This is one of the finest breakdowns on bad science, and bad science journalism, that I have seen since reading Ben Goldacre's excellent "I Think You'll Find it's a Bit More Complicated Than That", and "Bad Science". It's enormously infuriating that hacks like Joe Pinkstone can be put forward for science journalism awards when they are so willing to lazily write articles about papers that should get no attention beyond as a demonstration for how not to conduct a study. People like Pinkstone should be ashamed of themselves for prioritising newspaper sales over actual journalism. It was galling to hear about the interventions these twins were getting before they were even two years old. I didn't say my first word until I was 22 months old, and had various developmental delays that affected how I interacted with the world. Just by virtue of getting older I improved in many different areas, and I received no interventions like ABA (I went undiagnosed until I was 30 anyway). Instead of considering that simply growing older could reduce certain characteristics, or how ABA will lead kids to mask their differences, they try to imply that autism was reversed. What a load of bollocks. Excellent work in exposing this, mate!
Autism is "cured" by traumatizing people into shutting down and repressing their emotions and thoughts and feelings because they learn "I'm only loved when I'm quiet"
Isn't that the case for everyone? Not discounting that this occurs for people with autisim but just wondering how it is different for people who do not have autisim yet also go thru this tortuous process.
Love how the article said some autistic twins required "substantial support" at 20 months old, my dear expert "scientists", I don't think that's the autism, THAT'S A BABY, THEY *ALL* REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT THEY CAN'T EVEN SHIT ON THEIR OWN!!!
This happens so fucking often with autism, "oh you can't be autistic my cousin is and he's a nightmare!" Your cousin is two years old he exists to cause you pain and sow chaos with or without autism
How people even diagnose autism until age 4-5? I wasn’t diagnosed until 35, so I’m confused how anyone could tell a baby is autistic. Maybe if they don’t cry as much? I don’t get it. There could be so many physical things going on to rule out first. Just like how these two babies were misdiagnosed, I wonder how many others were? Then they accuse us late diagnosed people of not being autistic at all. It makes no sense to me. Most “developmental disorders” can’t be diagnosed as young as 1.5 years.
I can "pass" an autism test if I choose to, but if I am HONEST I am shown to be autistic. My mother "cured" my autism by inducing fear of her and training me to not show any negative "traits" when I was around her, and sending me to my room to cry it out without being comforted when I had meltdowns. I masked to survive. I suffered bullying and inner pain all my life. Nobody knew girls could be autistic back then. I now consider her to be well-meaning but abusive. I feel for those twins...and all who are trained to mask who they really are...they can't complete healthy individuation. I'm only now, at 66 being able to discover who I am. Lord only knows who I might have been had I been able to be ME as a child. Autism is how my brain works. I'm fine when I take care of myself. I'm happy, healthy, and enthusiastic about life. I despise being told there is something wrong with me that needs curing. The epidemic is an information epidemic where we can finally find out why we think differently than the "normal" people who think we are built wrong. Good video. Lots of work you did and KUDOS to you!
Oh, Tilly, this so much like my story! I really feel for you. Like you, I am trying to make sense of who I am. I have significant mental health issues and functional neurological physical symptoms the roots of which go back to this sort of childhood. It's horrible to think that this type of parenting is being glorified and idealised in so called "scientific" papers like this.
I could've written this story. Our childhoods sound practically identical. My mother thought autism was caused by neglectful parenting and by allowing children to slack off and miss their milestones. I was punished for my speech delays, punished for my meltdowns, punished for "faking injuries" (I have chronic pain from sensory sensitivity), punished for incontinence, etc. If you show an uneducated person like her a video of me as a child alongside a video of me now, people would think my autism was "cured." But I am no less autistic than I was back then. I have just been heavily conditioned from a very young age to mask for my own safety.
This! The parents basically decided that their children have autism even when children that young cannot be reliably tested. Then they threw money at every "therapy" they could find on the internet whether it had any basis in science or not. Lo and behold, their children turned out to be not autistic. They can't even say they ever were, let alone ever cured. But this case will be cited by every quack looking for validation.
I think it's a mixed bag as results go. Some individuals don't find out why they are different, yet succeed in being very functional adults. However they may suffer from severe burnout at times and struggle to understand why it happens. Others may not receive the support and assistance they need to grow up to be the best person they can. Just knowing that you're autistic can affect your own perception of possibilities.
I'm only one minute in, but are you telling me that children vastly improved in their abilities between the ages of 2 and 4?! Astonishing. Simply Astonishing.
@@Autistic_AF Well, there are profiles of autism where significant skill regression happens in early toddlerhood (around the time that autistic traits are first noticed) and the child ends up with the stereotypical "low functioning" presentation of autism (nonverbal, level 3 in both social communication and RRB). These are the cases that the general public tends to associate with the word "autism" and that all the autism moms want to find a cure for. If that's what "autism" means to you, then of *course* normal-ish development towards something that looks like an "Asperger" type profile is going to look like a miracle (and if the parents are undiagnosed autists, that "Asperger" type profile will look completely normal to them).
I learned from this ‘study’, that my mostly nonverbal 1,5 year old is showing autistic traits! I must interveene early - so she can get the science kind of autism! /s
I think they were never autistic in the first place. You can’t tell if a baby is autistic. But I feel bad for them torturing the babies. Chiropractic techniques on a baby?! The more I try to “mask”, the more I get bullies and othered by neurotypicals. Masking doesn’t really work for autistic people. 😅. It just makes us MORE stressed. But people still ostracize us and treat us badly.
I am a professional scientific journalist (and autistic too) and I literally translate the jargon filled papers from journals into readable and relatable news stories. I was appalled, but sadly not surprised to see this awful paper being covered and interpreted like this. The bar for science journalism is very low sadly, I do my best to ensure my team never writes drivel like this. We also debunk studies like this too. You are doing a public service with this video!
Thank you for your work in science communication. It is indeed hard to see so many publications putting out low quality work, and I appreciate your acknowledgement that the standard can be low. Integrity in reporting is very important, since not everyone is equipped to understand the data themselves.
I know it's a bit to ask but could you drop a few names on more credible news outlets? I'm constantly looking for more integrity driven sources, and coming up with duds.
I was raised by a Stanford-trained behaviorist who successfully used extinction to eliminate my stimming. I became extremely obedient, anxious, withdrawn, & self-loathing to the point of near-constant s*¡c¡dal ideation as a child, teen, & through adulthood. Guess what? I'm still autistic. But, now I've got all kinds of co-adjunct cptsd trauma from my being trained to falsely ascribe the cruelty of my 'peers', & episodes of statutory 'grape' & CSA to my own "attention-seeking" behavior. Gee, thanks, paternal unit.
@@BobDeGuerre and with cPTSD the symptom crossovers can be fairly significant and hard to separate - I’ve had similar but different issues with my childhood and cPTSD makes everything so so much harder to diagnose and deal with. Sorry this happened to you.
Sample size of 2, measuring behavioral markers of autism, while forcing them to complete behavioral training. You're telling me that the behavior you trained them to do is what they did? Shocking.
yeah if you get proper support and care you don't suffer from dysfunctional behavior because OUR BEHAVIOR WAS NEVER DYSFUNCTIONAL! JUST MISUNDERSTOOD. Not having symptoms of autism spectrum disorder doesn't mean you're not autistic.
@Autistic_AF I think you hit the nail on the head, there. ABA therapy has become a huge business in the U.S. - and I think some Americans sort of believe that if it is making money, it's good.
As a scientist this just blows my mind in terms of how bad it is. There are some lovely and hard working people busting their ass to publish a paper, and there there is this. N=2 and no control??? they didnt even try one theory of "treatment" either, they just loaded them full of behavioural therapy and supplements. And even if they may not score high on the autistic score, im confident in a few years or decades they will come out traumatized and behaviourally scarred. Nevermind that you cannot properly score a 2 year old for autism to begin with, which you elaborated. But furthermore, i also think that its very hard to even estimate if someone has autism from the external POV because so much of what makes an autistic an autistic person, is how we perceive the world. We can all learn to mask and cope to some extend, that is not a reasonable measure.
@@Acetyl53 The point is that it doesn't even matter what kind of scientist this guy is, N=2 is like an entire value box of red flags. Even longitudinal studies typically manage to cobble together at least a dozen subjects. This study is about as scientific as carrying flowers to prevent plague.
@@Acetyl53 I mean you don’t even really need a degree to understand that their scientific process isn’t great so long as you have taken a biology course in high school. We don’t have really any way to check ppl on whether or not they’re actually who they say they are, so if you think they’re not, just ignore them /nm /info
I was diagnosed very late and looking back I can see how the masking and fitting in survival strategies I created for myself had a deleterious effect on me for many years. Trying to undo the damage and habits of decades is really hard, but I'm getting there, if slowly.
@@M13C7 people can definitely be diagnosed with autism at two years old, and this has been possible for a long time. Idk if it happens to a lot of diagnosed people, but I got mine at two years old
Well there is a time and place for exploratory case studies, but the media shouldn't be reporting on them until they can be confirmed by controlled studies. Also since they used dozens of different approaches, even if we trust that the children were actually "cured," how would we know which approach to test more thoroughly? It's just a mess.
16:30 - I'm an ABA Survivor, who forgot he had ABA then had a breakdown last year (2023) and now am reverting back to my authentic self. I was orginally given ABA for (and these were the things that I know about), to stop rocking, eye contact (to give eye contact to start conversations), to say yes to the question "Are you alright?" and i suspect sensory things as well. I had it when i was 5 and now am 32. I think ABA should be banned and should never be used. Additional Edit - The primary school I was at put me into ABA and didn't tell my parents about it - I knew I was different at five so they were better off giving me a diagnosis at that age would had helped more than ABA. I got diagnosed when I was 26
Omg I'm so sorry you went through that . I am sending you hugs but only if you want them as I respect your personal space. Thankfully, ABA has come Loooooooong way from what it was. For example they no longer punishment to help reshape behavior. Now it's more of explaining at whatever level a child is at of how things are typically done and why. With my son for example reinforcing that he cannot just randomly hug strangers. How not everyone wants a hug all of the time but most people like getting high fives or fist bumps.
@@eacalverthmm as someone who had ABA until the mid 2010s it’s still quite similar to this story. I am still figuring out what I lost from all these punishments.
Hey Mike- I was diagnosed as autistic in 1984 as a three year old. This video means a lot to me, as I was told about this in high school- that I was cured. My parents withheld it from me and from the school system. I had masked and found a way to blend in, but I was not “cured.” Thank you for shedding light on this issue
I don’t know what to say :( I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m glad my video was a tiny comfort, and ‘at least’ you now know what you didn’t before. Take care, Mike
@@Autistic_AF thank you 😊. It is amazing just how far acceptance and education on autism has come. I forgive my parents for how it went down, but I really hope nobody else experiences their journey this way.
I had exactly the same thing happen to me - had a diagnosis given to myself as a young child withheld because I’d been supposedly cured. I consider such behaviour on the part of parents (particularly their electing not to inform school of the diagnosis) to be educational neglect.
Two things I learned in school were to never use a non-peer-reviewed study as a source and that a study has to have at least thirty participants to be statistically relevant
@@Gloomdrake I mean, it's low enough you'd probably want more data to be conclusive. But it should be high enough that you could get an idea of the overall trend, even if you'd need more data to definitively say anything.
Hearing "twins" I thought we were looking at a twin study, but no it's doing the same thing on both twins... so the results are useless because there's no control.
If CZcams blindly accepts a fraudulent copyright or defamation claim against this video, as other creators have found to be their default in some cases, then have a fit and make a video about the fraudulence of the claim.
I feel bad for these poor kids. They’re going to be given the narrative that they were autistic, one of them with more support needs (like that won’t cause issues with self image, my twin cousins both really struggled with comparing themselves to each other), and were cured. And they will spend their life either believing that and being living proof of something that is not real, or they will have to come to terms with the fact that their experience was that of their parent’s being conned.
@@stephenie44 It's maybe a reference the chiropractors. Using that fake offshoot of physical therapy can cause permanent nerve damage or even kill small children, actually breaking necks. Still a bad choice of words if that was it.
I heard that waterboarding is linked with a significant change in behaviour, so I think we should start with that. By the way, my access to a stream, multiple water pumps, a tractor and tanker for transporting it at a fee has absolutely nothing to do with that, but can we just discuss costs on a per litre basis before we start anyway
@@markwright3161 LOL! In all seriousness (probably the same effect as the waterboarding thing) read up about the sudden conversion in Pavlov's dogs after a flood.
Let's see, what would I call it? "Intentional parenting based on principles of kindness, empathy, and the promotion of positive mental health outcomes. Quality of life improvements for neurodivergent children. "
When the doctor said they were “unlikely to experience the behavioral aspects of autism again,” because their development was back on track, well that’s just simply bunk. So many autistic behaviors stem from the way our brain fundamentally processes things. For instance, we stick to routine because unfamiliar things are often too overwhelming. Those kinda behaviors have literally nothing to do with whether I learned to talk at an earlier age because of some program. Also, while it’s great the girls are doing better-they are four years old. Let’s see how they fare going to school, going thru puberty, finding and maintaining a job, developing a circle of friends etc before we go pronouncing them cured.
Keeping in mind they were initially diagnosed during the pandemic when toddlers were confined in restricted social groups at a key time in their development. They may have never been autistic to begin with, just experiencing normal delays due to the circumstances,
Autism isn't a disease to be cured, but what dictates how we think. It makes us who we are. There are some harmful traits and co-morbitities that we can minimize. This will help people be more comfortable in their bodies. Everyone has different traits (if you've met one Autistic person...). One that is pretty common in kids is hyper joint mobility. Helping relieve pain from this condition will allow kids’ bodies, the brain included, to develop more typically. There will still be delays and differences though. Different kids will need different therapies and its effect will also be variable. Having Autism doesn't automatically mean that you need accommodations. Everyone has different needs, after all; but getting them is usually very welcome. That's why ABA is such a controversial issue. It may not actually help the Autistic child, but it helps the parents. There aren't many resources for parents, so they latch on. That's why this will also probably be successful. It teaches kids that if they hold out, they'll get a treat. That actually makes it harder on other caregivers who try and nurture skills without bribes and punishment. Their progress is easily measured, though, so insurance covers it
Very accurate re:what types of therapy and treatments are covered by insurance. Often it seems the least helpful/even harmful treatments are covered while the best practices (which tend to be currated to the individuals specific needs) are not.
@Gingerblaze that's the thing, isn't it. Every Autistic person is different, so they have different needs, but since a treatment doesn't work on most Autistic people, it isn't considered an effective treatment. The placebo effect isn't really a thing with these kids. If it gives them comfort/relief, it's because they received something that they needed. I was once told that we don't do brushing with stiff brushes because it isn't proven effective. That doesn't mean that it's not for kids with specific symptoms. In this case, she wanted me to press my nail into her heel. A stiff brush would have probably done the job better. Some kids hate light touch, but firm pressure might be another story.
@@rox4884 It may be that 'light touch' is perceived as an intermittent input and therefore overstimulating in the way that being tickled with a feather, beset by gnats, having a bug on your arm, and similar things can be.
I wonder how much of the problems were due to the girls being premature, twins, and the parents possibly being helicopter parents? Are these poor children even autistic?
Define "autistic". Without an objective medical test, "autism" can only be defined as a cluster of traits, and traits can be influenced by genetics, epigenetics, and experiences Remember, the person who influenced everyone to get away from "refrigerator mother theory"... was an autistic person's parent. Conflict of interest? I don't even know 'er.
At one point in time, The Telegraph was a serious newspaper. Then Murdoch bought it. Now it's toilet paper. Read at your own risk, wear gloves while doing so, and fact check everything in it. Assume everything in it is a lie. Usually not a crafty one at that.
@@Torsanist During the War (WWII) people used newspapers as toilet paper over here. Unfortunately, with current trends to digital copies, that's no longer possible. So point to you sir, m'am.
@@bakakafka4428 Ooh, I never knew! They probably did something simular where I'm from too. Yeah, I imagine wiping with an ipad would be pretty impractical.😆
@@sonicfan82 I suppose you have a point, but it still doesn't change the reality that individual can vary significantly. Given a particular aspect you could have three people where one person is significantly impaired, anorher is only mildly impaired, and a third person may have close to normal function. And depending on their life and circumstances, some aspects may be more disabling than others.
I was diagnoaed late and i am semi verbal and have high support needs they didnt need to abuse these kids to prove that you can abuse children developing full blown dissociative disorders because their parents never wanted an autistic child. This post specifically comments on the fact that they are saying children with high support needs can have 'reduced symptoms' (severe autism can be the same thing as having higher support needs). They could have asked any number of people like me who can communicate about how we just ended up being the same as we were as children but with severe mental illness on top of the autism. Unfortunately i already predict people completley misinterpreting these results in the autism community and completely leaving out the part where it is mentioned that the kids in question were diagnosed at 10 months and therefore would be on the highest need level of support. This is not an article about lower support needs, but having people who have lower support needs talking about it because we cant do videos is really important. I just am sad about this whole thing for lots of reasons and part of it is because i am so sick of people telling me i got diagnosed late becauase i was 'so good at masking' and that i somehow didnt look 'typically autistic' neither of those things are true for me and many people like me who were diagnosed late specifically because our symptoms were too severe and our parents did not want us. I cant reliably speak, i cant do maths, i cant shower, cook, clean properly, i dont have any friends except one and ive needed years of therapies including behaviour support (not the same as ABA and i am an adult consenting to therapy and able to withdraw that consent if the therapist is making things worse so its very different). They could have asked people like me about this, they could have asked any late diagnosed person who can choose to mask or who has the ability to why they developed that ability as well but they wont because they would need to admit that they didnt actually 'cure' us afterall.
Ok... my n=1 experience with keto. I have done keto for weight loss. Whole food keto, not anything that says keto on the label. I was doing it for weight loss not knowing at the time I was autistic or having heard that keto is theorized to treat autism. My personal experience is that my autistic brain functions better while on a keto diet. My brain does not become allistic, nor would I want it to. But at the time my friends commented on the difference in my "spirit". "Ruina is happier now." My sense is that I don't become overwhelmed as easily. My meltdown/shutdown threshold is higher. I would never say anyone else has to try it. But when I stick to keto (or even just lower carb and prioritizing protein) I feel better, even at a heavier weight than I would prefer. The mental health benefits were good for me. When I stick to keto, I have a healthy autistic brain.
I do think keto is generally good for overall brain functioning, so many people will feel less brain fog, etc. regardless of whether they are on the spectrum or not. I also think it's one of those things where it really doesn't hurt to try and someone may find they get a lot of benefit from it.
@@Mrs.Silversmith Yeah, I think it is worth a shot either way. But also I know it is super irritating to have other people tell me how to eat, so I tend to tread carefully. I was vegetarian for over a decade before I went keto and people had opinions about that as well 😆 My heart prefers vegi, my brain health prefers keto...
Thank you for sharing. From what I understand, Keto comes with its own (mainly unproven) benefits (but not all unproven), as well as serious dangers. Although a diet may improve traits or symptoms in neurodevelopmental disorders, it is a disturbing idea that anything beyond a healthy diet should have such an impact on a neuro-difference that has possibly existed as long as humans (and animals?!) have. I feel it's always nice to hear when people feel improved, no matter what the treatment. But it is a dangerous thing when unresearched or improperly researched treatments become widely accepted as 'working' or even 'The cure' to anything. Especially for a community that has been fighting for its acceptance 'as is' for such a long time. Let us hope more research will be done into the Keto diet to see which elements and/or WHY this may have a positive effect on some neurodivergences and some syndromes or illnesses. Aslo, did you, OP, yourself try any other health and exercise diets at length before switching to keto, and noting down any differences (positive or negative) you may have found? Because switching from a more western, low fibre and low vitamin/mineral diet, to anything more structured with more fresh fruits and vegetables may already provide a remarkable and positive effect without ever going near any keto rules at all. Plus, it is scientifically proven to be effective for better overall health, and has no known dangerous effects (unless you consume foods you are in fact allergic or intolerant to). Wishing everyone well. Keto or not.❤
Makes a lot of sense. Many of us also have gut issues, and many carbs trigger them along with the brain irritation and hormone imbalances that can cause. I’m not really gluten-intolerant, but still avoid bread for this reason and prefer a high fat, high protein diet along with nutrient-dense veggies, herbs and spices. And lots of sea salt - great source of balanced sodium, potassium and magnesium. I literally feel frazzled so easily if I fail to get my 3g a day of sea salt, and get awful muscle cramps. Edit - not saying this is anything akin to a ‘cure’ for my autism, but it sure lowers my stress levels and makes me more calm and able to cope, compared to how I used to feel when my mum cooked everything - she’s a terrible cook, unfortunately, so I ate a LOT of sandwiches as a child… 😢
I subscribed 5 minutes into this video. You're doing an incredible public service for highlighting how deceptive this paper was. I was already suspicious given its small sample size of only 2 girls, but I had no idea of how much of a conflict of interests there were. I'll be sure to share this whereever I can.
I studied medical laboratory science and this sort of shit drives me nuts. So happy you are helping people understand more of the research and why it's bad.
I would have no idea how to peer review a study. Love that you are breaking it down. Also... what the heck? I'm gonna guess they just taught the kids to mask, I can't wait to get to the end!
Usually a scientist would peer review a study for free - it's a voluntary thing, and revert back with comments to the original author. There are a couple of rounds allowed, usually, and then the final review by the academic editor who decides whether to publish it or not. This paper was so full of errors that I don't even think it was reviewed at all, or at least, reviewed like a lazy security guard (see the end ;) ). Thanks for being here as always! -Mike
@@Autistic_AF Major world event starts. My tiny peer group: All agreed, it's true! Your tiny peer group: We don't know you, everything you say is false by default. Major world event gets worse. Your tiny peer group: Evidence points to fringe theory being correct, we are so cool and smart! Me: 🙄
I applaud you for tackling this topic. I'm not sure where to start with dismantling this disgrace of an "academic" paper. My first though was on how the parents and so-called experts immediately jumped to the conclusion that a delay in social skills during the lockdowns was clearly caused by vaccinations and not the total societal disruption in normal social interactions. Really?? It is quite possible that many toddlers who are neurotypical or who would otherwise only have mild symptoms would have difficulty following a normal rate of development during that period. I just love how they don't even acknowledge the potential impact of such a huge confounding factor. That alone gives me a huge red flag in terms of how thorough they are in their "scientific" inquiries. I completely agree with your assessment of this paper.
Great work on this Mike, much appreciated. Glad to see the National Autistic Society made a statement against it. No comment from Autism Speaks? 🤔🙊 Nice to see Hydra and the fluffy 8 😻
It's sort of Autism Speaks adjacent. I wouldn't expect them to challenge it - I don't think their research arm would support this, but .. my hot take is that they'll be quiet about it. It's not harmful to the Autism Speaks narrative and mission. Thank you for being here, Stephanie - and I'm glad you like the little hydration kitbits :)
@@Autistic_AF yeah, that was my version of sarcasm 😂 I didn't think they'd challenge it, it's historically part of their rhetoric after all, well almost identical. Can never see enough of the kitbits!!
Of course, autistic speaks isn’t gonna say anything because they want a cure for autism as well. Groups like that hate us. They hate our existence and they wonder why some of us resent them back.
Subbed after 8 minutes! You broke me. Although I have followed several other autistic youtubers you have an infectious manner and good editing which I think really helps get your points across.
I feel so bad for these girls.😢 Their parents are so busy trying to turn their children “normal” they don’t see the long term damage they are going to do. I should know. I’m a late diagnosed and ALL the signs were there in the late 80s. I was very delayed and couldn’t even write my own name until 6th grade. My family’s solution was to try to beat my autism out. Screaming, cruel punishment and bullying was their version of ABA. I learned to mask and my masking scores were off the chart when I was being tested. Because of my experiences I have high anxiety and panic attacks that are debilitating. I also have an autistic son. I wish parents and others would just love and accept the child/adult for who they really are. I can’t tell you how many times I have cried at night wishing my parents could have loved and accepted me the way I do my own son. I was never good for them and that is exactly the message their children are going to receive. Misinformation like this study is going to harm autistic children en mass. The people who did the study and published it should feel horror and shame at what they have done.
One day, all this nonsense will be a thing of the past and people will look back on it in the same way as when doctors advised that smoking was helpful in preventing asthma.
As far as the ketogenic diet goes, I've been on and off of it for years now (I initially started doing it for cardiovascular and weight health reasons). Way before I knew I was autistic. One thing I can say about it that I know for sure and probably the reason why it seems to "help" folks with autism and ADHD, is the hormonal/chemical state you are in when in ketosis versus not. Regardless of whether or not I am adhering to a healthy keto which is mostly veg and eggs and nuts and seeds, versus lazy keto, which is mostly beef sticks and cheese sticks, I can say with absolute certainty that my mood when eating that way is greatly improved. And it makes sense because of how it affects your blood sugar and how your blood sugar stays at a pretty steady rate throughout the day, regardless of whether or not you are eating. And that blood sugar, I think, directly correlates with mood or mood changes or propensity for such. I strive to stay on the keto diet when I can. It helps me with my mood and helps me with stress, binging, and other things when I am not taking my ADHD meds. It's disgusting that people use this as a "cure" for autism or something ridiculous like that. One autistic person's lived experience here but just thought I would add to the conversation.❤
So happy you're covering. I saw this article and was baffled by how substanceless it was. Trying to find the actual scientific articles for this was next to impossible since every newspaper covering this rarely sources the actual science articles it and spend most of their times trying to get you to subscribe to their website. EDIT: Of course it always comes back to parents thinking vaccines causes autism. 🙄
Hi Mike! Agree w much of your debunking here however. As a person with multiple brain bleed and surgery sites in my head/ going to cranial PT massively impacted my wellness. It alllwed for pressure to be taken off my sphenoid bone which then takes pressure off my pituitary gland. This means I sleep, my balance is better, my speech is better for a few hours or days after the treatment and my neurology team endorses and RX’s this intervention for me ongoing, every 2 weeks. My vestibular migraines have reduced to a manageable level. I agree that if there is no functional (scar tissue in my case) reason why there would be undue pressure within the cranium that the intervention would probably not make much difference and I am autistic before and after the treatment - it makes only the difference that relieving pain inputs gives me back equanimity and focus as my circuits are less burdened and my pituitary is not squashed in a way that seems to impair other functions in my system. So I am with you this is perhaps misguided in the case of autism but for tbi people it is actually an effective drugs free intervention because we can’t all tolerate drugs (I don’t) and when a problem is directly tied to something that can be intervened on physically - I am happy these modalities exist. I’ve tried most interventions known to man and career long chiropractic and skilled soft tissue work have kept my 75 year old husband in perfect working order to still be able to do construction, heavy forestry work and swimming over a mile several times a week. Nutrition plays a part and lowering chemical stressors and healing gut lining/tight junctions of digestive system with IONS formula -U of AZ researchers developed w MD creator is also a crucial part of wellness for me. Never forget that board certified md’s participated in torture at Guantanamo. Or how many young athletes have been subjected to SA by MDs. Drs are a flawed bunch and so let’s don’t pretend if it isn’t md it isn’t valid treatment because there is corruption at all levels of the system and good people also. Finding a source of single ion magnesium - crucial for brain and neuro function - and getting my levels up (which allopathic tests measure inaccurately unless you get an rbg test) also massively improved my burnout/“cfs” recovery and our family recovery time from physical and other stressors. Double blind studies demonstrate the validity (the method to extract and stabilize minerals was developed by an MD aids researcher after seeing eclampsia treated with iv magnesium during her training as a resident and becoming obsessed w understanding how mag is used by human body . ) Some non md interventions actually work much better for people. MD profession was started by white men who didn’t like midwives and herbalists (witches!) taking business away from them, so they got laws passed that made it illegal to be a healer except w an md degree and then they banned women and non white men from being admitted to the medical schools. And then they burned the herbalists as witch’s. Obviously the training research and technology has gone beyond those disgusting and illegitimate beginnings but never forget first mds we’re people using fleams to bleed people as a treatment (not scientifically proven to do anything but endanger your health further) and not washing their hands between patients (childbirth fatal infections caused). The beginnings of allopathic medicine coukd not be any more disgusting and unscientific than history shows us they are. So please - respect for non mds and healthy skepticism re even modern md or alt practices many of which are prejudicial against autistic or otherwise neurologically different people. Thanks for the info on the “study”- I agree with your criticisms thereof ❤️
I have high functioning autism and struggled with socialization my entire life but after I had psychedelic mushrooms, by social anxiety was completely destroyed. I think psychedelics have a lot of potential in assisting autistic folks due to how psychedelics form new connections in the brain allowing people to be open to more perspectives. Its just a shame they are illegal in most places even though they are literally anti-addictive
OMG! When I saw this article the other day it made my blood boil. Thank you, thank you, thank you for debunking this nonsense spouted out in the media!
This a great shareable resource. You're doing the community a tremendous service by this, which is much better journalism than the UK papers who published their think pieces.
It can be a ‘case report’, but the fact that the variables were not controlled for (the opposite actually - the parents and therapists threw /everything/ at the poor ‘test subjects’ (the young twin girls) that even if they had an outcome, it would not be possible to say what caused it.
@@Autistic_AF My real issue with this crap science is this isn't about Autism. It is about making money with misinformation. Like those ads for curing diabetes. There are lots of factors that can decrease brain function or damage the brain. I know of none that can rewire how the brain functions outside psychotics which would be pure evil to give to children or even teens. Taking any psychotics pre-26ish (depending on other factors) can have a significant impact on how the brain functions but rarely for the better (unless maybe treating addiction). As such, the "science" was bust to start with.
Thank you for the deep dive, Mike. It was obvious the paper was junk, but I had no idea just how bad it was. I I feel bad for those two kids. Good old King George III made the US fear so much for freedom of speech that it is the most highly enshrined right in the US Constitution. The internet has made me realize it is enshrined a little too high. I’m beginning to think there is a point at which what you say is so stupidly dangerous that it should be illegal.
Yes, in the UK we have the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) that effectively police claims like these; they have to be evidenced. Whereas in the US like you say, you can say seemingly unjustified claims for profit.
I've done content like yours for 7 years, reading countless studies and other sources of information and yes, it's exhausting. Thanks for doing it. I stopped this summer, I couldn't do it anymore.
Thank you kindly! The work you put into this project has informed a Special interest of mine, i.e., the idea that there exists a thriving Ignorance Industry and that it may be one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy. It supplies lies in staggering amounts on a broad array of topics but a main objective is to destroy all credibility in biological science, and in every part of every discipline involved in understanding and communicating information about global warming! This really concerns me because if we cannot agree on our common problems, we will not cooperate in finding solutions. Great video! Subscribed. 🖖
Respectfully, I would argue that ABA therapy is not necessarily about "masking" and more about helping a person develop their motor skills, language, and reducing self-injurious or violent behaviors. I'm sure certain ABA technicians do have targets that focus on eye contact or reducing harmless stims, but any ethical ABA giver's goal is simply to improve a person's quality of life without compromising their identity.
keyword: "ethical". Positions that require a person to be of great ethical character (because they carry so much power and responsibility) attract mostly the people who can live with themselves if they cause great harm, and that's if they're not actively looking for power over others to exploit
I absolutely admire your ability to make such an entertaining video with so much sweet humor sprinkled in everywhere though modern journalism about ASD is such a daunting topic to tackle. I mean even our current minister of health in my country once posted an article with n=2 (not even N) and claimed he found new plot thickening evidence towards his narrative (I quickly forgot what his narrative was about). one positive thing I take away from this is that apparently the hurdles to become a science journalist aren't that high, maybe I need to apply for a job like this once I'm burnt ouf after just barely reaching my bachelor's degree lmao
Your channel got suggested to me today and I love it! You talk nice and calmly and don’t have lots of whizzing edits and noise on your videos, this makes them watchable for me. I was diagnosed last year at 46 years old, so still learning but proudly autistic now, I finally feel I know who I am.
Great work Mike, thank you for doing this. I love these sort of videos, it’s the type of thing I would do myself if I could find the time and energy for it. We need more scientific literacy in the world!
I do feel for parents who really just want to help their autistic children and who fall down these rabbit holes of looking for a cure. It’s also a very fine line to walk as a parent trying to help your child develop and get the education they deserve and it not seem as though you want to cure them. Most other mums I know desperately would love their child to speak, for the child’s future quality of life, to help build relationships, get basic needs met, communicate feelings. We do a whole range of therapies (not aba ) and my child is developing really well. My child does have some verbal communication now and it’s been lovely to see into his world more. Personally my biggest fear is that if he is not able to be independent as an adult what happens when I die. While I’m able to care for them we can have a good life together how ever that looks. My drive to help him express himself, have less anxiety and be as independent as possible comes from this fear.
even if autism could be reverted, why the hell should it be? A world of only neurotypicals would be SO BORING LMAOOO People forget it's a neuroDIVERGENCY and not a neuroDEFICIENCY
The kittens are sooo cute 🐱❤ Wow... that study... I didn't realise at first how young the kids were and my first thought was "they improved because you taught them to mask with the therapy."... when I realised how young they were... they're toddlers! Babies! All kids will change a lot from 22 months until 4 years old. Some kids pick up stuff faster, some slower. My niece wasn't saying much at 22 months, just random words and now she can string words together at 28 months. Were these kids even autistic to start with? If so, where they taught to mask? Also... as many said... A SAMPLE SIZE OF 2?! Such a big sample to prove something works! There is just too much bad science out there.
Much like anti-Flat Earth videos, part of me feels like "Why does he have to do this?" but the rest of me says "Because people will believe the lie." Keep up the good work, keep shouting the truth.
Imho most flat earthers and the like aren't "believing lies" so much as they are genuinely psychotic and incapable of reason. I realized that when I spent a lot of time in a psych ward, and got to talk to some definitely schizophrenic people in person. It showed me there wasn't a fine line between sanity and insanity, it exists on a spectrum. The average person is just a tad delusional, and they follow a religion or believe "everything happens for a reason" or something like that. Some people are in a little bit deeper, and they believe in the zodiac or are pretty devout. And you go deep enough almost to hit the bottom, and you've got the nuttier religious people and the least plausible conspiracy theories. You can't reason someone out of a belief that doesn't come from reason. It's sad but true.
Loved this video so much! I myself am not autistic but I feel similar sadness when false medical information comes around and claims to “cure ADHD”. This video is genuinely so interesting and I hope u stick around to inform us of more information such as this.
The connection to Epidemic Answers is the main clue that this is quackery. A child developing and being taught to “fit in” through masking, doesn’t support the premise of the study. I also want to add that reducing inflammation with the supplement NAC has helped me in a noticeable way, but it’s not being recommended to children. Ok, back for another comment, about being sick. I’ve noticed that my kid’s and my symptoms are reduced when we’re sick, because it slows us down. I however don’t strive to be sick.
My best friends has twins, they are 3 now and they still cant talk, or they can actually say a few words like; mom, dad, there, and 'what that'... Twins are famous for VERY LATE DEVELOPMENT goddamnit! They didn't crawl or walk when everyone else did.. One is super outgoing and the other is a little more "aloof", but they lean super fast when they do learn, and they are both happy, babbling and outgoing! Expecting every child to be the same, to reach the same goals in a specific order is ridiculous..
Do you ever wonder if autism is a thing within psychology to give people who are different an explanation for that difference, the misfits in the world. I do think its important to be on your records that you have those characteristics though. One of the reason I'm going for my diagnosis is from something that happened while I was in an ambulance, I went into shutdown but was still aware of everything going on and I heard them say "the patient is unresponsive" I never reacted, I couldn't so they pulled over the ambulance and gave me an adrenaline shot. After that things got even more intense and things turn into a blur within my memory from that point, I remember going into the operating theatre with about 10 doctors/surgeons stirring at me.
I feel so bad for that baby :( they’re literally just babies. In forty years this will be seen as extremely unethical just like the medical practices of the past that we find terrible. 🙁
When these people claim that autism isn't lifelong, I can't help but think that the only parts of autism they recognize, are the parts that annoy them. They think that once those stop coming up, the person is "cured."
What kind of research has been done into conditions that mimic autism? I’m not a scientist or expert so forgive me if I use the wrong terms. I feel like with children so young, providers might notice traits that are similar but caused by other things? Post viral neuroinflammation, GI disorders that cause pain, absent seizures, etc. Idk. I was diagnosed with a mood disorder and dissociative seizures as a kid. After extensive testing and development of grand mal seizures i was diagnosed with epilepsy.
I just heard about this from another channel (dr from Switzerland). Didn't have a chance to look into it. I'd be more interested in a properly reviewed study involving diagnosed adults who are simply curious, rather than desperate to be "cured". It's about evidence and consistency. Unfortunately, I've met too many physicians who completely write-off one branch of medicine, like neuroscience or psychology (or accepted practices) when it doesn't suit their beliefs. I was even told by one doctor diabetes is incurable, yet I kicked it merely months later with a lot of work. So, for this reason alone, I keep a skeptically open mind when it comes to alternative medicines. If something seems reasonable, and I can't find any studies rather than confirmation or negation, I'll try it myself experimentally. Thank you for the deep dive. It just seems like snake oil. Saved me a lot of time.
There is also a recent Stanford „spinal fluid study finds they can ‚reverse’ social inhibition and anxiety” they claim they may have found how to improve the „symptoms” of autism, the full interview is on Kwik’s learning and memory channel.
26:22 I like to think the authors just unanimously yelled "WE DECLARE no conflicts of interest!" and counted that as declaring no conflict of interest, in a similar way to how Michael Scott declares bankruptcy in The Office (US)
Oh my. From the very first blatantly obvious reason that this should have never been published (and proves nothing either) to the very last, what a horrible thing to have floating around the internet and news feeds. Thank you for taking the time to debunk carefully and thoughtfully. What a massive amount of work. I am so sorry for those little girls (who are thankfully remaining anonymous) to have to go through so much therapy and so many strange dietary and living requirements at such a young age. I can only hope their parents have shown them how much they love them in many positive ways next to the dubious ones we find out about here. And I can only hope these young girls haven't just been taught to mask not only to the outside world but also in their own home. 😢 This, to me, is all very sad indeed.
A lot of OTs (occupational therapists) are trained in recognizing any retained primitive reflects that are supposed to assimilated when anybody is a baby and if any of them aren't integrated when they are a baby it causes issues with various things like making it difficult to understand auditory information presented in fast auditory lectures in the classroom for example. These OTs only make you do exercises for a certain period of time for the retained primitive reflexes they find you haven't assimilated yet to see if they get assimilated and you have those found retained primitive reflexes assimilated and no longer affecting you.
I have to say my uncle is 100% high functioning autistic at age 73. He was never evaluated, but a regular joe off the street after reading the symptoms and talking to him for 5 minutes. He was exposed to everything including nuclear testing throughout his life and only stopped smelling like DDT 15 years ago from all the exposier he had in the military. He was born premature too. I was born perfect. I lived most of my life far far away from any electronic signals except the very fuzzy channels for the TV out in the middle of practically nowhere. We had chickens and fresh vegetables and lived in a farm community, often trading for things like milk. Mom had great doctors when I she was pregnant. Yet with all that healthy living through my childhood I was still born with autism. It's something you are born with. My son is 3rd gen autistic. If it is something in the environment it would have to be something they've been putting in the water since before Nikola Tesla was in the womb since he was very clearly autistic too. Now it's not to say that there isn't chemically caused autism, that's a distinct possibility, but that's more likely to come from the massive amounts of chemicals that we shove into our bodies, like micro-plastics for example, on a daily basis completely voluntary and knowing these substances are leaving plastic in our bodies and the bodies of our children. Been switching to glass because of that myself. Easy enough to blame something you don't want like a shot and ignore your precious water bottle as a major contributor. In autism, there is an interruption in the development of layer of proteins between the lower and higher brain causing issues with neuro transmission and reducing the channels through which the information flows. The autistic brain has to make due with less pathways between the two brains and has very heavy traffic on the used pathways. This is why the sensory overload is such a problem. To cure that you would need a surgery that doesn't exist that puts whole new layer of proteins between the two brains to add new data-channels for the signals to flow. You can't fix that through training. It's not a cure. You are still autistic, your brain hasn't changed.
Hi!! Small question: at 0:03 you showed a really interesting visualization of all your research, did you do this with an app/website?? As someone who wants to start writing/making videos about certain topics it looks like a really good way to visualize/organize everything :)
Amazing work. Humanity never cease to amaze me, how can anyone in their right mind take advantage of parents with "so-called" autistic children. And being an audhd myself, I really really envy your language skills and vocabulary, just had to say, sorry.
I have found that what I eat can either reduce or exacerbate the autism symptoms. If I eat regular bread or pasta I get a delayed reaction that feels like I am in a disconnected fog, and I automatically shut down socially, finding it very hard to engage - or even make eye contact. When these traits are increased, I find it much more difficult to use my autistic superpowers for good - like spotting anomalies and patterns, or creating something new and different. It's not about science, it is about what foods make you feel better, or worse? Your gut produces 80% of the serotonin that your brain uses to feel good - not to mention most of your immunity as well. It has been my experience that what I eat makes more of a difference than anything else, autism or no autism! After working with other people who have autism for two decades, I personally think that parents are not always the best decision makers for their autistic children, because they can't help but make comparisons on what they see as "normal" for them, and what is actually normal for their kids! And after helping to facilitate ABA therapy, I understand how deeply harmful it can be. At 64, I like my autism, and my way of seeing the world. Who on Earth would even want to reverse it?
This is one of the finest breakdowns on bad science, and bad science journalism, that I have seen since reading Ben Goldacre's excellent "I Think You'll Find it's a Bit More Complicated Than That", and "Bad Science". It's enormously infuriating that hacks like Joe Pinkstone can be put forward for science journalism awards when they are so willing to lazily write articles about papers that should get no attention beyond as a demonstration for how not to conduct a study. People like Pinkstone should be ashamed of themselves for prioritising newspaper sales over actual journalism.
It was galling to hear about the interventions these twins were getting before they were even two years old. I didn't say my first word until I was 22 months old, and had various developmental delays that affected how I interacted with the world. Just by virtue of getting older I improved in many different areas, and I received no interventions like ABA (I went undiagnosed until I was 30 anyway). Instead of considering that simply growing older could reduce certain characteristics, or how ABA will lead kids to mask their differences, they try to imply that autism was reversed. What a load of bollocks. Excellent work in exposing this, mate!
Autism is "cured" by traumatizing people into shutting down and repressing their emotions and thoughts and feelings because they learn "I'm only loved when I'm quiet"
@@jennifern1453 exactly
I think I learned to block everything out through amygdala hijack.
This!! Sometimes I’m not even sure what I feel/experience. I wonder if that’s why so many of us experience alexithymia?
@@LawrieMay I got alexithymia when I was on Zoloft
Isn't that the case for everyone? Not discounting that this occurs for people with autisim but just wondering how it is different for people who do not have autisim yet also go thru this tortuous process.
Love how the article said some autistic twins required "substantial support" at 20 months old, my dear expert "scientists", I don't think that's the autism, THAT'S A BABY, THEY *ALL* REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT THEY CAN'T EVEN SHIT ON THEIR OWN!!!
It's the price we have to pay to old dame Evolution for giving us huge brains. 😄
This happens so fucking often with autism, "oh you can't be autistic my cousin is and he's a nightmare!" Your cousin is two years old he exists to cause you pain and sow chaos with or without autism
How people even diagnose autism until age 4-5? I wasn’t diagnosed until 35, so I’m confused how anyone could tell a baby is autistic. Maybe if they don’t cry as much? I don’t get it. There could be so many physical things going on to rule out first. Just like how these two babies were misdiagnosed, I wonder how many others were? Then they accuse us late diagnosed people of not being autistic at all. It makes no sense to me. Most “developmental disorders” can’t be diagnosed as young as 1.5 years.
I can "pass" an autism test if I choose to, but if I am HONEST I am shown to be autistic.
My mother "cured" my autism by inducing fear of her and training me to not show any negative "traits" when I was around her, and sending me to my room to cry it out without being comforted when I had meltdowns. I masked to survive. I suffered bullying and inner pain all my life. Nobody knew girls could be autistic back then. I now consider her to be well-meaning but abusive.
I feel for those twins...and all who are trained to mask who they really are...they can't complete healthy individuation. I'm only now, at 66 being able to discover who I am. Lord only knows who I might have been had I been able to be ME as a child.
Autism is how my brain works. I'm fine when I take care of myself. I'm happy, healthy, and enthusiastic about life. I despise being told there is something wrong with me that needs curing.
The epidemic is an information epidemic where we can finally find out why we think differently than the "normal" people who think we are built wrong.
Good video. Lots of work you did and KUDOS to you!
I feel for the twins too. I hope they are okay. Thank you, Tilly for your kind comments.
Oh, Tilly, this so much like my story! I really feel for you. Like you, I am trying to make sense of who I am. I have significant mental health issues and functional neurological physical symptoms the roots of which go back to this sort of childhood. It's horrible to think that this type of parenting is being glorified and idealised in so called "scientific" papers like this.
I could've written this story. Our childhoods sound practically identical. My mother thought autism was caused by neglectful parenting and by allowing children to slack off and miss their milestones. I was punished for my speech delays, punished for my meltdowns, punished for "faking injuries" (I have chronic pain from sensory sensitivity), punished for incontinence, etc. If you show an uneducated person like her a video of me as a child alongside a video of me now, people would think my autism was "cured." But I am no less autistic than I was back then. I have just been heavily conditioned from a very young age to mask for my own safety.
This! The parents basically decided that their children have autism even when children that young cannot be reliably tested. Then they threw money at every "therapy" they could find on the internet whether it had any basis in science or not. Lo and behold, their children turned out to be not autistic. They can't even say they ever were, let alone ever cured. But this case will be cited by every quack looking for validation.
I think it's a mixed bag as results go.
Some individuals don't find out why they are different, yet succeed in being very functional adults. However they may suffer from severe burnout at times and struggle to understand why it happens.
Others may not receive the support and assistance they need to grow up to be the best person they can. Just knowing that you're autistic can affect your own perception of possibilities.
I'm only one minute in, but are you telling me that children vastly improved in their abilities between the ages of 2 and 4?! Astonishing. Simply Astonishing.
Not human children, "autistic kids" are different - apparently..!
@@Autistic_AF Well, there are profiles of autism where significant skill regression happens in early toddlerhood (around the time that autistic traits are first noticed) and the child ends up with the stereotypical "low functioning" presentation of autism (nonverbal, level 3 in both social communication and RRB). These are the cases that the general public tends to associate with the word "autism" and that all the autism moms want to find a cure for. If that's what "autism" means to you, then of *course* normal-ish development towards something that looks like an "Asperger" type profile is going to look like a miracle (and if the parents are undiagnosed autists, that "Asperger" type profile will look completely normal to them).
Exactly my thought! In fact they were not even yet 2 years old at the beginning. Only 20 months!
Yeah, you don’t say 😂
I learned from this ‘study’, that my mostly nonverbal 1,5 year old is showing autistic traits!
I must interveene early - so she can get the science kind of autism! /s
I saw this study and was immediately skeptical. I think they just taught the kids to mask/camouflage. You explain this so well, thank you.
That's part of it yep! 16:18
Some people are better at that than others.
I think they were never autistic in the first place. You can’t tell if a baby is autistic. But I feel bad for them torturing the babies. Chiropractic techniques on a baby?!
The more I try to “mask”, the more I get bullies and othered by neurotypicals. Masking doesn’t really work for autistic people. 😅. It just makes us MORE stressed. But people still ostracize us and treat us badly.
I am a professional scientific journalist (and autistic too) and I literally translate the jargon filled papers from journals into readable and relatable news stories. I was appalled, but sadly not surprised to see this awful paper being covered and interpreted like this. The bar for science journalism is very low sadly, I do my best to ensure my team never writes drivel like this. We also debunk studies like this too. You are doing a public service with this video!
Thank you for your work in science communication. It is indeed hard to see so many publications putting out low quality work, and I appreciate your acknowledgement that the standard can be low. Integrity in reporting is very important, since not everyone is equipped to understand the data themselves.
Thank you. Your comment means a lot to me, coming from your professional experience in this field. 🧡
I know it's a bit to ask but could you drop a few names on more credible news outlets? I'm constantly looking for more integrity driven sources, and coming up with duds.
I was raised by a Stanford-trained behaviorist who successfully used extinction to eliminate my stimming.
I became extremely obedient, anxious, withdrawn, & self-loathing to the point of near-constant s*¡c¡dal ideation as a child, teen, & through adulthood.
Guess what?
I'm still autistic.
But, now I've got all kinds of co-adjunct cptsd trauma from my being trained to falsely ascribe the cruelty of my 'peers', & episodes of statutory 'grape' & CSA to my own "attention-seeking" behavior.
Gee, thanks, paternal unit.
Oh no, this sounds like me. Extremely obedient and anxious. Except that my parents aren't Standford-trained.
@@BobDeGuerre and with cPTSD the symptom crossovers can be fairly significant and hard to separate - I’ve had similar but different issues with my childhood and cPTSD makes everything so so much harder to diagnose and deal with. Sorry this happened to you.
Sample size of 2, measuring behavioral markers of autism, while forcing them to complete behavioral training.
You're telling me that the behavior you trained them to do is what they did?
Shocking.
That doesn't sell products, services, diet regimes, courses or partnerships though.
yeah if you get proper support and care you don't suffer from dysfunctional behavior because OUR BEHAVIOR WAS NEVER DYSFUNCTIONAL! JUST MISUNDERSTOOD.
Not having symptoms of autism spectrum disorder doesn't mean you're not autistic.
Shocking them speeds up the process but hard to get past an ethics committee, so usually they don't
They weren't even identical twins!!!
@Autistic_AF I think you hit the nail on the head, there. ABA therapy has become a huge business in the U.S. - and I think some Americans sort of believe that if it is making money, it's good.
As a scientist this just blows my mind in terms of how bad it is. There are some lovely and hard working people busting their ass to publish a paper, and there there is this. N=2 and no control??? they didnt even try one theory of "treatment" either, they just loaded them full of behavioural therapy and supplements. And even if they may not score high on the autistic score, im confident in a few years or decades they will come out traumatized and behaviourally scarred.
Nevermind that you cannot properly score a 2 year old for autism to begin with, which you elaborated. But furthermore, i also think that its very hard to even estimate if someone has autism from the external POV because so much of what makes an autistic an autistic person, is how we perceive the world. We can all learn to mask and cope to some extend, that is not a reasonable measure.
@@Acetyl53 The point is that it doesn't even matter what kind of scientist this guy is, N=2 is like an entire value box of red flags. Even longitudinal studies typically manage to cobble together at least a dozen subjects. This study is about as scientific as carrying flowers to prevent plague.
@@Acetyl53 I mean you don’t even really need a degree to understand that their scientific process isn’t great so long as you have taken a biology course in high school. We don’t have really any way to check ppl on whether or not they’re actually who they say they are, so if you think they’re not, just ignore them /nm /info
I was diagnosed very late and looking back I can see how the masking and fitting in survival strategies I created for myself had a deleterious effect on me for many years.
Trying to undo the damage and habits of decades is really hard, but I'm getting there, if slowly.
@@M13C7 people can definitely be diagnosed with autism at two years old, and this has been possible for a long time. Idk if it happens to a lot of diagnosed people, but I got mine at two years old
Well there is a time and place for exploratory case studies, but the media shouldn't be reporting on them until they can be confirmed by controlled studies. Also since they used dozens of different approaches, even if we trust that the children were actually "cured," how would we know which approach to test more thoroughly? It's just a mess.
16:30 - I'm an ABA Survivor, who forgot he had ABA then had a breakdown last year (2023) and now am reverting back to my authentic self. I was orginally given ABA for (and these were the things that I know about), to stop rocking, eye contact (to give eye contact to start conversations), to say yes to the question "Are you alright?" and i suspect sensory things as well.
I had it when i was 5 and now am 32. I think ABA should be banned and should never be used.
Additional Edit
- The primary school I was at put me into ABA and didn't tell my parents about it
- I knew I was different at five so they were better off giving me a diagnosis at that age would had helped more than ABA. I got diagnosed when I was 26
ABA is not a treatment, in my opinion its just training people with autism to act acceptably normal to other people who don't want to deal with it.
I’m sorry you went through that. That is horrible 😞
@@LawrieMay thank you for saying it means a lot.
Omg I'm so sorry you went through that . I am sending you hugs but only if you want them as I respect your personal space.
Thankfully, ABA has come Loooooooong way from what it was. For example they no longer punishment to help reshape behavior. Now it's more of explaining at whatever level a child is at of how things are typically done and why. With my son for example reinforcing that he cannot just randomly hug strangers. How not everyone wants a hug all of the time but most people like getting high fives or fist bumps.
@@eacalverthmm as someone who had ABA until the mid 2010s it’s still quite similar to this story. I am still figuring out what I lost from all these punishments.
Hey Mike- I was diagnosed as autistic in 1984 as a three year old. This video means a lot to me, as I was told about this in high school- that I was cured. My parents withheld it from me and from the school system. I had masked and found a way to blend in, but I was not “cured.” Thank you for shedding light on this issue
I don’t know what to say :( I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m glad my video was a tiny comfort, and ‘at least’ you now know what you didn’t before. Take care, Mike
@@Autistic_AF thank you 😊. It is amazing just how far acceptance and education on autism has come. I forgive my parents for how it went down, but I really hope nobody else experiences their journey this way.
I had exactly the same thing happen to me - had a diagnosis given to myself as a young child withheld because I’d been supposedly cured. I consider such behaviour on the part of parents (particularly their electing not to inform school of the diagnosis) to be educational neglect.
Two things I learned in school were to never use a non-peer-reviewed study as a source and that a study has to have at least thirty participants to be statistically relevant
30 still sounds a bit low, thought, doesn’t it? I guess it prolly depends
@@Gloomdrake I mean, it's low enough you'd probably want more data to be conclusive. But it should be high enough that you could get an idea of the overall trend, even if you'd need more data to definitively say anything.
@@Gloomdrake The point is that at some threshold you have enough participants to reasonably represent the variation in the overall population.
Hearing "twins" I thought we were looking at a twin study, but no it's doing the same thing on both twins... so the results are useless because there's no control.
If CZcams bans this video I'm gonna have a fit
CZcams think it's fine but the people and organisations in the study might not!
If CZcams blindly accepts a fraudulent copyright or defamation claim against this video, as other creators have found to be their default in some cases, then have a fit and make a video about the fraudulence of the claim.
I already made a copy and will spread outside the 'do no evil' company's sphere of influence, if need be.
Are there other videos od his that were banned?
@@erdood3235 No idea, but from past experience the people who are in charge of studies like this can be vile to anyone who challenges them.
I feel bad for these poor kids. They’re going to be given the narrative that they were autistic, one of them with more support needs (like that won’t cause issues with self image, my twin cousins both really struggled with comparing themselves to each other), and were cured. And they will spend their life either believing that and being living proof of something that is not real, or they will have to come to terms with the fact that their experience was that of their parent’s being conned.
@@stephenie44 Or they have sever brain damage, and will have "reappearing" symptoms before being diagnosed with CTE.
@@anthonywalker6268 what makes you think they have traumatic brain injuries? I don’t get it
@@stephenie44 It's maybe a reference the chiropractors.
Using that fake offshoot of physical therapy can cause permanent nerve damage or even kill small children, actually breaking necks.
Still a bad choice of words if that was it.
@@Virtualblueart oh, yeah, good point though! All of these unhelpful “treatments,” autistic or not, they’ve been through so much…
Sample size of 2?
EDIT: And no control group?
Yep and yep.
pretty typical of experiments of all kinds of unfortunately
Can they reverse neurotypicalism? Imagine how much better the world would be.
Ooh yes, please! Let's give it a go.
I heard that waterboarding is linked with a significant change in behaviour, so I think we should start with that. By the way, my access to a stream, multiple water pumps, a tractor and tanker for transporting it at a fee has absolutely nothing to do with that, but can we just discuss costs on a per litre basis before we start anyway
@@markwright3161 LOL! In all seriousness (probably the same effect as the waterboarding thing) read up about the sudden conversion in Pavlov's dogs after a flood.
Then we wouldn't be living in a capitalist consumer addicted hellscape.
Some would beg to say that TikTok and CZcams shorts are giving ADHD so who knows lmao
As a scientist I'm screaming INCREASE THE N from the very beginning.
You'd be screaming that at a great deal of their referenced studies, too.
@@Autistic_AF the further I get in, the less I want to live on this planet anymore.
God, neurotypicals are so fucking weird.
Absolutely! 2? Just 2? Seriously? I could write a paper about my ND kids with N=3, a 50% increase in the sample size. Woohoo, that sounds impressive 🙃
And what about all those variables? No control. Just everything everywhere all at once!
Let's see, what would I call it? "Intentional parenting based on principles of kindness, empathy, and the promotion of positive mental health outcomes. Quality of life improvements for neurodivergent children. "
Autistic masking speed run. Let's gooo 🏃🏾♀️🏃🏾♀️🏃🏾♀️
@@ihavetogotowork1668 😂😂
Haha
ABA called they want their gaslighting medal back
Ah yes, forced masking.. definitely a good thing. /s
@Thatgreyslugcat totally not going to have any long-term psychological consequences or anything :) /s
When the doctor said they were “unlikely to experience the behavioral aspects of autism again,” because their development was back on track, well that’s just simply bunk.
So many autistic behaviors stem from the way our brain fundamentally processes things. For instance, we stick to routine because unfamiliar things are often too overwhelming. Those kinda behaviors have literally nothing to do with whether I learned to talk at an earlier age because of some program.
Also, while it’s great the girls are doing better-they are four years old. Let’s see how they fare going to school, going thru puberty, finding and maintaining a job, developing a circle of friends etc before we go pronouncing them cured.
Exactly. Excellent points! Took the words right out of my mouth.
Exactly! When the demands of life exceed the coping strategies of childhood....
One of the most intelligent women I have ever met first spoke when she was almost four, @davidfl4. I am glad she is just as she is.
@@coreycox2345 I'm not an intelligent woman, but me too.
Keeping in mind they were initially diagnosed during the pandemic when toddlers were confined in restricted social groups at a key time in their development. They may have never been autistic to begin with, just experiencing normal delays due to the circumstances,
Autism isn't a disease to be cured, but what dictates how we think. It makes us who we are. There are some harmful traits and co-morbitities that we can minimize. This will help people be more comfortable in their bodies. Everyone has different traits (if you've met one Autistic person...). One that is pretty common in kids is hyper joint mobility. Helping relieve pain from this condition will allow kids’ bodies, the brain included, to develop more typically. There will still be delays and differences though. Different kids will need different therapies and its effect will also be variable.
Having Autism doesn't automatically mean that you need accommodations. Everyone has different needs, after all; but getting them is usually very welcome. That's why ABA is such a controversial issue. It may not actually help the Autistic child, but it helps the parents. There aren't many resources for parents, so they latch on. That's why this will also probably be successful. It teaches kids that if they hold out, they'll get a treat. That actually makes it harder on other caregivers who try and nurture skills without bribes and punishment. Their progress is easily measured, though, so insurance covers it
Very accurate re:what types of therapy and treatments are covered by insurance. Often it seems the least helpful/even harmful treatments are covered while the best practices (which tend to be currated to the individuals specific needs) are not.
@Gingerblaze that's the thing, isn't it. Every Autistic person is different, so they have different needs, but since a treatment doesn't work on most Autistic people, it isn't considered an effective treatment. The placebo effect isn't really a thing with these kids. If it gives them comfort/relief, it's because they received something that they needed. I was once told that we don't do brushing with stiff brushes because it isn't proven effective. That doesn't mean that it's not for kids with specific symptoms. In this case, she wanted me to press my nail into her heel. A stiff brush would have probably done the job better. Some kids hate light touch, but firm pressure might be another story.
@@rox4884 It may be that 'light touch' is perceived as an intermittent input and therefore overstimulating in the way that being tickled with a feather, beset by gnats, having a bug on your arm, and similar things can be.
I wonder how much of the problems were due to the girls being premature, twins, and the parents possibly being helicopter parents? Are these poor children even autistic?
Also the lack of stimulus at such a young age due to Covid lock down.
Define "autistic".
Without an objective medical test, "autism" can only be defined as a cluster of traits, and traits can be influenced by genetics, epigenetics, and experiences
Remember, the person who influenced everyone to get away from "refrigerator mother theory"... was an autistic person's parent. Conflict of interest? I don't even know 'er.
At one point in time, The Telegraph was a serious newspaper. Then Murdoch bought it. Now it's toilet paper. Read at your own risk, wear gloves while doing so, and fact check everything in it. Assume everything in it is a lie. Usually not a crafty one at that.
@@bakakafka4428 Calling it toilet paper is an insult to toilet paper. At least toilet paper is useful.
Ah, yes, fair point.
@@Torsanist During the War (WWII) people used newspapers as toilet paper over here. Unfortunately, with current trends to digital copies, that's no longer possible. So point to you sir, m'am.
@@bakakafka4428 Ooh, I never knew! They probably did something simular where I'm from too. Yeah, I imagine wiping with an ipad would be pretty impractical.😆
Murdoch has never had the Telegraph. I think you are thinking of the Times.
>someone advertises cure for autism in the 2024th year of our lord
>it's ABA 💀
a yes my favorite type of gaslighting
Ah yes, *B E H A V I O R A L I S M .*
I wouldn't wish it upon normal people either.
I’m a college rhetoric professor. Can I show this to my students? What a great example of a rebuttal/rebuke.
I am delighted you would think to do that! If you do - please let me know how it goes!
@@Autistic_AF certainly will! 🤜🤛
@@Autistic_AFthat is an awesome response 😊
My sympathies go out to the twins in the study, who had to deal with this nonsense.
I hope they are okay.
I have been diagnosed with severe autism. I would prefer not to be reversed thanks, I find going forward challenging enough.
🧡
You mean by ASD 3
@@sonicfan82 The DSM may be a well intended publication, but it's a pain in the ass.
@@jnharton to me, it’s a way better word than saying “severe autism”.
@@sonicfan82
I suppose you have a point, but it still doesn't change the reality that individual can vary significantly.
Given a particular aspect you could have three people where one person is significantly impaired, anorher is only mildly impaired, and a third person may have close to normal function.
And depending on their life and circumstances, some aspects may be more disabling than others.
the feds cannot take my autism away
….Maybe if we all combine our autisms together?
Hahahaha
@@Autistic_AF Time to unleash Autismtron upon them, I guess ?
I was diagnoaed late and i am semi verbal and have high support needs they didnt need to abuse these kids to prove that you can abuse children developing full blown dissociative disorders because their parents never wanted an autistic child. This post specifically comments on the fact that they are saying children with high support needs can have 'reduced symptoms' (severe autism can be the same thing as having higher support needs).
They could have asked any number of people like me who can communicate about how we just ended up being the same as we were as children but with severe mental illness on top of the autism. Unfortunately i already predict people completley misinterpreting these results in the autism community and completely leaving out the part where it is mentioned that the kids in question were diagnosed at 10 months and therefore would be on the highest need level of support. This is not an article about lower support needs, but having people who have lower support needs talking about it because we cant do videos is really important. I just am sad about this whole thing for lots of reasons and part of it is because i am so sick of people telling me i got diagnosed late becauase i was 'so good at masking' and that i somehow didnt look 'typically autistic' neither of those things are true for me and many people like me who were diagnosed late specifically because our symptoms were too severe and our parents did not want us.
I cant reliably speak, i cant do maths, i cant shower, cook, clean properly, i dont have any friends except one and ive needed years of therapies including behaviour support (not the same as ABA and i am an adult consenting to therapy and able to withdraw that consent if the therapist is making things worse so its very different).
They could have asked people like me about this, they could have asked any late diagnosed person who can choose to mask or who has the ability to why they developed that ability as well but they wont because they would need to admit that they didnt actually 'cure' us afterall.
Ok... my n=1 experience with keto. I have done keto for weight loss. Whole food keto, not anything that says keto on the label. I was doing it for weight loss not knowing at the time I was autistic or having heard that keto is theorized to treat autism. My personal experience is that my autistic brain functions better while on a keto diet. My brain does not become allistic, nor would I want it to. But at the time my friends commented on the difference in my "spirit". "Ruina is happier now." My sense is that I don't become overwhelmed as easily. My meltdown/shutdown threshold is higher.
I would never say anyone else has to try it. But when I stick to keto (or even just lower carb and prioritizing protein) I feel better, even at a heavier weight than I would prefer. The mental health benefits were good for me. When I stick to keto, I have a healthy autistic brain.
I do think keto is generally good for overall brain functioning, so many people will feel less brain fog, etc. regardless of whether they are on the spectrum or not. I also think it's one of those things where it really doesn't hurt to try and someone may find they get a lot of benefit from it.
@@Mrs.Silversmith Yeah, I think it is worth a shot either way. But also I know it is super irritating to have other people tell me how to eat, so I tend to tread carefully. I was vegetarian for over a decade before I went keto and people had opinions about that as well 😆 My heart prefers vegi, my brain health prefers keto...
Thank you for sharing. From what I understand, Keto comes with its own (mainly unproven) benefits (but not all unproven), as well as serious dangers. Although a diet may improve traits or symptoms in neurodevelopmental disorders, it is a disturbing idea that anything beyond a healthy diet should have such an impact on a neuro-difference that has possibly existed as long as humans (and animals?!) have.
I feel it's always nice to hear when people feel improved, no matter what the treatment. But it is a dangerous thing when unresearched or improperly researched treatments become widely accepted as 'working' or even 'The cure' to anything. Especially for a community that has been fighting for its acceptance 'as is' for such a long time.
Let us hope more research will be done into the Keto diet to see which elements and/or WHY this may have a positive effect on some neurodivergences and some syndromes or illnesses.
Aslo, did you, OP, yourself try any other health and exercise diets at length before switching to keto, and noting down any differences (positive or negative) you may have found?
Because switching from a more western, low fibre and low vitamin/mineral diet, to anything more structured with more fresh fruits and vegetables may already provide a remarkable and positive effect without ever going near any keto rules at all. Plus, it is scientifically proven to be effective for better overall health, and has no known dangerous effects (unless you consume foods you are in fact allergic or intolerant to).
Wishing everyone well. Keto or not.❤
Makes a lot of sense. Many of us also have gut issues, and many carbs trigger them along with the brain irritation and hormone imbalances that can cause. I’m not really gluten-intolerant, but still avoid bread for this reason and prefer a high fat, high protein diet along with nutrient-dense veggies, herbs and spices. And lots of sea salt - great source of balanced sodium, potassium and magnesium. I literally feel frazzled so easily if I fail to get my 3g a day of sea salt, and get awful muscle cramps.
Edit - not saying this is anything akin to a ‘cure’ for my autism, but it sure lowers my stress levels and makes me more calm and able to cope, compared to how I used to feel when my mum cooked everything - she’s a terrible cook, unfortunately, so I ate a LOT of sandwiches as a child… 😢
@@simontillson482 Those could be issues which are distinct from the root cause and are simply worsening a more fundamental issue.
I subscribed 5 minutes into this video. You're doing an incredible public service for highlighting how deceptive this paper was. I was already suspicious given its small sample size of only 2 girls, but I had no idea of how much of a conflict of interests there were.
I'll be sure to share this whereever I can.
Aww, thank you, Dave! Welcome and that would be really helpful to share; thank you. -Mike😊
I studied medical laboratory science and this sort of shit drives me nuts. So happy you are helping people understand more of the research and why it's bad.
Thank you ☺️
I think we knew all we needed when you said”The Telegraph”
I would have no idea how to peer review a study. Love that you are breaking it down.
Also... what the heck? I'm gonna guess they just taught the kids to mask, I can't wait to get to the end!
Usually a scientist would peer review a study for free - it's a voluntary thing, and revert back with comments to the original author. There are a couple of rounds allowed, usually, and then the final review by the academic editor who decides whether to publish it or not. This paper was so full of errors that I don't even think it was reviewed at all, or at least, reviewed like a lazy security guard (see the end ;) ). Thanks for being here as always! -Mike
@@Autistic_AF
Major world event starts.
My tiny peer group: All agreed, it's true!
Your tiny peer group: We don't know you, everything you say is false by default.
Major world event gets worse.
Your tiny peer group: Evidence points to fringe theory being correct, we are so cool and smart!
Me:
🙄
@@theJellyjokerwhat is this major world event you are talking about?
@@pardalote Take your pick, anything from the last 5 to 10 years, 20 it you're feeling froggy.
@theJellyjoker hmm.... I still don't understand your comment, but I like your reference to frogs. I love frogs 🐸 💚
Video was listed a unavailable for a moment, but went back to available. Thanks for your work, Mike!
That wasn’t me! Thank you, Janne!
I applaud you for tackling this topic. I'm not sure where to start with dismantling this disgrace of an "academic" paper. My first though was on how the parents and so-called experts immediately jumped to the conclusion that a delay in social skills during the lockdowns was clearly caused by vaccinations and not the total societal disruption in normal social interactions. Really?? It is quite possible that many toddlers who are neurotypical or who would otherwise only have mild symptoms would have difficulty following a normal rate of development during that period. I just love how they don't even acknowledge the potential impact of such a huge confounding factor. That alone gives me a huge red flag in terms of how thorough they are in their "scientific" inquiries. I completely agree with your assessment of this paper.
Yes! Exactly! That’s a great point too.
Great work on this Mike, much appreciated. Glad to see the National Autistic Society made a statement against it. No comment from Autism Speaks? 🤔🙊 Nice to see Hydra and the fluffy 8 😻
It's sort of Autism Speaks adjacent. I wouldn't expect them to challenge it - I don't think their research arm would support this, but .. my hot take is that they'll be quiet about it. It's not harmful to the Autism Speaks narrative and mission. Thank you for being here, Stephanie - and I'm glad you like the little hydration kitbits :)
@@Autistic_AF yeah, that was my version of sarcasm 😂 I didn't think they'd challenge it, it's historically part of their rhetoric after all, well almost identical. Can never see enough of the kitbits!!
Of course, autistic speaks isn’t gonna say anything because they want a cure for autism as well. Groups like that hate us. They hate our existence and they wonder why some of us resent them back.
Subbed after 8 minutes! You broke me. Although I have followed several other autistic youtubers you have an infectious manner and good editing which I think really helps get your points across.
Welcome! 🤗
What the literal f...
Bro these people need to be in jail
“Not a human study” = no ethics board
“Parent led” = It’s their fault
@@Autistic_AF lol @ the concept of a 'parent led study'
@@Autistic_AF yeah basically it's not science lmao
🌏🌺 Kia Ora Mike and AF community. Awesome, I've been waiting for this video to be re-uploaded. Watching it quickly, just in case it disappears again!
Thank you, Amelia! Lovely to see you again, and this time around before the video gets… deleted!
I feel so bad for these girls.😢
Their parents are so busy trying to turn their children “normal” they don’t see the long term damage they are going to do.
I should know.
I’m a late diagnosed and ALL the signs were there in the late 80s. I was very delayed and couldn’t even write my own name until 6th grade. My family’s solution was to try to beat my autism out. Screaming, cruel punishment and bullying was their version of ABA.
I learned to mask and my masking scores were off the chart when I was being tested. Because of my experiences I have high anxiety and panic attacks that are debilitating.
I also have an autistic son.
I wish parents and others would just love and accept the child/adult for who they really are. I can’t tell you how many times I have cried at night wishing my parents could have loved and accepted me the way I do my own son. I was never good for them and that is exactly the message their children are going to receive.
Misinformation like this study is going to harm autistic children en mass. The people who did the study and published it should feel horror and shame at what they have done.
One day, all this nonsense will be a thing of the past and people will look back on it in the same way as when doctors advised that smoking was helpful in preventing asthma.
Fingers crossed. 🤞
Such a glaring case of scientific misconduct. 😮
As far as the ketogenic diet goes, I've been on and off of it for years now (I initially started doing it for cardiovascular and weight health reasons). Way before I knew I was autistic. One thing I can say about it that I know for sure and probably the reason why it seems to "help" folks with autism and ADHD, is the hormonal/chemical state you are in when in ketosis versus not.
Regardless of whether or not I am adhering to a healthy keto which is mostly veg and eggs and nuts and seeds, versus lazy keto, which is mostly beef sticks and cheese sticks, I can say with absolute certainty that my mood when eating that way is greatly improved. And it makes sense because of how it affects your blood sugar and how your blood sugar stays at a pretty steady rate throughout the day, regardless of whether or not you are eating. And that blood sugar, I think, directly correlates with mood or mood changes or propensity for such. I strive to stay on the keto diet when I can. It helps me with my mood and helps me with stress, binging, and other things when I am not taking my ADHD meds. It's disgusting that people use this as a "cure" for autism or something ridiculous like that.
One autistic person's lived experience here but just thought I would add to the conversation.❤
So happy you're covering. I saw this article and was baffled by how substanceless it was. Trying to find the actual scientific articles for this was next to impossible since every newspaper covering this rarely sources the actual science articles it and spend most of their times trying to get you to subscribe to their website.
EDIT: Of course it always comes back to parents thinking vaccines causes autism. 🙄
Hi Mike!
Agree w much of your debunking here however. As a person with multiple brain bleed and surgery sites in my head/ going to cranial PT massively impacted my wellness. It alllwed for pressure to be taken off my sphenoid bone which then takes pressure off my pituitary gland. This means I sleep, my balance is better, my speech is better for a few hours or days after the treatment and my neurology team endorses and RX’s this intervention for me ongoing, every 2 weeks. My vestibular migraines have reduced to a manageable level. I agree that if there is no functional (scar tissue in my case) reason why there would be undue pressure within the cranium that the intervention would probably not make much difference and I am autistic before and after the treatment - it makes only the difference that relieving pain inputs gives me back equanimity and focus as my circuits are less burdened and my pituitary is not squashed in a way that seems to impair other functions in my system.
So I am with you this is perhaps misguided in the case of autism but for tbi people it is actually an effective drugs free intervention because we can’t all tolerate drugs (I don’t) and when a problem is directly tied to something that can be intervened on physically - I am happy these modalities exist. I’ve tried most interventions known to man and career long chiropractic and skilled soft tissue work have kept my 75 year old husband in perfect working order to still be able to do construction, heavy forestry work and swimming over a mile several times a week.
Nutrition plays a part and lowering chemical stressors and healing gut lining/tight junctions of digestive system with IONS formula -U of AZ researchers developed w MD creator is also a crucial part of wellness for me.
Never forget that board certified md’s participated in torture at Guantanamo. Or how many young athletes have been subjected to SA by MDs. Drs are a flawed bunch and so let’s don’t pretend if it isn’t md it isn’t valid treatment because there is corruption at all levels of the system and good people also.
Finding a source of single ion magnesium - crucial for brain and neuro function - and getting my levels up (which allopathic tests measure inaccurately unless you get an rbg test) also massively improved my burnout/“cfs” recovery and our family recovery time from physical and other stressors. Double blind studies demonstrate the validity (the method to extract and stabilize minerals was developed by an MD aids researcher after seeing eclampsia treated with iv magnesium during her training as a resident and becoming obsessed w understanding how mag is used by human body . )
Some non md interventions actually work much better for people.
MD profession was started by white men who didn’t like midwives and herbalists (witches!) taking business away from them, so they got laws passed that made it illegal to be a healer except w an md degree and then they banned women and non white men from being admitted to the medical schools.
And then they burned the herbalists as witch’s. Obviously the training research and technology has gone beyond those disgusting and illegitimate beginnings but never forget first mds we’re people using fleams to bleed people as a treatment (not scientifically proven to do anything but endanger your health further) and not washing their hands between patients (childbirth fatal infections caused). The beginnings of allopathic medicine coukd not be any more disgusting and unscientific than history shows us they are.
So please - respect for non mds and healthy skepticism re even modern md or alt practices many of which are prejudicial against autistic or otherwise neurologically different people.
Thanks for the info on the “study”- I agree with your criticisms thereof ❤️
I have high functioning autism and struggled with socialization my entire life but after I had psychedelic mushrooms, by social anxiety was completely destroyed. I think psychedelics have a lot of potential in assisting autistic folks due to how psychedelics form new connections in the brain allowing people to be open to more perspectives. Its just a shame they are illegal in most places even though they are literally anti-addictive
OMG! When I saw this article the other day it made my blood boil. Thank you, thank you, thank you for debunking this nonsense spouted out in the media!
Thank you, Erin. 😊
Excellent research Mike can't argue any of what you said 😊
Thanks, Helen! I'll post more in the Discord/Patreon in case you wanted to read more on this!
👀 What tool was used to make the map at 0:03?
This a great shareable resource. You're doing the community a tremendous service by this, which is much better journalism than the UK papers who published their think pieces.
You're the kindest, Anne. 🧡
Thank you.
50 seconds in. The fact that only 2 individuals where evaluated told me immediately this is going to be junk science.
It can be a ‘case report’, but the fact that the variables were not controlled for (the opposite actually - the parents and therapists threw /everything/ at the poor ‘test subjects’ (the young twin girls) that even if they had an outcome, it would not be possible to say what caused it.
@@Autistic_AF My real issue with this crap science is this isn't about Autism. It is about making money with misinformation. Like those ads for curing diabetes. There are lots of factors that can decrease brain function or damage the brain. I know of none that can rewire how the brain functions outside psychotics which would be pure evil to give to children or even teens. Taking any psychotics pre-26ish (depending on other factors) can have a significant impact on how the brain functions but rarely for the better (unless maybe treating addiction). As such, the "science" was bust to start with.
It's so wild...
This phantasy-science will sadly always find "believers"🙄
JFC if that’s not child abuse I don’t know what is.
Yep.
In all seriousness, while this can't make up for your suffering through all those articles in the study, I thank you for doing work they didn't.
Thank you! 🙏🏼
Thank you for the deep dive, Mike. It was obvious the paper was junk, but I had no idea just how bad it was. I I feel bad for those two kids.
Good old King George III made the US fear so much for freedom of speech that it is the most highly enshrined right in the US Constitution. The internet has made me realize it is enshrined a little too high. I’m beginning to think there is a point at which what you say is so stupidly dangerous that it should be illegal.
Yes, in the UK we have the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) that effectively police claims like these; they have to be evidenced. Whereas in the US like you say, you can say seemingly unjustified claims for profit.
I've done content like yours for 7 years, reading countless studies and other sources of information and yes, it's exhausting. Thanks for doing it. I stopped this summer, I couldn't do it anymore.
Thank you kindly!
The work you put into this project has informed a Special interest of mine, i.e., the idea that there exists a thriving Ignorance Industry and that it may be one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy. It supplies lies in staggering amounts on a broad array of topics but a main objective is to destroy all credibility in biological science, and in every part of every discipline involved in understanding and communicating information about global warming!
This really concerns me because if we cannot agree on our common problems, we will not cooperate in finding solutions.
Great video! Subscribed.
🖖
Respectfully, I would argue that ABA therapy is not necessarily about "masking" and more about helping a person develop their motor skills, language, and reducing self-injurious or violent behaviors. I'm sure certain ABA technicians do have targets that focus on eye contact or reducing harmless stims, but any ethical ABA giver's goal is simply to improve a person's quality of life without compromising their identity.
keyword: "ethical".
Positions that require a person to be of great ethical character (because they carry so much power and responsibility) attract mostly the people who can live with themselves if they cause great harm, and that's if they're not actively looking for power over others to exploit
I absolutely admire your ability to make such an entertaining video with so much sweet humor sprinkled in everywhere though modern journalism about ASD is such a daunting topic to tackle.
I mean even our current minister of health in my country once posted an article with n=2 (not even N) and claimed he found new plot thickening evidence towards his narrative (I quickly forgot what his narrative was about). one positive thing I take away from this is that apparently the hurdles to become a science journalist aren't that high, maybe I need to apply for a job like this once I'm burnt ouf after just barely reaching my bachelor's degree lmao
Thank you! I’m glad you appreciated the comic relief haha.
"Non-identical twins". Have these people not heard of the words fraternal or dizygotic?
I'm joyful when I see isopods :]
I thought you said 'new episodes' lol ;)
Hi Mike. I’ve been enjoying your videos. Sorry I haven’t been catching your lives recently.
You should! They have been pretty fun! Hope to see you soon.
WHEN CZcams takes it down. Lol
Thanks, Katja! Hope you're good, and glad you're here.
Your channel got suggested to me today and I love it! You talk nice and calmly and don’t have lots of whizzing edits and noise on your videos, this makes them watchable for me. I was diagnosed last year at 46 years old, so still learning but proudly autistic now, I finally feel I know who I am.
Great work Mike, thank you for doing this. I love these sort of videos, it’s the type of thing I would do myself if I could find the time and energy for it.
We need more scientific literacy in the world!
Thank you 🧡
I do feel for parents who really just want to help their autistic children and who fall down these rabbit holes of looking for a cure. It’s also a very fine line to walk as a parent trying to help your child develop and get the education they deserve and it not seem as though you want to cure them.
Most other mums I know desperately would love their child to speak, for the child’s future quality of life, to help build relationships, get basic needs met, communicate feelings.
We do a whole range of therapies (not aba ) and my child is developing really well. My child does have some verbal communication now and it’s been lovely to see into his world more.
Personally my biggest fear is that if he is not able to be independent as an adult what happens when I die. While I’m able to care for them we can have a good life together how ever that looks. My drive to help him express himself, have less anxiety and be as independent as possible comes from this fear.
even if autism could be reverted, why the hell should it be? A world of only neurotypicals would be SO BORING LMAOOO
People forget it's a neuroDIVERGENCY and not a neuroDEFICIENCY
The kittens are sooo cute 🐱❤
Wow... that study... I didn't realise at first how young the kids were and my first thought was "they improved because you taught them to mask with the therapy."... when I realised how young they were... they're toddlers! Babies! All kids will change a lot from 22 months until 4 years old. Some kids pick up stuff faster, some slower. My niece wasn't saying much at 22 months, just random words and now she can string words together at 28 months. Were these kids even autistic to start with? If so, where they taught to mask?
Also... as many said... A SAMPLE SIZE OF 2?! Such a big sample to prove something works!
There is just too much bad science out there.
I don't need curing. I would prefer more compassion and understanding at work, where I'm not being talked down to like a child for missing context.
And on today's episode of "Are The NTs Okay?"
😂😂😂
@@NutsNBolts-fv9kx the NTs were never ok
This is a fantastic example of how to evaluate a journal article. I might have to share it with students!
Go for it! :) let me know how it goes :)
That is one of my fav Tim Minchin quotes that I use all the time. Beautiful!
It's an awesome quote! I hadn't heard it before.
The rest of the performance is top notch also!
I can imagine telling a parent their kids autism was "cured" could produce a placebo effect that alters their perception of their own children.
Much like anti-Flat Earth videos, part of me feels like "Why does he have to do this?" but the rest of me says "Because people will believe the lie."
Keep up the good work, keep shouting the truth.
Imho most flat earthers and the like aren't "believing lies" so much as they are genuinely psychotic and incapable of reason.
I realized that when I spent a lot of time in a psych ward, and got to talk to some definitely schizophrenic people in person. It showed me there wasn't a fine line between sanity and insanity, it exists on a spectrum. The average person is just a tad delusional, and they follow a religion or believe "everything happens for a reason" or something like that. Some people are in a little bit deeper, and they believe in the zodiac or are pretty devout. And you go deep enough almost to hit the bottom, and you've got the nuttier religious people and the least plausible conspiracy theories. You can't reason someone out of a belief that doesn't come from reason. It's sad but true.
Autism can be reversed; however, Msitua doesn't really roll off the tongue
😂
MDPI journal of course... Such garbage publisher. As a scientist, they spam me constantly.
From the first time viewer, who is practicing in the medical field Thanks for presenting accurate useful information.
Wishing you the best
Thank you. I appreciate it! 🧡
Loved this video so much! I myself am not autistic but I feel similar sadness when false medical information comes around and claims to “cure ADHD”. This video is genuinely so interesting and I hope u stick around to inform us of more information such as this.
The connection to Epidemic Answers is the main clue that this is quackery.
A child developing and being taught to “fit in” through masking, doesn’t support the premise of the study.
I also want to add that reducing inflammation with the supplement NAC has helped me in a noticeable way, but it’s not being recommended to children.
Ok, back for another comment, about being sick. I’ve noticed that my kid’s and my symptoms are reduced when we’re sick, because it slows us down. I however don’t strive to be sick.
My best friends has twins, they are 3 now and they still cant talk, or they can actually say a few words like; mom, dad, there, and 'what that'...
Twins are famous for VERY LATE DEVELOPMENT goddamnit! They didn't crawl or walk when everyone else did.. One is super outgoing and the other is a little more "aloof", but they lean super fast when they do learn, and they are both happy, babbling and outgoing!
Expecting every child to be the same, to reach the same goals in a specific order is ridiculous..
Do you ever wonder if autism is a thing within psychology to give people who are different an explanation for that difference, the misfits in the world. I do think its important to be on your records that you have those characteristics though. One of the reason I'm going for my diagnosis is from something that happened while I was in an ambulance, I went into shutdown but was still aware of everything going on and I heard them say "the patient is unresponsive" I never reacted, I couldn't so they pulled over the ambulance and gave me an adrenaline shot. After that things got even more intense and things turn into a blur within my memory from that point, I remember going into the operating theatre with about 10 doctors/surgeons stirring at me.
How can neurodivergents be "contracted" wooow ignorance always astounds me
I feel so bad for that baby :( they’re literally just babies. In forty years this will be seen as extremely unethical just like the medical practices of the past that we find terrible. 🙁
When these people claim that autism isn't lifelong, I can't help but think that the only parts of autism they recognize, are the parts that annoy them.
They think that once those stop coming up, the person is "cured."
@@s0cializedpsych0path Precisely, and also - for a fee. 💰 💰
What kind of research has been done into conditions that mimic autism? I’m not a scientist or expert so forgive me if I use the wrong terms. I feel like with children so young, providers might notice traits that are similar but caused by other things? Post viral neuroinflammation, GI disorders that cause pain, absent seizures, etc. Idk. I was diagnosed with a mood disorder and dissociative seizures as a kid. After extensive testing and development of grand mal seizures i was diagnosed with epilepsy.
It’s such a disturbingly common misconception that mental disorders are linked to diet…
True but also remember - autism is not a mental illness or disorder; it’s a neurodevelopmental difference.
@@Autistic_AF the very same people who believe it wouldn’t make the distinction, unfortunately.
I just heard about this from another channel (dr from Switzerland).
Didn't have a chance to look into it. I'd be more interested in a properly reviewed study involving diagnosed adults who are simply curious, rather than desperate to be "cured".
It's about evidence and consistency.
Unfortunately, I've met too many physicians who completely write-off one branch of medicine, like neuroscience or psychology (or accepted practices) when it doesn't suit their beliefs. I was even told by one doctor diabetes is incurable, yet I kicked it merely months later with a lot of work. So, for this reason alone, I keep a skeptically open mind when it comes to alternative medicines. If something seems reasonable, and I can't find any studies rather than confirmation or negation, I'll try it myself experimentally.
Thank you for the deep dive. It just seems like snake oil. Saved me a lot of time.
I could have sworn that you said they were 20 months old!?!?!?!? No normal development there then!🤬Excellent expose to come I think!
I hope this video can contribute towards the tide against this particular piece of published work and others like it.
There is also a recent Stanford „spinal fluid study finds they can ‚reverse’ social inhibition and anxiety” they claim they may have found how to improve the „symptoms” of autism, the full interview is on Kwik’s learning and memory channel.
The fact that organizations selling these "treatments" even exist is horrible.
26:22 I like to think the authors just unanimously yelled "WE DECLARE no conflicts of interest!" and counted that as declaring no conflict of interest, in a similar way to how Michael Scott declares bankruptcy in The Office (US)
Oh my. From the very first blatantly obvious reason that this should have never been published (and proves nothing either) to the very last, what a horrible thing to have floating around the internet and news feeds. Thank you for taking the time to debunk carefully and thoughtfully. What a massive amount of work.
I am so sorry for those little girls (who are thankfully remaining anonymous) to have to go through so much therapy and so many strange dietary and living requirements at such a young age. I can only hope their parents have shown them how much they love them in many positive ways next to the dubious ones we find out about here. And I can only hope these young girls haven't just been taught to mask not only to the outside world but also in their own home. 😢
This, to me, is all very sad indeed.
A lot of OTs (occupational therapists) are trained in recognizing any retained primitive reflects that are supposed to assimilated when anybody is a baby and if any of them aren't integrated when they are a baby it causes issues with various things like making it difficult to understand auditory information presented in fast auditory lectures in the classroom for example. These OTs only make you do exercises for a certain period of time for the retained primitive reflexes they find you haven't assimilated yet to see if they get assimilated and you have those found retained primitive reflexes assimilated and no longer affecting you.
I have to say my uncle is 100% high functioning autistic at age 73. He was never evaluated, but a regular joe off the street after reading the symptoms and talking to him for 5 minutes. He was exposed to everything including nuclear testing throughout his life and only stopped smelling like DDT 15 years ago from all the exposier he had in the military. He was born premature too. I was born perfect. I lived most of my life far far away from any electronic signals except the very fuzzy channels for the TV out in the middle of practically nowhere. We had chickens and fresh vegetables and lived in a farm community, often trading for things like milk. Mom had great doctors when I she was pregnant. Yet with all that healthy living through my childhood I was still born with autism. It's something you are born with. My son is 3rd gen autistic. If it is something in the environment it would have to be something they've been putting in the water since before Nikola Tesla was in the womb since he was very clearly autistic too. Now it's not to say that there isn't chemically caused autism, that's a distinct possibility, but that's more likely to come from the massive amounts of chemicals that we shove into our bodies, like micro-plastics for example, on a daily basis completely voluntary and knowing these substances are leaving plastic in our bodies and the bodies of our children. Been switching to glass because of that myself. Easy enough to blame something you don't want like a shot and ignore your precious water bottle as a major contributor. In autism, there is an interruption in the development of layer of proteins between the lower and higher brain causing issues with neuro transmission and reducing the channels through which the information flows. The autistic brain has to make due with less pathways between the two brains and has very heavy traffic on the used pathways. This is why the sensory overload is such a problem. To cure that you would need a surgery that doesn't exist that puts whole new layer of proteins between the two brains to add new data-channels for the signals to flow. You can't fix that through training. It's not a cure. You are still autistic, your brain hasn't changed.
Hi!! Small question: at 0:03 you showed a really interesting visualization of all your research, did you do this with an app/website?? As someone who wants to start writing/making videos about certain topics it looks like a really good way to visualize/organize everything :)
Hello! I used SimpleMind :)
@@Autistic_AF thank you so much!!
Amazing work. Humanity never cease to amaze me, how can anyone in their right mind take advantage of parents with "so-called" autistic children. And being an audhd myself, I really really envy your language skills and vocabulary, just had to say, sorry.
Hey Mikkel, thank you. ☺️
Thanks! I saw this and was horrified. Thank you for debunking!
Thank you, Kay! I really appreciate that! I will get a cup of warm coffee and cake in my local coffee shop tomorrow morning! Thank you! 🧡
I have found that what I eat can either reduce or exacerbate the autism symptoms. If I eat regular bread or pasta I get a delayed reaction that feels like I am in a disconnected fog, and I automatically shut down socially, finding it very hard to engage - or even make eye contact. When these traits are increased, I find it much more difficult to use my autistic superpowers for good - like spotting anomalies and patterns, or creating something new and different. It's not about science, it is about what foods make you feel better, or worse? Your gut produces 80% of the serotonin that your brain uses to feel good - not to mention most of your immunity as well. It has been my experience that what I eat makes more of a difference than anything else, autism or no autism! After working with other people who have autism for two decades, I personally think that parents are not always the best decision makers for their autistic children, because they can't help but make comparisons on what they see as "normal" for them, and what is actually normal for their kids! And after helping to facilitate ABA therapy, I understand how deeply harmful it can be. At 64, I like my autism, and my way of seeing the world. Who on Earth would even want to reverse it?
At best you can probably heal trauma making it easier for an autistic person to live and function and maybe even thrive