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 solve the complex social skill challenges a person with autism faces? Unfortunately, as you noted, there isn’t adequate scientific evidence to make that claim.
The social skill deficits that come with autism can be severely limiting and detrimental, leading to high rates of unemployment, bullying or abuse, and even early death. Given that treatment can have life-changing (and perhaps even life-saving) effects, it is essential that families are provided with accurate information about the available treatments for improving social skills in individuals with autism. However, there are currently over 500 different marketed interventions for autism, the vast majority of which lack any scientific support. Because of this, families may spend money and time pursuing treatments that are ineffective or may even cause harm.
You note that the status quo for the treatment of autism in the USA is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). ABA is emerging as a leading treatment approach because it is effective and is supported by findings published hundreds of peer reviewed, scientific studiesover the past 30 years. However, we were disappointed to read a number of common misconceptions about ABA, such that ABA promotes rote learning and is focused on the short term instead of long-term results, in your article. ABA is not a single type of treatment for autism. Rather, it is a framework for delivering treatment, that includes developmental assessments, a range of individualised teaching strategies to teach new skills, data collection and data analysis to monitor the child’s progress, and supervision by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Although ABA does not offer a cure or “quick fix,” it uses many different teaching approaches to develop functional, flexible, and generalizable skills in children with autism, including language, play and social skills, daily living skills, and academic skills. In fact, an ABA program may incorporate Legos to teach play and social skills. Sharing misinformation about ABA may steer families away from one of the most effective treatment approaches available.
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) is dedicated to providing timely and accurate information about evidence-based interventions for people with autism. Our website includes summaries of the scientific evidence for hundreds of proposed therapies with a special section to help journalists find and share accurate information about this important topic. You can find more information at ASATs dedicated section for Media Professionals. We hope you will consider sharing this information with your readers.
Sincerely,
Chante Stoeckley, MEd, LBA, BCBA
Erin Leif, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
