children with autism in public schools: “mainstream and hope."
- Interview with Alexandra Penzi, Sibling of Christopher and Advocate of Autism Awareness - Alexandra was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to be interviewed about her experience having a brother with autism.
- Interview with ASAT’s Leigh Broughan, Sam’s Sister - Because of Leigh’s willingness to relate a heartfelt, honest and revealing account of her journey with Sam, we are given an unusually personal insight into their relationship from his infancy to his adulthood...
- Entry into Adult Services - “These two interviews with parents of adults with autism illustrate the emotional and logistical challenges of placement…”
- Adventures in Driving - “There’s nothing like teaching your adolescent to drive to make you a better driver (at least according to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ standards). It’s amazing what we, as “seasoned” experienced drivers, forget or fail to do…”
