Unevidenced 'Treatments' for Autism
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The list below comprises a number of so called 'treatments' that are used to try and 'cure' autistic children or to reduce their autistic traits. There is absolutely no evidence base for these treatments, rather, they are likely to cause distress and harm to autistic children subjected to them.
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Bleach Drinks/Miracle Mineral Supplement
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​The rationale behind bleach drinks as a cure for autism, is that it is caused by viruses, heavy metals and bacteria. Alongside autism, it is also touted as a cure for HIV, Cancer and numerous other serious illness.
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Bleach drinks, known variously under the trade names Miracle Mineral Supplement, Miracle Mineral Solution or the Chlorine Dioxide Solution Protocol, are supposed to work by diluting in an acidic solution such as fruit juice, which ‘activates’ it. Sodium Chlorite, the active ingredient, is used as an industrial bleaching product and is incredibly dangerous when ingested.
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It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach upsets and can cause internal inflammation and corrosive injuries of the digestive track. One of the ‘signs’ that it is working as a treatment, is the appearance of thin strands in stools or in infant nappies which are claimed to be the ‘disease’ passing out of the body. In reality, this is evidence of intestine wall damage, which is then excreted out.
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One of the main proponents of MMS is Jim Humble, who co-founded of the Genesis II Church of Health & Healing with Mark Grenon. The other main champion of this protocol is Kerri Rivera, author of Healing the Symptoms known as Autism. She claims that hundreds of people have been ‘cured’ of autism by drinking MMS. The reality is that MMS is exceptionally dangerous for both children and adults.​
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Iron Chelation
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Iron chelation is used to remove heavy metal elements from the blood. Originally promoted by the Autism Research Institute and Defeat Autism Now as a ‘cure’ for autism, it is a process used to treat poisoning by mercury, lead and arsenic compounds. It involves introducing chemicals into the body that form a bond with metal ions in the blood to create an inert substance which is then excreted from the body. With autism, the theory is that it is caused by the mercury related thiomersal component of vaccines, which is added as a preservative. It can cause serious side effects including hypocalcaemia, renal problems, cardiac problems, seizures and can be fatal.
​There is no evidence that thiomersal in vaccines causes autism, and in fact, despite both the UK completely removing thiomersal in vaccines and the US removing it from all except combined flu shots, autism diagnosis rates have continued to rise
​Restraint and Isolation
Restraint and isolation
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Electric Shock Devices
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​Despite being banned by the United Nations, and the Federal Drug Administration in the US banning electric shock devices in 2020, they are still in use in the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center for disabled children and adults in Massachusetts.
Although they claim to use the devices, which are attached to patient’s legs, the devices – called Graduated Electronic Decelerators – have been used to maintain discipline at the centre. A previous student, Rico Torres, was first given a GED device aged eight and reasons listed for it’s use included screaming, running away or swearing.
GED devices were developed in the 19990’s by Matthew Israel, the founder the the centre and were designed to replace physical punishments, restraint, sensory deprivation and withholding meals, although in reality the restraint and sensory deprivation were continued and the GEDs used alongside.
In 2021 the FDA ban was overturned and the Judge Rotenberg Center continues to used GED devices.
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Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA)
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ABA stands for Applied Behaviour Analysis and is a form of behavioural therapy considered extremely controversial system by many in the Autistic community. ABA practitioners believe it can teach autistic children alternatives to dangerous or self-injurious behaviour. Those who oppose it believe it causes unnecessary trauma and is only useful as far as it ‘teaches’ autistic children to mask their natural behaviour and to behave as though they are neurotypical.
It is beyond doubt that the man who designed ABA, Ivar Lovaas**, used unethical, harmful, and painful methods in his practice. He developed the system in the 1970’s and in its original form, involved negative reinforcement. Lovaas employed consequences such as withholding of food, as well as physical punishments as a way of altering behaviour, and originally subjected children to this for 40 hours per week. He used a system called Discrete Trial Training (DTT) which he based on aversive reinforcement methods. Many autistic adults who underwent ABA under Lovaas and followers of his methods, say that they live with a long-term trauma response.
Modern ABA practice claims to be play based so that children can learn skills in a more naturalistic way, for fewer hours. However, Ari Ne’eman of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network has suggested that speech and language therapy may be a more effective way of reducing self-harming behaviours and supporting the learning of new skills, without the risk of associated trauma.
Although supporters of ABA acknowledge that it was based on the idea of creating a ‘uniform child,’ they argue that it has evolved to a more compassionate form of therapeutic work.
** Lovaas was also responsible for a research project called The Feminine Boy Project. It was an attempt to prevent boys from liking ‘feminine’ things; instead of accepting that there are many different ways to be a boy, he believed there was something wrong with boys being attracted to toys, games, or behaviours that society has assigned ‘for girls. Lovaas’ aim was Gay Conversion Therapy, as he believed that by ‘curing’ these boys of a liking for feminine things, he would prevent them from growing up to be Gay. It is no small irony that in the current climate, there is evidence from The Tavistock GIDS whistleblowers, that homophobic parents were taking their children to the clinic to create a ‘straight trans child’ as opposed to having a Gay son or Lesbian daughter.
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Craniosacral therapy
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This involves the gentle movement of the skull to balance cerebrospinal fluid and the tissues around the brain. This is said to ‘reset’ the central nervous system and so calm distressed behaviour and reduce autistic traits.
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Iridiology
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This involves diagnosing medical problems by examining the iris patterns in the eye (the coloured portion of the eye surrounding the pupil). It is believed that different sections correspond to parts of the body. This is deeply unscientific and besides, autistic children do not generally have abnormalities of the iris.
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Secretin
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The theory that secretin – an intestinal hormone – can affect behaviours in autistic children, is based on three children who were given secretin during an endoscopy procedure and who it was claimed, had greatly improved behaviour afterwards. It can be given orally or intravenously, but there is no evidence that it is effective.
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Magnets
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Magnets are used to target overall health, particularly pain conditions like arthritis and fibromyalgia. It has been used to try and manage distressed behaviours by placing magnets across the body. They are then supposed to ‘reset’ the bodies ‘bio-electric field’ and allow greater oxygen flow to the bodies cells. There is no evidence that this is effective, however, small magnets can be very dangerous for children, who may swallow them. Small magnets can cause blockages in the intestinal tract as well as perforations which can be fatal.
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Faecal Matter Transplantation
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The idea of faecal transplantation was first used in China in the 4th century, as a way to try and cure diarrhoea. There are unevidenced claims that autism is caused by unhealthy gut bacteria so fecal matter transplanataion as a remedy is based on the theory that autistic children’s digestive systems produce toxic bacteria. Faecal matter is then transplanted to ‘promote’ heathy bacteria.
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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
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​Oxygen is delivered through a pressurised chamber to try asnd increase the level of oxygen in the body. It was suggested that this would improve behaviour and reduce autistic traits but there is no evidence that this makes any difference.
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Neurofeedback
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This is designed to allow people to control their own brainwaves by the use of electrodes on the head which then measure brainwaves. The treatment is based on the idea that brainwaves can be retrained to more closely resemble the brainwaves of a neurotypical person.
Homeopathy & Herbs
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The use of herbs and other substances that are found in the body is said to improve the immune system as part of a detox, and possibly improve brain activity. There is no evidence base for homeopathy, indeed, the dilutions used in homeopathy are equivalent to one drop in a standard size swimming pool of water. As water has no memory, any improvement is due to the placebo effect.
Combined Vitamin Treatment
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​This involves intake of combined vitamins B6, B12, Magnesium and L-Carnitine. There is no evidence that this has any effect on behaviours or autistic traits.
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Anti-Fungal Medication
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The use of anti-fungal medication to ‘treat’ autism, is based on the same theory that states that autism originates in gut bacteria. Treatment with medication such as Fluconazole is supposed to to reduce fungal infections in the gut but this is not backed up by evidence.​​
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CEASE
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This stands for Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression. It is a protocol designed by Dr Tito Smits, using an ‘isopathic’ process. It is based on the idea that autism is caused by 70% vaccines, 25% toxic medications and 5% disease. Other contributors are also the use of microwaves, too much sugar and hydrogenated fats. The process uses elements of the toxic substances in the same way as homeopathy. Practitioners only require 3-5 days training, and a course of treatment is followed by homeopathic treatments and vitamin supplements.
Diets
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Raw Camel's Milk
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Ingesting raw camels milk has no different outcomes than drinking cow’s or any other kind of milk. Claims that it can improve autism symptoms are based on a single 2013 research paper Camel Milk as a Potential Therapy as an Antioxidant in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. It allegedly works due to the high levels of anti-oxidants which are supposed to improve autistic symptoms, but the paper’s authors are clear that a significant amount of research would need to be carried out in order to ratify their findings.
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Elimination Diets
Elimination diets, such as the gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet, have been used by parents as a way of attempting to manage behaviours associated with autism. Although websites promote a variety of diets as useful for either ‘curing’ or reducing autistic behaviours, there is no solid evidence base to suggest that elimination diets will make any difference to autistic children.
It has been suggested that diet can be effective for reducing gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea or constipation, however there is no evidence to suggest that ‘leaky gut syndrome’ or bacteria in the gut are causes of autism. It is likely that children with gastrointestinal symptoms will show reduced stress and anxiety if their gastrointestinal irritation is reduced by changing elements of their diet; however, this is likely to be due to symptom relief rather than any element of their autism being ‘cured.’
It is also important to be careful when eliminating food groups from a child’s diet without medical advice, as autistic children often have a reduced diet due to sensory issues, or food related issues such as ARFID or eating disorders. The following are examples of elimination diets suggested for autistic children, but which have a low to non-existent evidence base for their effectiveness relating to autism.
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The Keto diet
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Paleo diet
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Yeast Free diet
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GcMAF Injections
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​ GcMAF is short for Gc Protein-derived Macrophage Activating Factor. This is a treatment derived by Dr Jeffery Bradstreet and based on the idea that autism is caused by a combination of vaccines, mercury and viruses in the brain and stomach. The treatment involves using a patch, spray or injection to dose with GcMAF, a substance derived from blood cells to reduce inflammation and autoimmune distress. Dr Bradstreet conveniently advises that if there is no change after 16 weeks, then it is likely that the autism wasn’t viral in origin.
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