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Researchers sound alarm over unproven alternative autism therapies
Advisory plan risks diverting critical scientific research funding
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By Peter Clark (Senior Editor, Autism Info Center) Thursday 1st October 2026 |
Autism researchers and scientific organisations have expressed grave concern over a sweeping federal research roadmap drawn up by controversial health advisers.
The three-hundred-page strategy document, prepared by a newly restructured national coordinating panel, recommends spending hundreds of millions of dollars on alternative and experimental therapies.
Prominent scientists warn that the roadmap promotes fringe concepts - such as unverified digestive interventions and questionable communication methods - while deflecting resources away from rigorous genetic and neurodevelopmental research.
Leading researchers described the proposals as unscientific and wholly unready for clinical implementation.
The controversy follows the administrative removal of experienced autism academics from key advisory bodies and their replacement with individuals who have promoted unproven treatments and questioned vaccine safety.
Independent coalitions of autism scientists are now forming parallel research bodies to protect evidence-based practice and preserve clinical integrity.
Advocates warn that legitimising unsubstantiated therapies within official government guidance risks harming vulnerable people, confusing families, and setting autism healthcare back by several decades.
Source: The Guardian (UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/28/rfk-jr-autism-research
Further reading, listening and viewing...
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