Dear Skeptical Inquirer,
The human costs of pseudoscience are profound, heartbreaking, and far-reaching. Not only do these false and unproven interventions divert individuals from treatments that genuinely help, but they also drain precious resources—time, money, and even hope. And then there are interventions, like Facilitated Communication, that more directly cause harm not just to those with autism but those around them as well.
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) commends Dr. Stuart Vyse and the Skeptical Inquirer for shedding light on the devastating impact of one of the most egregious, persistent, and dishonest pseudoscientific treatments for individuals with autism: Facilitated Communication. This very well written article, A Life Shattered by Pseudoscience, recounts the painful story of yet another false allegation, one that culminated in a father’s protracted imprisonment and the shattering of his career. Dr. Vyse shares this story sensitively, yet methodically, and peels back the missteps that unfolded along the way.
His message resonates deeply with us, as we have spent over 25 years advocating for the autism community to prioritize scientifically validated interventions to enhance the well-being and progress of those impacted by autism. We need to champion the critical need for evidence-based practices, compassionately and collaboratively delivered to protect vulnerable populations from harm and deceptive interventions. We wanted to share a few take-a-ways for providers of all disciplines.
- First, do no harm. Your intervention efforts have tentacles and you own them.
- Be transparent in your work. Answer questions directly.
- Stay in your lane. Practice within your score of practice and competence.
- When over 10 organizations rebuke an intervention, heed those warnings.
- Your discipline has an ethical code. Those are your guardrails.
- Start with science-based interventions.
- Always strive to end your intervention efforts with the highest level of independence possible.
- Reject Facilitated Communication in all its forms.
Sincerely,
David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D
Executive Director and Co-Editor of Science in Autism Treatment
Related ASAT Articles:
- Facilitated Communication Treatment Summary (Updated May 2024)
- Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) Treatment Summary
- Facilitate This: Part I of a Two-Part Interview with Dr. James Todd
- Facilitate This: Part II of a Two-Part Interview with Dr. James Todd
- List of current position statements related to autism treatment
- Standing up for science on parent social media
Related ASAT Reviews
- Article Review: Interrogating neurotypical bias in Facilitated Communication, Rapid Prompting Method, and Spelling 2 Communicate through a humanistic lens
- Article Review: The persistence of fad interventions in the face of negative scientific evidence: Facilitated communication for autism as a case example.
- Article Review: Questions to ask facilitators and yourself while observing FC/S2C/RPM
- Journal Review: Facilitated Communication and its variants: Evidence in context
- Review of website: faciltatedcommunication.org
- Book Review: Do you believe in magic?
- Research Synopsis: Rapid prompting method and autism spectrum disorder: Systematic review exposes lack of evidence
Related Media Corner Letters:
- Media Watch: ASAT responds to MSNBC.com’s Dark shadows loom over Facilitated Talk
- Media Watch: ASAT responds to the Atlantic’s The battle over a controversial method for autism communication
- Media Watch: ASAT responds to ConsumerAffairs.com’s Psychologists say discredited autism therapies still being practiced
