Dear Ms. Lindsay:
We are writing in response to your recently published article, “Investigation widens into B.C. naturopath’s fecal transplants for autism, court documents show.” This article is the latest in your ongoing coverage of Jason Klop, a naturopath who claims to treat autism using pills and enemas made from feces. Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is approved in the US and Canada only for the treatment of recurrent C. difficile infection; all other uses are considered experimental and carry serious risk of infection. As a naturopath who has stated that he practices outside of “the strict formal standards of the medical and pharmaceutical sciences,” Mr. Klop charges families of autistic children approximately $15,000 to attend FMT “retreats” in Mexico, Australia, and Hungary. He is under investigation by both Health Canada and the College of Naturopathic Physicians of B.C, however he continues to advertise his services and book appointments via his website.
Unfortunately, FMT is the latest in a long history of purported treatments for autism that prey on parents seeking help for their autistic children. The field of autism treatment is fraught with pseudoscience, unsubstantiated claims, and fads. For parents who find themselves searching for help and guidance, sorting through the seemingly unlimited array of options can feel like an insurmountable task. At the Association for Science in Autism Treatment, we offer an array of resources to help parents identify and separate science from pseudoscience. In the section of our website, Becoming a Savvy Consumer, we offer this article on ways to identify science, pseudoscience, and antiscience, which includes a list of 15 common warning signs that a seemingly scientific treatment may actually be a pseudoscientific therapy.
The same section of our website also includes a section titled, “Is There Science Behind That?” where we publish articles that focus on specific interventions, including a summary of current research and recommendations regarding implementation. In 2018, we published, “Is There Science Behind That? Fecal Microbial Transplantation” and concluded “fecal matter transplants should not be used as a treatment for autism, since they fall into the category of unproven treatments without empirical research support.”
Today, in 2021, proponents of science such as yourself continue to warn against the use of FMT. As members of the scientific community, we must continue to speak out against dangerous and pseudoscientific claims that defraud parents and their children of both time and money and in many cases are used in place of proven, empirically-supported treatments.Thank you for using your voice to shed light on the ongoing investigation of Mr. Klop and his use of FMT. We commend you for your coverage and will continue to follow for updates as the case unfolds.
Sincerely,
Adriane Miliotis, MA, BCBA, LBA
Elizabeth Callahan, MA, BCBA
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
