By: J. M. Coimbra, MS, BCBA, LBA
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) is a not-for-profit organization aimed to improve the lives of people with autism by providing a reliable source of easily-digestible, empirical and science-based information on the current best-practices for the most effective and ethical treatment, education, and care for individuals with autism.
What Does ASAT Do?
ASAT offers guidance to all audiences, from parents of newly-diagnosed children, educators, behavior analysts, paraprofessionals, members of the media, and even to medical professionals, who may deliver those initial diagnoses. Since its start in 1998, ASAT has produced and distributed a quarterly newsletter that reaches over 10,000 consumers in 95 countries and in 6 languages, published monthly blogs, participated in several professional events (e.g., Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Convention or New York State Applied Behavior Analysis (NYSABA) Conference) and parent conferences, broadcast dozens of interviews, and built relations with several organizations in the form of sponsorships.
Additionally, over the last decade, ASAT has served as an advocate for the use of scientific methods, opposed to fad-treatments, “miracle cures,” and other pseudoscientific therapies. ASAT combated inaccurate newscasts by letters and posts and recently doubled the size of their database to promote science-based autism treatment to students. The need to promote evidence-based, scientific practices may never have been more critical than as in the present.
Pseudoscientific and inaccurate information about autism easily and quickly spreads and contributes to negative outcomes (e.g., an increase in the number of children who do not receive vaccinations, Burgess, Burgess, & Leask, 2006; Hill, Elam-Evans, Yankey, Singleton, & Kang, 2018). Strategic partnerships establish a united front to advocate science-based treatment and illustrate the positive effects of those treatments (e.g. skill acquisition and behavior reduction through methods rooted in the science of applied behavior analysis, ABA).
Attentive Behavior Care & ASAT
Attentive Behavior Care (ABC) is an agency, whose goals align with ASAT. Each individualized treatment program is designed by a competent behavior analyst, who endeavors to improve the lives of children diagnosed with autism, while upholding all of ABC’s core values: delivering effective treatment rooted in evidence-based practices of ABA, shaping new, meaningful skills of social significance, making specific, clear interventions implemented with high fidelity, increasing opportunities for meaningful and rewarding activities and relationships, maintaining ethical conduct congruent with the best-practices outlined in the behavioral treatment and considering requirements determined by other professionals (e.g. other medical needs), and maintaining training and continued education for updated best-practices.
With integrity, ASAT has been a pioneer for other organizations serving to help those affected by autism and their networks of family members, caregivers, educators, etc. The work done by ASAT has had an immeasurable impact on the community. Given our aligned values and goals and with reverence, Attentive Behavior Care (ABC) supports ASAT as benefactor sponsor.
Together, ASAT and ABC tackle several shared objectives: improve lives, increase awareness of accurate, scientific, evidence-based methods of treating autism, present as beacons for information and support to families, professionals, and paraprofessionals alike by blogging, attending professional events, and hosting events for parents, foster collaborative relations among organizations in our united front against misinformation and harm, service diverse communities, and expand the scope of ABA and treatment of autism to meet the ongoing and dynamic needs of individuals from first-day diagnosed to first-day at a job.
References:
- ASAT Website: www.asatonline.org.
- Burgess, D. C., Burgess, M. A., & Leask, J. (2006). The MMR vaccination and autism controversy in United Kingdom 1998–2005: Inevitable community outrage or a failure of risk communication? Vaccine, 24, 3912–3928.
- Hill, H. A., Elam-Evans, L. D,. Yankey, D., Singleton, J. A., & Kang, Y. (2018). Vaccination coverage among children aged 19-35 months – United States, 2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 60(40), 1123-1128. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6740a4External.
For more information about Attentive Behavior Care and how we can help your child, please contact us today.