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ASAN Statement on Fein Study on Autism and “Recovery”
January 23, 2013 | admin
Recently, an article[i] argued that some Autistic children reach what they call the “optimal outcome” of moving out of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study greatly concerns ASAN, both in terms of its inherent scientific limitations and the dangerous values framework behind it.
Adults who clearly met criteria for autism as young children may not show up as Autistic on current behavioral tests, but may by self-report so or appear to by social cognitive testing[ii] or brain scans[iii],[iv]. Moreover, the Workgroup that recently revised the ASD diagnosis stated that current criteria work best for 5-to-8-year-olds[v]. This study’s participants ranged from 8 to 21, with an average age of about 14.
This study stems from an ongoing line of research on “recovery” from autism[vi]. This has shown, however, that the vast majority of those who “lose” an ASD diagnosis retain or replace it with ADHD, anxiety, and/or depression[vii]. The latest article’s editor claims that it begins a “science of hope” for “recovery” from ASD[viii]. Yet the study requires [...]