Timeline: The Politics & Marketing Behind The Autism Epidemic | The 20s
Timeline: Early Years | 80s | 90s | 00s | 10s | 20s
Autism Politics & Initiatives
The Autism Market
Grants , Funded Projects & Money Raised
Pivotal
Marketing & Media Attention
Organizations & Companies
Autistic Community & Allies
2020
2020
“Randomised trial. Big numbers. No evidence that PBS works to improve ‘behaviour’ for those who are autistic and have a learning disability. Anyone who is paying a fortune to commission this for people needs to have a serious, quiet read, and ask some equally serious, quiet questions of the people selling the stuff to them.” – Ann Memmott
March 2020
Ethical Concerns with Applied Behavior Analysis for Autism Spectrum “Disorder”
Daniel A. Wilkenfeld, Allison M. McCarthy
Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, Volume 30, Number 1, March 2020, pp. 31-69 (Article)
Published by Johns Hopkins University PressJuly 2020
This review found limited evidence that early intensive applied behaviour analysis-based interventions improve cognitive ability and adaptive behaviour in autistic children, but the long-term impact of the interventions remains unknown.
July 25, 2020
The Department of Defense Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration Annual Report
“As of now, ABA services do not meet the TRICARE hierarchy of evidence standard for medical and proven care. The Department continues to review the latest evidence in published literature regarding the effectiveness for ASD.At this time, no significant additions to the evidence based literature have been published since the last annual report regarding the “dose- response” (including intensity, frequency, or duration), treatment effectiveness, most effective use of ABA with other services, use of tiered model compared to BCBAs only, benchmarks for outcomes or anticipated/expected changes in ASD symptom presentation.”
August 18, 2020
Rightful Live Investigates Behavioural Analysis and Support
Alexis Quinn about how the ‘gold standard’ behaviourist approaches do the exact opposite to what’s needed, for so many autistic people. Powerful content with mention of self harm and suicide.( via Ann Memmot’s Blog)
Rightful Lives is launching an investigation in to methods of behavioural treatment, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) for learning disabled and /or autistic people in Britain.
ABA & PBS have people divided- some see them as a way to enable autistic people to take part in everyday life and others as a human rights abuse. In this investigation we aim to get behind this polarised debate and understand the issues more fully.
Alexis Quinn kicks this investigation off by introducing her experience of behavioural support and the impact it had on her as an autistic woman. Alexis Quinn is the author of the book Unbroken, which tells the story of her incarceration in the British mental health system.
2021
2021
Key Players In The Autism Market
UPMC, The May Institute, Chance Light Behavioural Health, Autism Speaks, Centria Autism Services, The Centre for Autism & Related Disorders, Butterfly Effects, Autism Learning Partners, Autism Spectrum Therapies, City Pro Group, Vista Autism Services, Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd., Magellan Health, Inc.
January 12, 2021
Death by Suicide Among People With Autism: Beyond Zebrafish
“Another important issue is the belief that autistic individuals should camouflage or mask their autistic traits to conform with societal expectations, for example by forcing themselves to make eye contact with others even when doing so is uncomfortable.
March 17, 2021
The man behind ex-gay “conversion therapy” started out trying to make autistic children “normal”
By Sebastian
Both projects were based on the same fundamental view: that it’s easier to change a child’s behavior than it is to destigmatize that behavior in society–whether it’s limp wrists or flapping hands.
April 9, 2021
Long-term ABA Therapy Is Abusive: A Response to Gorycki, Ruppel, and Zane
Aileen H. Sandoval-Norton, Gary Shkedy & Dalia Shkedy
Results
Despite decades of usage as the primary method for this population worldwide, ABA has never been shown to be even slightly efficacious for the nonverbal Autism population.
Conclusions
Research in ABA continues to neglect the structure the autistic brain, the overstimulation of the autistic brain, the trajectory of child development, or the complex nature of human psychology, as all of these factors were ignored in the response and are ignored in ABA practice itself. Providing a treatment that causes pain in exchange for no benefit, even if unknowingly, is tantamount to torture and violates the most basic requirement of any therapy, to do no harm.
April 28, 2021
Autism Speaks launches Autism Care Network to improve autism care across North America
The 20 Autism Care Network sites are:
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- The Kelly O’Leary Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
- The Lurie Center for Autism at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto
- University of Alberta and Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital
- The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of California — Irvine
- University of Missouri – ECHO Autism Communities
- The Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- The Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center
- Phoenix Children’s Hospital
- Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Upstate SC
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe-Meyer Institute
- University of Virginia Children’s Hospital-Division of Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center
- Hospital for Special Care, New Britain, Connecticut
- The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at University of Massachusetts Medical School, Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- MetroHealth Autism Assessment Clinic, Parma, Ohio
August 5, 2021
Their Non-Autistic Led “Autism Awareness” Campaigns Drive The Global Market For ABA By The Billions
Harmful autism awareness campaigns by non-Autistic led organizations and entities are driving the success of the ABA Market.
This market, known as the “Autism Market,” is projected to reach $4.53 Billion by 2026 in the United States.
The prevalence of autism and success of ‘autism awareness’ campaigns by non-autistic led organizations are driving the global market for applied behavioral analysis (ABA).
The increasing government funding, sponsored awareness programs, and growing research & development are also boosting the global market.
September 2021
What Is Autistic Burnout? A Thematic Analysis of Posts on Two Online Platforms
“We identified a set of distinct yet interrelated factors that characterize autistic burnout as a recurring condition that can, directly and indirectly, impact autistic people’s functioning, mental health, quality of life, and well-being. The findings suggest that increased awareness and acceptance of autism could be key to burnout prevention and recovery.“
“A recent (2021) paper on poor mental health outcomes and burnout from forcing autistic people to live totally inauthentic lives, including links between masking and suicide.” – Ann Memmott
October 21, 2021
ReThink First: Our Team
People: Daniel Etra, Eran Rosenthal, Patty Mah, Jamie Pagliaro, Mike Civello, Lin Chong, Diana Frezza, Margarita Burakov , Bridget A. Taylor, Peter F. Gerhardt, Catherine E. Lord, Louis A. Vismara, Patricia Wright, Maurice Feldman
2022
January 27, 2022
February 18, 2022
H.R.6783 – Autism Family Caregivers Act of 2022
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants for providing “evidence-based” caregiver skills training to caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities or delays, and for other purposes.
International Badass Activists 