Decades ago, autism was thought of as one condition. The aim of research was to figure out its “cause”. Now research has shown that ASD is “a group of lifelong conditions that can arise from a complex combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors”
Two research groups released “systematic studies, providing the best evidence yet that in fact a small but reliable subset of children really do overcome autism”. Led by Deborah Fein, the study followed 34 young people who had overcome the symptoms of autism, describing this as the “optimal outcome”. These 34 were compared with 44 young people who were evaluated as “high functioning” autistic, as well as 34 typically developing peers. A study previous to this, led by Catherine Lord, tracked 85 children from their autism diagnosis for nearly 20 years, and found that 9% of them no longer met the criteria for the disorder.
TRACY HOLLIDAY tells how local councils refuse to pay for an intensive process that has radically improved her daughter’s behaviour.
A controversial US teaching method, applied behavioural analysis, or ABA, is now being used in a few UK state schools. And parents are moving from all parts of the country to get their child a place
See BBC content on Autism by following the link below:
By Alan Zarembo,
Los Angeles Times December 15, 2011 In 1987, Ivar Lovaas, a charismatic UCLA psychology professor, published what remains the most famous study on the treatment of autism.
Latest snapshot shows proportion of children with autism and higher IQ on the rise The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 68 children (or 14.7 per 1,000 eight-year-olds) in multiple communities in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
ABA is a radical, expensive and highly controversial tough-love treatment that is heavily criticised as “cruel”, but it’s the only evidence-based method proven to either “halt or even reverse a child’s autism”.