Dear Times of India,
We are writing in response to your article entitled “Ayush Club in MGMGH to Provide One-Stop Solution for Patients.” You discuss a new department created to offer services to those suffering from chronic diseases and conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, throughout India. It is important to make services for people with autism and their families more accessible and affordable. We can appreciate the idea behind a one stop shop, as it provides a variety of treatments for individuals with varying diseases or disorders to have their needs met at once. Unfortunately, the treatment of autism is not so simple.
Your article discusses treatments for autism based on siddha, Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, and homeopathy. Although these options may be sought out, they are not currently supported by research. This means that the effects of such treatments for ameliorating the symptoms of autism have not been scientifically investigated. The degree to which such interventions are likely to help people with autism learn new skills and reduce behaviors of concern is unknown.
We would like to bring your attention to treatments for autism that are currently scientifically supported. Treatments for autism based on the scientific discipline of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) are currently endorsed as effective and safe. ABA is not a single method of treatment; rather, it is the application of the principles of learning to systematically change socially significant behaviors. In addition, within the field of ABA, researchers and practitioners must demonstrate that the interventions used are responsible for the observable improvement in behavior (and rule out that behaviour change occurred as a result of an uncontrolled variable). Interventions derived from the science of ABA are effective for increasing adaptive behaviors, reducing interfering maladaptive behaviors, teaching new skills, and generalising behaviours to new environments or situations. The effectiveness of ABA-based interventions for people with autism and developmental disabilities has been well documented through more than 5 decades of research by using a variety of research methods, including single-subject designs, randomized controlled clinical trials, meta analyses, and cost benefit analyses (National Autism Center, 2015; Wong et al., 2014, 2015). As such, a large number of specific interventions that are derived from the science of ABA are now considered established, meaning that research consistently shows positive effects.
At the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT), we believe all people with autism should be able to access safe and effective treatment. ASAT’s mission is to disseminate accurate, timely, and scientifically sound information, which advocating for the use of scientific methods to guide treatment and combat unsubstantiated, inaccurate, and false information about autism and its treatment. Our website provides a variety of information that may be useful to you and your readers, including a comprehensive list of treatment summaries that describes the level of evidence to support various marketed treatments for autism, of which there are many (https://www.asatonline.org/for-parents/learn-more-about-specific-treatments). We encourage you to view this list when deciding what treatments to promote. We are hopeful that families in India will soon have easier access to effective treatments, overseen by qualified treatment professionals, for their loved ones diagnosed with autism.
Sincerely,
Karrie Lindeman, Ed.D, SBL, BCBA-D
Erin Leif, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment (www.asatonline.org)
References
National Autism Center. (2015). Findings and conclusions: National standards project, phase 2 Randolph, MA.
Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., … Schultz, T. R. (2014). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Autism Evidence-Based Practice Review Group.
