Dear Jspace Staff,
We would like to thank you for your article, “Israeli Institutes open first-of-its-kind autism center in Middle East” (jspacenews.com, August 12, 2015), and commend your coverage of a critical topic: developments in research and treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As you point out, ASD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, and prevalence continues to rise. While it is still unknown what specifically causes autism and rises in diagnoses, there is certainly a sense of a great need for more research to focus upon the development and implementation of effective treatments. We agree with the Israeli Ministries of Education, Health and Welfare that ASD is a top priority, recognize that collaborative efforts are necessary to engage in effective research, training and treatment, and are pleased to see that major initiatives such as that of the Autism Center are being developed and executed in such an underserved area. We appreciate you spreading the word about this important Autism Center, and increasing awareness that ASD should, in fact, be a worldwide concern.
You quote Professor David Lichtstein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University, as stating, “Our goal in establishing the Autism Center is to lead Israel and the Middle East in research, training, clinical services and community engagement for the benefit of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families. By bringing together the relevant disciplines at the Hebrew University, including medicine, social work and education, and combining them with the clinical excellence of the Hadassah Medical Center, the Autism Center will be positioned to achieve important breakthroughs in the research, diagnosis and treatment of autism.” We agree with several points made by Professor Lichtstein including the importance of research, training, clinical services and community engagement for the benefit of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families. We also believe that collaborative efforts amongst professionals in medicine, social work and education may prove valuable in establishing a well-rounded approach to autism research and hope that this collaboration includes other disciplines such as applied behavior analysis.
At ASAT, we work to caution against the dissemination of fad treatments and false claims in the field of autism, not only focusing on research that involves novel elements, or a “breakthrough,” but also more importantly, research that involves efforts to incrementally advance existing research through systematic replication and collaboration. It is our firm belief that to protect individuals with ASD and their families from wasting valuable time and resources on unsubstantiated claims, only treatments and related developments founded on the tenets of scientific research should be promoted in the field. As I am sure you can appreciate, many pseudoscientific treatments are presented to the public as “breakthroughs.”
It is our hope that in future dissemination efforts related to the Autism Center, Professor Lichtstein, or other Center spokespersons, would acknowledge what we already know about scientific research and treatment in ASD—especially that applied behavior analysis is currently the most scientifically-validated treatment. As the only way to scientifically prove treatment efficacy is to control for outside influences (e.g., via single-subject research design methodology) and replicate findings, we hope to see this emphasized as the major role of the Autism Center, and hope that they will indeed attend to and add to what is already known, rather than placing emphasis on being “cutting edge,” which may be implied when “breakthroughs” in research are placed at the forefront.
Research in the area of autism is crucial, and we recognize that many valuable research questions and related protocols are developed in university settings. We are excited about the new Autism Center bringing together, as you mentioned, a combination of research, education, and training with clinical and community work, and hope that this collaborative effort will have a profound impact on research, and specifically science-based research, related to the cause and treatment of ASD. Thank you once again for reporting on such an important topic and we look forward to wonderful contributions from this center.
Renee Wozniak, PhD, BCBA-D and David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
