Dear Mr. Clark:
Thank you so much for sharing such a heartwarming and inspiring story about this young man’s efforts to raise money and awareness for children with autism in Maine. Connor’s central message cannot be overstated: Children with autism need early intervention to achieve success later in life.
Given the diversity in which autism manifests across the spectrum, success will vary from individual to individual; however, let’s be perfectly clear, the best possible outcome for each and every individual is predicated on the right intervention at the right time. There is a dearth of services available today to young adults with autism so it must remain our collective responsibility as a society to ensure that treatment decisions are grounded in science, responsible, individualized, and informed by data to assess progress.
With only a tiny fraction of the 400+ treatments for autism enjoying scientific support, every dollar and every minute spent on an ineffective intervention truncates those possibilities and opportunities. Which doors will open and how wide they will open is this function of the decisions that are made early on.
I also want to thank Connor for lending his voice on a fundamentally important matter. His brave message and heartfelt efforts will go far to ensure that the doors that were opened for him will remain open for other children with autism. I suspect he will have much to teach the autism community in years to come and for that we are truly grateful.
Keep on running, sharing, and enlightening, Connor!
Sincerely,
David Celiberti, PhD., BCBA-D
Executive Director, Association for Science in Autism Treatment.
