tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post40099203726937593..comments2024-02-13T21:31:57.980-04:00Comments on Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Heroines Lara Hawkings and Sally EvaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-38239162694827453522007-11-28T08:29:00.000-04:002007-11-28T08:29:00.000-04:00Harold As the husband of Lara I would just like to...Harold <BR/>As the husband of Lara I would just like to thank you for saying nice things about her. please check you Gmail account in regard to this ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-869074303457707282007-11-16T18:21:00.000-04:002007-11-16T18:21:00.000-04:00Maya Mread the article again. the child in questio...Maya M<BR/>read the article again. the child in question is on the diet because of severe bowel problems. The NAS is the major autism charity in the UK, it has a duty of care over all children with autism but gives NO advice on diet over its help line. "we don't do diet" <BR/>Perhaps they should employ a couple of dietitians rather than promote a pointless and offensive campaign.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-39896758239390056402007-11-16T12:51:00.000-04:002007-11-16T12:51:00.000-04:00MayaI did publish a post about GFCF diet not being...Maya<BR/><BR/>I did publish a post about GFCF diet not being supported by evidence - yet. As for Ms. Hawkings advocating for that diet based on her personal experience I see nothing wrong with that. Anecdotal evidence is evidence, it is just not as strong as other forms of evidence. An evidence based approach looks at the various types of evidence in support of an intervention and ranks them according to the quality of the evidence with anecdotal ranking very low. <BR/><BR/>The real issue with NAS v parents, and it is a general issue between neurodiversity generally and many parents, is whether treatment and cure should be sought for autistic children at all. A parent, in my view, has a right and a duty to seek treatment for their child's disability if one exists and if it is available. ABA is an effective intervention based on the quantity and quality of the research although it is not a cure.<BR/><BR/>Neurodiversity advocates, including NAS, oppose attempts to treat or cure autistic children. They have no business doing so. Children have a right to receive effective medical treatment if it is available. If someone tries to prevent such treatment from being received they are infringing on that child's human rights. To the extent that NAS supports such efforts they are supporting the infringement of the human rights of autistic children.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838571980003579163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33052404.post-78137428656952816572007-11-16T09:24:00.000-04:002007-11-16T09:24:00.000-04:00What amazes me in these discussions is that at lea...What amazes me in these discussions is that at least one of the sides, and usually both, speak of "treatment" of autism as if we really have something as effective as insulin for diabetes and the only question is whether to use it or not.<BR/>Not so long ago, you wrote yourself a post about the GFCF diet not (yet) supported by evidence and proven ineffective in the case of Conor. Ms. Hawkings has put her son on this diet, this is the treatment she advocates for. While I acknowledge that a properly done trial could find a proportion of autistics benefiting from GFCF, I doubt whether people should be advised in the meantime to subject their children to a diet so terribly impacting quality of life.Maya Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10877457709995369246noreply@blogger.com