Families Turning To Unorthodox Autism Treatments, But There’s Little Science To Back Them Up
Almost 90 percent of parents of a child with autism have tried alternative therapy treatments, but there's little guidance from the medical community on what are effective options. Meanwhile, a school is tackling the high rates of unemployment and underemployment among young people with autism.
KQED:
Do Alternative Treatments For Autism Work?
A huge majority of parents who have a child with autism have tried some sort of unorthodox treatment to alleviate core symptoms and improve skills like communication or social behavior. A 2013 UCSF study found 88 percent of parents surveyed tried some form of complementary or alternative medicine for their child. The treatments range from special diets and supplements — two of the most frequently tried interventions — to music or animal therapy. But parents have little guidance from medical science, because the evidence for alternatives is thin, if it exists at all. (McClurg, 7/11)
KPCC:
The Hollywood Job That Makes Autism An Asset
(Jacob) Fenster does have work now after graduating from Exceptional Minds, a vocational school in Sherman Oaks that trains high school graduates on the autism spectrum in animation and visual effects. After completing the three-year training program, graduates have the opportunity to work in the in-house studio, doing contract visual effects work for major film studios. The Exceptional Minds studio has a long list of visual effects credits on more than 30 movies and TV shows, including "Captain America," "The Avengers," and "Game of Thrones." (Neely, 7/12)