Autism Research Institute

The Autism Research Institute is an organization that promotes the idea that autism can be "cured" through extensive behavior modification. They were formerly known as Defeat Autism Now![1] They appear on Quackwatch's list of "questionable research entities".[2] Even Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue agree that they are quacks, refusing to give grants to anyone who consults them.[3] You know what they say about stopped clocks…

Against allopathy
Alternative medicine
Clinically unproven
v - t - e

Nevertheless, Charity Navigator gives them 4/4 stars,[4] proving that you should take Charity Navigator ratings with a grain of salt.

History

The Autism Research Institute was founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland. Rimland believed that autism was caused not by bad parenting, but by vaccines,[5] and autistic children simply needed detoxing.[6]

The "Defeat Autism Now!" protocol involved bizarre biomedical "treatments" such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chelation therapy, and restrictive diets. The Autism Research Institute is also looking into behavioral therapy and genetic causes of autism.

gollark: The very bee go.
gollark: This is ridiculous, why is it using 15% CPUoids now?
gollark: Yep.
gollark: No, only crabs.
gollark: It only has linked lists in the standard library somewhere as they're actually mostly bad.

See also

References
  1. ARI conference homepage
  2. List of Questionable Organizations
  3. Generation Rescue Biomedical Grant Application
  4. Charity Navigator: Autism Research Institute
  5. Why the Defeat Autism Now (DAN!) Protocol Was Discontinued
  6. [https://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/Nonrecorg/dan/overview.html A Critical Look at Defeat Autism Now! and the "DAN! Protocol"]
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