Monday, June 18, 2007

Autism: No Such Thing As A Big Tent Approach

Autism is a money pit. No treatments are really proven. The best medical treatments out there include applied behavioral analysis and it's only effective in 50% of the children therapized. And it is expensive.

Parents desperately try one treatment after another hopeful that something, anything, will help. Sometimes certain treatments do help. It is not surprising then, that one of the biggest autism charities is crumbling within along family lines because of vastly different philosophies.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

"The best medical treatments out there include applied behavioral analysis and it's only effective in 50% of the children therapized."

That statement is inaccurate. The Lovaas study that is most quoted reported that 47% of the autistic children who received the intensive ABA were indistinguishable from their peers by the time they started school. The remaining children also benefited but to lesser extents. Yes ABA is expensive and it helps autistic children live fuller, richer lives.

Melissa Clouthier said...

Thank you for that clarification. I was consulting my long term memory about that study--always a dangerous thing. That makes more sense based on what I see anyway.

Parents spend upwards of $40,000/year for a treatment that helps a little for a short time.

Anonymous said...

What do you think about Cranio Sacral Therapy? I hear it does wonders for all kinds of conditions and people.