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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think this is child abuse

153 replies

hipposarerad · 28/04/2018 15:59

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/27/more-than-120-homeopaths-trying-to-cure-autism-in-uk

Homeopaths are offering a treatment which involves inducing diarrhoea, fever and other symptoms in autistic children order for them to eliminate 'toxins' and 'vaccine damage' in a bid to 'cure' autism. They advocate not doing anything to alleviate the effects of the treatment (which includes higher than recommended dose of vit C, among other claptrap).

I have never had much respect for homeopathy, but have thought that if people want to spend their money on placebo then fine, it's their money. But this is another level of disingenuity and exploitation.

I've tweeted this to the NSPCC, I hope they respond to me with their thoughts.

I'm feeling very upset by this. Am I, as parent to autistic children, being oversensitive? Is this OK?

OP posts:
Original poster
hipposarerad · 28/04/2018 17:31

I'm nodding in agreement with all of you.

I've retweeted my own tweet with a bit of a nudge to NSPCC (I don't use twitter much so I might not be hash tagging effectively - I'm doing my best though).

I've also sent a Facebook message to National Autistic Society to get their thoughts - I'm going to ask if some pressure can be put on lawmakers to do something about a) all this 'cures bullshit in general and b) these charlatans who are making kids suffer.

OP posts:
NeverTooOldForAnything · 28/04/2018 17:55

It is absolutely disgusting that people are making money with these "cures".

And it is extremely worrying that people like that contribute to spreading nonsense about vaccination ; because of them we are seeing the return of diseases that should have been eradicated a long time ago AngrySad

SusanWalker · 28/04/2018 18:06

I totally agree with you. My son does not need curing. He's just fine as he is. The only thing that needs 'curing' is the attitude that people with autism should aim to come across to other people as if they were not autistic.

If my son had had proper understanding and support in primary school he would not have had the behavioural issues and poor mental health he is now recovering from.

Yes I'm talking to you if you were one of his teachers who said he needed to fit in better and that extra help would stop him learning how to be like everyone else. Tough love were the words used I think. And the suggestion that I should never tell him what he had so he couldn't use it as an excuse.

Sorry bit ranty there. But the whole thing makes me so cross.

TheParisofPeople · 28/04/2018 18:09

Christ this is awful, surely it must be illegal?

SoaveSally · 28/04/2018 18:11

That's fucking disturbing Angry

DetectiveGoren · 28/04/2018 18:16

hipposarerad - I wouldn't expect much in the way of a reply from the NAS if I were you, they're already well aware of this stuff and have done absolutely nothing to stop it. There's a woman on facebook (from I think Ireland or maybe NI) who is campaigning against this sort of thing. She's talked on facebook (sorry I don't have a link) about how the NAS haven't wanted to know when she's tried to get them invovled and one of their representatives made the statement that "no new laws are needed to tackle this."
I have my own theories about why the NAS are so silent on the matter, but this probably isn't the place to discuss that.

Coyoacan · 28/04/2018 18:37

But fuck me what the actual fuck is this thing about curing and erdicating it anh way, if you talked that way about any other dusablity people would be horified!

So if someone is in a wheelchair, you would be horrified if they were given therapy to be able to walk again? Or a blind person being given their sight again is absolutely not on?

Autism covers a broad range of problems, including many people who will never able to live independently. Surely, any improvement in their condition should be lauded.

I have no knowledge of this therapy and whether it brings about improvements or not. But I have had great results with homeopathy and I do know that some people are more sensitive to toxins than others and that all this can affect brain function. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09zxl63

Original poster
hipposarerad · 28/04/2018 18:40

DetectiveGoren thanks for that info. If NAS turns out to be a dud then I'll explore other avenues and generally make a nuisance of myself. I might even consider reporting proponents of CEASE to police for harming children.

OP posts:
Caribou58 · 28/04/2018 18:50

It's child abuse, charlatanism, snake oil peddling and a complete and utter scam. It's bad enough if it's only adults being scammed, but that this is being done to children by desperate parents is a scandal.

I saw recently that the anti-vaxxers are now trying to convince dog owners that vaccinating their pets can cause autism (which dogs don't get).

magnetiq · 28/04/2018 18:54

It's wholly unethical in so many ways. Disgusting.

Bambamber · 28/04/2018 18:58

Have you seen the 'cure' using bleach enemas? Made me physically sick reading about it

Nomad86 · 28/04/2018 18:59

James Randi did a really interesting Ted Talks about homeopathy. Eye-opening to say the least!

QuackPorridgeBacon · 28/04/2018 19:05

It sounds very cruel and if done for any other reason and not recommended by Doctors, then it is wrong and child abuse. Deliberately giving a child a fever and diorreah is horrifying and upsetting.

Davros · 28/04/2018 19:06

Nothing's changed. We had to live through "the great Secretin rush", hyperbaric oxygen therapy, heavy metal chelation, restricted diets (for no good reason), homeopathy etc. Fortunately we are not as gullible (or desperate) as some people I've met along the way. I've seen some practises pursued by parents that definitely border on abuse.
Having a severely autistic DS who is nearly 23, I would certainly pursue therapies that lessened his difficulties if plausible evidence could be provided. He isn't just "different", he can't live independently, tell us how he feels or what he's been doing, experience all sorts of enjoyable things and he will always be vulnerable. But homeopathy and the rest of the snake oil can fuck off

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 28/04/2018 19:58

"So if someone is in a wheelchair, you would be horrified if they were given therapy to be able to walk again? Or a blind person being given their sight again is absolutely not on? "

If you give some one with cerabal palsy the means to walk you are NOT curing them of their cerabal palsy you are giving them means to access the world which is what PECS and TEACCH do for people with autism, they don't like ABA and this sceniticically disproven crap set out to CURE AND ERIDATICATE autism. You do not try and cure something like Down's syndrome. How exactly do you cure a blind person with no eyes? You don't. You don't eradicate blindness. Giving some one a hearing aid, a prosphetic limb, special glasses, isn't curing or eradicating. It's using toools to assist.

Also toxins do not cause autism, please please please don't start spreading their message when it's been comphensively disproven

Gilead · 28/04/2018 20:07

Autism covers a broad range of problems, including many people who will never able to live independently. Surely, any improvement in their condition should be lauded.
What would improve my condition (I am autistic) is better understanding. What would improve life for my Autistic dc would be better understanding. I'm pleased you feel homeopathy works for you; the placebo effect however doesn't help with autism.
As for the toxins stuff, I haven't watched the whole of your link, but so far haven't seen homeopathy offered as a solution.

FunkyHeroCat · 28/04/2018 20:07

Homeopathy is just sugar pills, sorry. I know that some people believe in it, but over and over again in double blind, placebo controlled studies it has shown no more action than the placebo.

The placebo effect can make people feel better - if you give someone a pill and tell them it will make them feel better, the chances are that it will. Unfortunately autism doesn't respond to placebos.

Some of these practitioners may believe what they're selling (although they have to be quite set on not reading any research at all) but I suspect a lot are charlatans making money out of their 'patients' misery - I went through all sorts of things when I found out that my kids were on the spectrum, but never anything as mad as that!

Davros · 28/04/2018 20:28

ABA is simply a method of teaching, it is not touted (usually) as a cure or anything like it.
There are people in the deaf community who oppose cochlear implants so, in theory, there are those who would not agree to prosthetics etc

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 28/04/2018 20:33

Davros please do some research in to the beginnings of ABA, IT ABSOLUTELY was developed to cure Autism, actually it was developed to cure gayness but it is touted as a cure.

In fact at least one founder of ABA school believes that not using ABA is a kin to not giving a child with cancer chemo. Please watch the Chris packham documentary

Aspieparent · 28/04/2018 20:37

I am autistic so is dh and 2 out of 3 of our children.
We can't be cured we don't want to be cured. Yes there is varying degrees autism affects you but it is vastly a different way of thinking. There is now research and studies out there that are starting to understand and learn about the austitic brain. The research so far has found that autism is a result of more Neuro connections in our brains than neurotypical people. So in affect our brains are wired differently and do tend to get over stimulated due to increased activity. There is no way to correct this and if there was it would mean an operation to remove some of these connections which would more than likely kill us. There is nothing wrong we us we just have a different way of life.

Theknacktoflying · 28/04/2018 20:45

a) This is just Alfie Evans again - parents putting their beliefs and prejudices ahead of the best medical advice
b) bad medicine and idea that somehow the criticism is some sort of medical conspiracy or some big pharma ploy to keep the sick dependent on £££ drugs ...

Gilead · 28/04/2018 20:47

Davros ABA in the UK is very, very different to ABA elsewhere. Try checking out the Judge Rotenberg Centre in Massachusetts.

Booboostwo · 28/04/2018 20:47

I am most probably autistic and I don't think there is anything about me that needs curing, but I do appreciate the point that autism affects different people differently and some people's lives are significantly limited because they are autistic. I don't think talk of a cure is necessarily inappropriate but homeopathy and related naturopathy crap (as what is being described is not even bloody homeopathy!) is utter rubbish. It is not a cure of anything whatsoever and while I am fine with adults choosing to put themselves through idiotic, counter productive and possibly harmful procedures, I don't think parents have the right to make stupid medical decisions on behalf of their kids.

Davros · 28/04/2018 20:55

I was running a 40 hour home Lovaas programme in 1997 which continued, with LA funding, for four years, followed by ABA school and part time home programme. So I think I know a bit about ABA

Rainydaydog · 28/04/2018 21:01

I think this talk about whether people with Autism would ever want a cure is distracting from the OP point that children are being harmed by an unproven medication. This should certainly not be allowed.