Dear Ms. Braddick,
Thank you for sharing important information about autism and its treatment in your article “How is autism treated in China?” We were disheartened to read that autism is still poorly understood in China, and that people with autism and related conditions are often stigmatized and hidden away by their families. You report that there are over 10 million children in China who are diagnosed with autism and yet there are very few resources available to get them the help that they need. In our view, this must change.
We would like to praise the efforts of Stars and Rain, China’s first NGO dedicated to supporting children with autism and their families. We were inspired to read about the work that Stars and Rain is doing to provide training to parents of children with autism, and to provide individualized education to teens with autism. The challenges that Stars and Rain describe, from poor understanding of autism and poor diagnostic practices to lack of teacher and provider training and poor funding for services, are common in many countries around the world.
Unfortunately, autism interventions without scientific evidence are commonplace. Treatments without evidence may not only be ineffective, but may be downright dangerous. You highlight the risks associated with fad treatments in your description of a center for children with autism which forced students to walk up to 12 miles a day and “cured” them by sweating in incubators, which resulted in the death of a child. Because teachers are ill-equipped to provide effective education to children with autism in Chinese schools, you note that parents are often forced to send their children to private rehabilitation centers which employ a wide range of ineffective treatments. The Association for Science in Autism Treatment promotes safe, effective, science-based treatments for people with autism by disseminating accurate, timely, and scientifically sound information, advocating for the use of scientific methods to guide treatment, and combating unsubstantiated, inaccurate and false information about autism and its treatment. We encourage you to direct your readers to several of our free and publicly available resources for more information on safe and effective autism treatment, including our website, treatment summaries, and monthly newsletter.
It is encouraging to see that Chinese experts, including Yanhui Liao from the Shenzhen Autism Society and Wang Yan from Beijing Normal University, are identifying and raising awareness about autism and the issues affecting the delivery of effective treatment in China. There is a well-established body of literature describing how to address many of the issues outlined in your article, including how to provide effective education to school aged children with autism and how to train teachers and parents to effectively support children with autism. Simply paying educators higher wages is unlikely to solve the problem of delivering quality services. What is needed is better education, on the job training, and supervision for teachers, parents, and professionals. Thank you again for shedding light on these important issues and on programs like Stars and Rain that are offering real hope to children with autism and their families.
Sincerely,
Elena Escalona, MS Ed
Erin Leif, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
