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 the challenges that individuals with autism face, we are concerned that none of your statements regarding the effectiveness of art therapy for individuals with autism were supported by scientific research.
Your readers may not be aware of the sad reality that there are over 500 proposed treatments for autism with only a tiny percentage enjoying scientific support. To date, there are no scientific studies for art therapy for individuals with autism. In the absence of published peer-reviewed research, we believe that art programs do not meet the definition of a “therapy.” This word, “therapy,” is a powerful yet often overused word in the world of autism treatment. There are several faulty assumptions associated with the word “therapy” that we believe writers should consider when reporting on autism treatment:
- Anything involving the word “therapy” must have therapeutic value. In today’s booming autism treatment market, many recreational experiences are touted as “therapy” when, in fact, they have no demonstrated therapeutic value. It is the responsibility of the provider to demonstrate that the “therapy” treats autism in observable and measurable ways, either by teaching functional skills or decreasing behaviors of concern.
- Providers of “therapy” are actually therapists. A provider may offer an enjoyable recreational experience, but that does not make the provider a qualified therapist. In the therapeutic disciplines, providers (e.g., behaviour analysts, psychologists, speech pathologists) must meet specific educational and training requirements before achieving certification or licensure, and must abide by ethical and professional practice guidelines.
- All “therapies” are grounded in research, and are delivered in accordance with established protocols and guidelines. This is not true for many autism “therapies.” Most therapies lack scientific support and are carried out in inconsistent and haphazard ways across providers.
We recognize that art may be an enjoyable recreational activity for many people, including people with autism. Art programs provide opportunities for children with autism to socialize with peers, to practice skills, and participate in a fun and pleasurable experience. While some children with autism may benefit from such programs on a case-by-case basis, there is no research to support the effectiveness of the program for ameliorating the core symptoms of autism. Misusing the term “therapy” when describing these experiences may have unwanted consequences. Parents may spend enormous time and money on ineffective “therapies,” instead of pursuing therapeutic interventions with a demonstrated track record of success. We feel that the term “therapy” should be reserved for interventions that are scientifically proven to be therapeutic.
We invite your readers to refer to the Association for Science in Autism Treatment’s Research and Treatment section, the National Autism Centre’s National Standards Project , and ONTABA’s Evidence Based Practices for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder for accurate information, synthesized from all available scientific research, on scientifically-supported treatments for individuals with autism.
Sincerely,
Brizida Vinjau, MS, BCBA
Erin Leif, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
National Autism Center. (2009). National standards project findings and conclusions. Randolph, MA: Author.
National Autism Center. (2015). National standards project findings and conclusions (Phase 2). Randolph, MA: Author.
The Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis, Inc. (2017). Evidence based practices for individuals with autism spectrum disorder: Recommendations for caregivers, practitioners, and policy makers. Retrieved from http://www.ontaba.org/#&panel1-1.
