A recent report on that trusted news network, CNN, titled, "'Horse Boy,' family find respite from autism in Mongolia," described how an autistic boy in Austin Texas began to show improvements in language skills after riding a horse named Betsy. The story cautions, however, that a distinction must be made between this kind of "recreational therapy" and the "medical treatment that uses horses and is supervised by a licensed speech-language pathologist."
Now everyone knows that licensed speech-language therapists, highly skilled in the methods of science, must be the only ones qualified to supervise this serious medical treatment -- I'm sorry, I can not write those words without laughing. Medical treatment? Riding horses? C'mon, how gullible do they think we are? Never mind, don't answer that question.
But, all kidding aside, you might wonder just how riding horses can be an effective treatment for autistic kids. Well, according to the licensed speech-language therapist CNN interviewed, the powerful movement of the horse is "having neurological impact on the autistic child." And I guess she should know since I'm sure she's not only had years of training as a neuroscientist, but also training in the research methods to make that determination.
On the other hand, this "therapist" cautions that "For some autistic children, riding too long can overstimulate their nervous system, leading to more erratic behavior" (Now, there's a factual statement about the nervous system if I ever heard one).
So, I guess the dilemma is to try to figure out beforehand which kids will respond which way. Perhaps they should enlist a psychic to help them with that.
Speaking of psychics, the story doesn't end there. The father actually brought in an African bushman who was a healer and noticed that his son improved after the healer laid his hands on the kid.
So, like any other logical, rational person, the father took his kid to Mongolia so he could experience both horses (yes, they have a lot of horses in Mongolia) and shamans. And, guess what? His kid's behavior changed dramatically! Well, whose behavior wouldn't change dramatically after being high jacked to Mongolia and forced to ride Mongolian horses and be healed by Mongolian shamans?
It's not until the end of the article that we finally read the following: "Rowan's applied behavioral analysis therapist has him studying math and English at the third-grade level -- a full year ahead of some of his peers." So, applied behavior analysis, the only scientifically documented treatment for people with autism, is what really produced long-lasting and measurable changes in the kid's behavior.
Then what about all the time and money spent on horses, speech-language therapists, African shaman, and trips to Mongolia? (If you couldn't tell, that was a rhetorical question.)
Before ending this post, however, I want to comment on Austin Texas. As a native Texan myself, I am loathe to criticize it too much (our last President notwithstanding) and also because it is a city with great music and restaurants. But, probably because Austin is a liberal bastion (surrounded by the reddest of red counties), it has attracted more than it's share of quack programs for autism.
Austin has the distinction to be the home of programs such as Thoughtful House and HALO, both of which promote therapies with no scientific foundation.
Thoughtful House claims to recover autistic children through "the unique combination of medical care, education, and research." Of course "medical care" is code for chelation therapy. Unfortunately, someone who claims to be a behavior analyst, Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., is one of the founders of Thoughtful House along with the infamous Andrew Wakefield, M.D. (see my previous post, The Great Vaccine Scare Epidemic). Oh yes, Thoughtful House also offers hippotherapy.
HALO is the brainchild of the imminent scientific researcher (I'm being facetious, of course) Soma Mukhopadhyay, the mother of Tito and the developer of the Facilitated Communication-like method called Rapid Prompting. As you'll notice from her website, there is an extensive list of peer-reviewed scientific articles supporting her method (I'm being facetious again).
So, now we can add hippotherapy and shamanism to the list of quack programs for autism that are in Austin. But, before we get too judgmental about Austin, we should take a look around our own communities. I think we'll find this ridiculousness is everywhere.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Headlines that Make You Go Hmm
A recent story in the L.A. Times about the Binghamton, N.Y. shootings had the following headline and deck:
Gunman targeted strangers
Jiverly Wong was shy, jobless and struggled with English. But Binghamton is at a loss to explain his rampage.
Hmm.
Gunman targeted strangers
Jiverly Wong was shy, jobless and struggled with English. But Binghamton is at a loss to explain his rampage.
Hmm.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Great Vaccine Scare Epidemic
Let's face it, we are all afraid. And the media feeds on our fears by constantly suggesting new things to fear -- food, water, air, toys, etc.
Although the media's obsession with things to fear may be a topic for a future post, the topic of this post is the unwarranted fear of childhood vaccines.
A recent article in the L.A. TImes, "California schools' risks rise as vaccinations drop," reported that more and more parents of children in affluent areas of California are choosing not to vaccinate or to to selectively vaccinate their children.
The problem, of course, is not just that the unvaccinated children may contract serious childhood diseases (e.g., measles, mumps, rubella) that have been for the most part eradicated in this country, but that if unvaccinated children contract a childhood disease, they may pass it on to other unvaccinated people, including infants before their scheduled vaccinations and pregnant women.
Why are these parents choosing not to vaccinate their children and, therefore putting other children and adults at risk?
Who better to ask then those eminent scientists, former Playboy Bunny and "actress" Jenny McCarthy and actor Jim Carrey.
According to these two public intellectuals, and contrary to every scientific study so far, autism is caused by vaccines. They have even founded an organization to promote their agenda, called Generation Rescue. And Jenny McCarthy has been on Larry King Live (with Jim Carrey) several times spouting her bizarre theories and, of course, hawking her books. She claims that she made a pact with God that if he (God) cured her son, she would crusade to help other parents.
Jenny McCarthy also claims, with no scientific support, that children diagnosed with autism can recover from their autism. Even though her own son apparently received ABA treatment, she claims that he was recovered through biomedical treatments, in particular, chelation. Gee, I guess the ABA was irrelevant. And if you don't believe Jenny or Jim, there are numerous testimonials on their website from parents. Who better than parents to determine what causes autism or what treatments are effective. After all, don't we look to parents of kids with cancer for the most effective treatments?
So, where do Jenny and Jim and other parents get their phobia of vaccinations?
From that famous scientist, Andrew Wakefield, the researcher who first claimed in a Lancet article that there was a causal link between the MMR vaccine and intestinal disorders that led to autism. In 2004, however, all of the authors of that study and the Lancet itself retracted their claim.
But it was too late; the damage had been done. Measles had once again reached epidemic proportions in Great Britain because parents were refusing to vaccinate their children, and with the assistance of other celebrities (e.g., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who believes there is a cover-up at the highest levels of the government and health agencies), the great vaccine scare epidemic reached the shores of the U.S.
Now we see that mostly affluent parents are not vaccinating their kids and the result will likely be a resurgence in childhood diseases. Ironic, isn't it, that the most affluent, and presumably, most educated people have been so easily persuaded to believe in something that has no scientific support. And, irony of all ironies, their children may be some of the ones who suffer most.
Of course, it is sad that their irrational decisions may result in great harm to other children, in particular those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or to pregnant women who, if they contract rubella, can pass it on to their fetuses causing brain damage or death.
This new age, in which otherwise intelligent people question the basic scientific methods that have reduced so much human suffering in the world, or the motives of scientists or public health officials, resembles the early middle ages more than the age of enlightenment.
So much the worse for these unenlightened people and for the rest of us.
Although the media's obsession with things to fear may be a topic for a future post, the topic of this post is the unwarranted fear of childhood vaccines.
A recent article in the L.A. TImes, "California schools' risks rise as vaccinations drop," reported that more and more parents of children in affluent areas of California are choosing not to vaccinate or to to selectively vaccinate their children.
The problem, of course, is not just that the unvaccinated children may contract serious childhood diseases (e.g., measles, mumps, rubella) that have been for the most part eradicated in this country, but that if unvaccinated children contract a childhood disease, they may pass it on to other unvaccinated people, including infants before their scheduled vaccinations and pregnant women.
Why are these parents choosing not to vaccinate their children and, therefore putting other children and adults at risk?
Who better to ask then those eminent scientists, former Playboy Bunny and "actress" Jenny McCarthy and actor Jim Carrey.
According to these two public intellectuals, and contrary to every scientific study so far, autism is caused by vaccines. They have even founded an organization to promote their agenda, called Generation Rescue. And Jenny McCarthy has been on Larry King Live (with Jim Carrey) several times spouting her bizarre theories and, of course, hawking her books. She claims that she made a pact with God that if he (God) cured her son, she would crusade to help other parents.
Jenny McCarthy also claims, with no scientific support, that children diagnosed with autism can recover from their autism. Even though her own son apparently received ABA treatment, she claims that he was recovered through biomedical treatments, in particular, chelation. Gee, I guess the ABA was irrelevant. And if you don't believe Jenny or Jim, there are numerous testimonials on their website from parents. Who better than parents to determine what causes autism or what treatments are effective. After all, don't we look to parents of kids with cancer for the most effective treatments?
So, where do Jenny and Jim and other parents get their phobia of vaccinations?
From that famous scientist, Andrew Wakefield, the researcher who first claimed in a Lancet article that there was a causal link between the MMR vaccine and intestinal disorders that led to autism. In 2004, however, all of the authors of that study and the Lancet itself retracted their claim.
But it was too late; the damage had been done. Measles had once again reached epidemic proportions in Great Britain because parents were refusing to vaccinate their children, and with the assistance of other celebrities (e.g., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who believes there is a cover-up at the highest levels of the government and health agencies), the great vaccine scare epidemic reached the shores of the U.S.
Now we see that mostly affluent parents are not vaccinating their kids and the result will likely be a resurgence in childhood diseases. Ironic, isn't it, that the most affluent, and presumably, most educated people have been so easily persuaded to believe in something that has no scientific support. And, irony of all ironies, their children may be some of the ones who suffer most.
Of course, it is sad that their irrational decisions may result in great harm to other children, in particular those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or to pregnant women who, if they contract rubella, can pass it on to their fetuses causing brain damage or death.
This new age, in which otherwise intelligent people question the basic scientific methods that have reduced so much human suffering in the world, or the motives of scientists or public health officials, resembles the early middle ages more than the age of enlightenment.
So much the worse for these unenlightened people and for the rest of us.
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