Binding: Paperback
Description: Autism: disease disorder or difference? What causes autism genes or environment? Can biomedical treatments cure autism and are they safe? An increased public awareness of autism has resulted in a rising trend of diagnoses creating the impression of an epidemic . Many parents of children newly diagnosed with autism have been impressed by plausible theories blaming vaccines and other environmental causes. Many have also been captivated by claims that biomedical treatments including special diets and supplements detoxification and medications can achieve dramatic results. In Defeating Autism Michael Fitzpatrick a family doctor and father of a son with autism questions the scientific basis of environmental explanations of autism and exposes the incoherence of unorthodox biomedical theories and therapies. This book reveals that these therapies are far from pioneering interventions and they remain unsubstantiated by scientific authorities. Campaigns promising to defeat or cure autism now have attracted much support among parents struggling with their difficult children. But the crusade against autism risks dehumanising and stigmatising those who are identified as autistic and their families. This compelling book is essential reading for students and professionals working in the field of autism as well as academics concerned with the public understanding of science and the treatment of scientific and medical controversies in the media.
Title: Defeating Autism A Damaging Delusion
Author(s): Fitzpatrick Michael
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Barcode: 9780415449816
Pages: 184 Pages, 6 Tables, Black And White
Publication Date: 2/1/2009
Category: Health & Personal Development