Why is Autism Speaks sponsoring a conference featuring Andrew Wakefield?
Posted Aug 18 2011 1:21pm
It’s no secret that the National Autism Association is a staunch supporter of Andrew Wakefield. Mr. Wakefield, of course, is the researcher whose work on MMR and autistic children promoted the vaccine/autism link. Mr. Wakefield’s work was fraught with ethical lapses and research fraud. In short, from my perspective, Mr. Wakefield may rank as the person who has caused the most harm within the autism communities in recent decades.
Check the speaker list for the upcoming NAA conference. I’ll draw your attention to two points. First, Andrew Wakefield is scheduled to speak. Second, Autism Speaks is listed as a sponsor of the conference, sharing space with an HBOT company and a mail-order medical laboratory.
Mr. Wakefield is scheduled to speak about his next book. He has been involved with a family in Arizona who are battling child protective services. Here is the blurb on his upcoming talk:
Hoping for Perpetual Sunshine
This presentation is the subject of a new book coming out the spring of 2012. It deals with the hazards of pursuing a diagnosis of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) in children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly those with gastrointestinal (GI) disease and/or dysfunction. Specifically, it reviews the symptomatic presentation of GI disorders and, the frequency and nature of GI disease in affected children. It discusses the history of MSBP and briefly reviews alleged cases involving “factitious” GI symptoms. The main part of the talk will describe the experience of one family, deconstructing the evidence against the parents and their alleged fabrication of their children’s health issues, in order to identify not only the shortcomings of the diagnosis itself, but also the systematic problems that arise out of institutionalized ignorance. Deficiencies on the part of Social Services, Child Protective Services, the judiciary, and the medical profession, are identified and analyzed in respect of the published science on the presentation, pathogenesis, and treatment of autism.
Autism Speaks has a choice in where to spend their money and where to spend their reputation. Sponsoring a conference which brings Andrew Wakefield to speak to a segment of the autism community is not a wise choice, in my opinion.
Brian Morgan:
I'd really like to know which family is the subject of the book, who the accusing medical experts were, and also why AW did not continue with his appeal. If all that is written on AoA is to be given credit it should have been open and shut. I notice that AW defenders have stopped posting here - or have I missed them?
Chris:
No, I see them once in a while. They tend to persevere on one person and refuse to answer uncomfortable questions (like the existence of papers questioning Wakefield starting in 1999).
The question is why is Autism Speaks still associating with NAA? These are the same guys that mistook a just because of a similar name. An error which is equivalent to thinking the actor Harrison Ford runs the Ford Motor Company.
Sullivan:
Wow. NAA still has that press release on their website. I would have imagined that by now it would have quietly been deleted.
Brian Morgan: At least one person from AoA is no longer welcome here. I frankly got fed up with the dishonesty of Mr. Miller. Mr. Stone, however, has recently posted comments here, for example.
I will say that of the groups promoting the vaccine-autism-epidemic failed idea, the NAA is the one that occasionally supports ideas that may actually be of some benefit. Too bad they throw most of their effort and credibility away.
joejoe:
ORAC, your opinion doesn't carry much weight, in fact your opinion is bordering on stupidity with all the evidence pointing to vaccines as the culprit to the mass brain damaged children nationwide, as you can see the word is out, and there is no turning back the fact that vaccines do more harm than good. All you could do at this point is protect your profits, and Big Pharma's the best way you know how, that is of course through lies deception, and pseudo science which ends up being retracted after your Big Pharma reaps in the billions.
Sullivan:
joejoe,
name's not ORAC. I make no profits from this. Not even in the medical world at all. Just an observation: other than your mistakes, your comment is devoid of any content. Perhaps if you could move just a step away from a reliance on conspiracy theories a real conversation could be had.
It’s no secret that the National Autism Association is a staunch supporter of Andrew Wakefield. Mr. Wakefield, of course, is the researcher whose work on MMR and autistic children promoted the vaccine/autism link. Mr. Wakefield’s work was fraught with ethical lapses and research fraud. In short, from my perspective, Mr. Wakefield may rank as the person who has caused the most harm within the autism communities in recent decades.
Check the speaker list for the upcoming NAA conference. I’ll draw your attention to two points. First, Andrew Wakefield is scheduled to speak. Second, Autism Speaks is listed as a sponsor of the conference, sharing space with an HBOT company and a mail-order medical laboratory.
Mr. Wakefield is scheduled to speak about his next book. He has been involved with a family in Arizona who are battling child protective services. Here is the blurb on his upcoming talk:
Autism Speaks has a choice in where to spend their money and where to spend their reputation. Sponsoring a conference which brings Andrew Wakefield to speak to a segment of the autism community is not a wise choice, in my opinion.
I'd really like to know which family is the subject of the book, who the accusing medical experts were, and also why AW did not continue with his appeal. If all that is written on AoA is to be given credit it should have been open and shut. I notice that AW defenders have stopped posting here - or have I missed them?
No, I see them once in a while. They tend to persevere on one person and refuse to answer uncomfortable questions (like the existence of papers questioning Wakefield starting in 1999). The question is why is Autism Speaks still associating with NAA? These are the same guys that mistook a just because of a similar name. An error which is equivalent to thinking the actor Harrison Ford runs the Ford Motor Company.
Wow. NAA still has that press release on their website. I would have imagined that by now it would have quietly been deleted. Brian Morgan: At least one person from AoA is no longer welcome here. I frankly got fed up with the dishonesty of Mr. Miller. Mr. Stone, however, has recently posted comments here, for example. I will say that of the groups promoting the vaccine-autism-epidemic failed idea, the NAA is the one that occasionally supports ideas that may actually be of some benefit. Too bad they throw most of their effort and credibility away.
ORAC, your opinion doesn't carry much weight, in fact your opinion is bordering on stupidity with all the evidence pointing to vaccines as the culprit to the mass brain damaged children nationwide, as you can see the word is out, and there is no turning back the fact that vaccines do more harm than good. All you could do at this point is protect your profits, and Big Pharma's the best way you know how, that is of course through lies deception, and pseudo science which ends up being retracted after your Big Pharma reaps in the billions.
joejoe, name's not ORAC. I make no profits from this. Not even in the medical world at all. Just an observation: other than your mistakes, your comment is devoid of any content. Perhaps if you could move just a step away from a reliance on conspiracy theories a real conversation could be had.
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