Theories of causes lead to interventions
Over the years there have been many theories about the causes of autism. In the 1950s and 60s, it was believed that autism was caused by cold parenting. This led to the promotion of ‘Holding Therapy’, an approach where the mother holds their child for a prolonged time and forces eye-contact in order to remediate a presumed attachment disorder. Whilst children on the receiving end have reported terrible suffering as a result, the professionals involved overlooked the fact that the parents also had children who did not have autism.
Although this theory and intervention have long been debunked, Research Autism currently lists 123 different interventions for autism and nearly all of them are the result of a theory about a possible cause.
Over the years many theories (and interventions) have come and gone. One notable exception is EIBI (Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention). This approach applies ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) techniques to help children with autism. This treatment has the highest evidence base and is one of the few that was not developed from a theory of a cause. Find out more about ABA.
5. Deth, R et al (2008). How environmental and genetic factors combine to cause autism: A redox/methylation hypothesis, NeuroToxicology 29 (2008) 190–201.
