The National Autistic Society has slammed a ‘deeply insulting’ new study that was published in the national media this week claiming that autism can be ‘reversed’.
The two-year study involving twin girls in the United States was published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine. It described the reversal of autism symptoms and provided a review of related literature describing associations between modifiable lifestyle factors, environmental exposures, and various clinical approaches to treating autism.
As a part of the study, the twins underwent behavioural analysis and speech therapy. They also stuck to a strict gluten-free diet with zero ultra-processed foods.
It concluded: “The dramatic improvement and reversal of ASD diagnoses among these fraternal twins demonstrates the potential of a comprehensive treatment approach including both conventional therapies (e.g., ABA) and a wide variety of environmental and lifestyle modifications facilitated by a multi-disciplinary team of practitioners addressing the total load of stressors of modern living. The commitment and leadership of well-informed parents or guardians is an essential component of the effective personalization that appears necessary for the feasibility of such improvements. Future prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.”
Tim Nicholls, Assistant Director of Policy, Research and Strategy at the National Autistic Society, said that the study was deeply insulting to the more than 700,000 autistic people in the UK.
He added: “We are completely baffled why this has even been published by UK papers. This is a case study of a single set of twins using interventions that are themselves questionable. There are absolutely no conclusions at all that can be drawn from this and to suggest otherwise is just irresponsible journalism. We’ve repeatedly told outlets that we can help decipher shoddy research and avoid misinformation being published.
“Autism cannot be “cured” or “reversed”. Imagine seeing headlines that a core part of your identity could be “reversed”. Language like this sets us back and just goes to show how far we still have to go to build a society that works for autistic people.”
🏥 Severe autism can be reversed, groundbreaking study suggests
Trial with two non-identical twin girls also found symptoms can be reduced to an indistinguishable level https://t.co/Njt25nwVoZ
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 20, 2024
The use of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has long been criticised by autistic self-advocates as it tries to make children with autism fit neurotypical standards. Some of these advocates say that speech and language therapy is a more helpful way for autistic children to build skills and independence.
The National Autistic Society says ABA is one of the most researched of all autism approaches, but there are significant limitations and gaps in the research, particularly about long-term effects.
It adds: “People’s views about ABA are strongly polarised. Some point out that ABA has developed considerably, can help people develop vital life skills and help them stay safe. Others fundamentally opposed and report being traumatised by its use. It is also clear that there is significant variation in the quality of training, practice and formal guidance. As with any support, these things are vital.
“We do not support any intervention that follows one-size-fits-all approaches, or that goes against the principles we outlined at the top of this page, and we believe that some ABA interventions used today are not sufficiently person-centred and are too intensive.”
