Media and myths
by Ellen
Recently I saw this article on the ABC News Web site titled “Media Coverage May Perpetuate Autism Myths.” Most of the article is related to the continuing discussions over the role of vaccinations in the cause of autism.
Although the article briefly draws attention to the benefits of treatment, they’re not yet making that next critical connection — to the importance of funding for treatments and further research into effective, evidence-based interventions.
I see that Congress recently funded the Combating Autism Act. It’s my sincerest hope that the federal government finally acknowledges the fact that autism is treatable and that millions of people need treatment. This can be done by spending some of those research dollars on studying current treatment options to determine which ones really are effective.