Organization:Association for Science in Autism Treatment
| Abbreviation | ASAT |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1998 |
| Founder | Catherine Maurice (co-founder) |
| Type | not-for-profit organization |
| Purpose | Disseminating information about science-based autism treatment and combatting misinformation |
| Location |
|
Region served | Global |
Membership | Over 12,000 subscribers |
Staff | 1 |
Volunteers | 50+ |
| Website | asatonline |
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) is a non-profit autism organization. It was founded in 1998 and is currently based in Hoboken, New Jersey.[1][2] Members of its advisory board include Eric Fombonne and Stephen Barrett,[3] Tristam Smith was one of its board members until his death in August 2018.[4] A report by the Association for Behavior Analysis International mentioned ASAT's website as a useful resource for parents of children with autism,[5] as does the website of the University of North Texas[6] and that of the University of Michigan Health System.[7]
Views
ASAT has warned against chelation therapy as an autism treatment, noting that two children have been reported to have died as a result of this therapy, and concluding that "there is not enough scientific evidence available at this time to advocate a role for chelation of heavy metals in the treatment of autism, and there is potential for adverse side effects."[8] They take a similar viewpoint with regard to the use of secretin.[9] Treatments they consider to be unproven, rather than disproven, include homeopathy[10] and animal therapy.[11] Published research related to the hundreds of autism treatments are provided on ASAT's website.
Criticism
ASAT was criticized in 1999 by Bernard Rimland, who contended that applied behavior analysis is not as effective as ASAT claims and called their position on autism treatments "nonsensical and counterfactual".[12] ASAT responded by saying that, in recent years, the Autism Research Review International, where Rimland had published his article, had displayed "a consistent pattern of premature and uncritical promotion of treatment 'breakthroughs' in the absence of credible research support," including facilitated communication.[13]
Further Reading
- A Shift from Autism Acceptance to Appreciation. By Ben VanHook. Article. (retrieved Nov 23, 2024)
References
- ↑ "Contact Us—Association for Science in Autism Treatment". http://www.asatonline.org/contact.
- ↑ Maurice, C.; Mannion, K.; Letso, S.; Perry, L. (2001). "Parent voices: Difficulty in accessing behavioral intervention for autism; working toward solutions". Behavioral Interventions 16 (3): 147. doi:10.1002/bin.89.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". https://asatonline.org/board-of-directors-2/.
- ↑ Bridget A. Taylor
- ↑ "Consumer Guidelines for Identifying, Selecting, and Evaluating Behavior Analysts Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders". http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~joshmil/aba_guidelines_draft3.pdf.
- ↑ "Behavior Analysis - College of Health and Public Service". https://behv.hps.unt.edu/.
- ↑ "Autism, Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD): Your Child: University of Michigan Health System". http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/autism.htm.
- ↑ "Chelation Therapy—Association for Science in Autism Treatment". http://www.asatonline.org/treatment/treatments/chelation.htm.
- ↑ "Secretin—Association for Science in Autism Treatment". http://www.asatonline.org/treatment/treatments/secretin.htm.
- ↑ Herbs and Homeopathic Treatments
- ↑ Animal therapy
- ↑ "The ABA Controversy". http://www.autism.com/ari/newsletter/133/page3.pdf.
- ↑ ASAT Board of Directors (1999). "ASAT Supports Proven Treatments and Informed Choice". ASAT. http://www.asatonline.org/treatment/articles/informedchoice.
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