Science for Sale in the Autism Wars: Medically necessary autism treatment, the court battle for health insurance and why health technology academics are enemy number one (Paperback)

by Sabrina Freeman (Author) "Science for Sale in the Autism Wars is a book about a very important part of the Autism Wars in Canada-the role played by government..." (more)
Key Phrases: autism treatment research, health technology movement, health technology academics, Family Counsel, British Columbia, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Science for Sale in the Autism Wars is the real-world story of a landmark legal battle between children with autism versus government and their academic mercenaries. This book is a ‘front row seat’ to the difficult struggle to provide children with health care insurance for their medically necessary autism treatment.

From the Publisher
The leading autism treatment attorney in the U.S., Gary Mayerson, says this about Science for Sale in the Autism Wars: "Science for Sale in the Autism Wars is a story crying out to be told. Dr. Sabrina Freeman ... expertly describes in her direct, no-holds-barred fashion precisely how health technology science was hijacked and distorted by British Columbia government ministries and their supporters, all in an effort to deprive children with autism of a "medically necessary" autism intervention … She exposes how and why government functionaries placed in charge of protecting children with autism have breached the public trust …"

"Dr. Freeman, a skilled and articulate advocate, performs the investigatory equivalent of an autopsy wielding a razor-sharp scalpel. With the reported incidence of autism clearly on the rise, Dr. Freeman’s analysis of the Auton case has profound implications for a whole generation of young children (and their families) very much at risk."

"The story behind the now famous Auton court case—a case that the government lost at the Supreme Court level as well as on appeal to the British Columbia Court of Appeal, presents a pitched battle that has been waged for centuries … As Dr. Freeman explains, the Auton case turned into a case essentially pitting science against pseudoscience or non-science."

"Dr. Freeman sends a powerful message about the search for truth, and how that search is being distorted and corrupted by handsomely compensated health technology scientists who are allowing their integrity to be compromised."

Gary Mayerson is founder of Mayerson & Associates, a law practice in Manhattan dedicated almost exclusively to the representation of children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: SKF Books, Inc. (December 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096575653X
• ISBN-13: 978-0965756532
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,517,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an essential read, January 3, 2004

By	Bobby Newman (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Another essential read from Sabrina Freeman. Any parent or advocate fighting for the necessary treatment for people with autistic-spectrum disorders must get a copy of this book. It is frightening to see how easily the science can be misquoted and misused in the effort by some to avoiding paying for scientifically-validated treatment. When you have to prepare yourself for the fight, this a resource you must have.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not miss this..., February 6, 2004

By A Customer

Every parent of every child with autism should read this book. It will open your eyes to the way governments use taxpayer dollars to cheat children out of the medical treatment they so vitally need...and it will prepare you for the fight for your own children's rights. Do NOT miss this book!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bright light in the fight for effective autism treatment!, May 26, 2004

By	Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell College, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Parents of children who are affected by autism spectrum disorders are well aware of the need to serve as effective advocates for the rights of their children. Imagine the battle that needs to be waged when an entire government fights to withhold funding for the only empirically validated intervention for autism, applied behavior analysis (ABA). Freeman describes the events that occur when a lawsuit is brought about by a group of parents against the government of British Columbia. The lawsuit argues for funding for "Lovaas-style" ABA therapy. In an attempt to block the funding of ABA therapy, the government of British Columbia attempts to discredit Lovaas and ABA through a combination of distortions, selective reporting of the research literature, and questionable ethical practices.

In part one, Freeman outlines the specific strategies used against the parents' lawsuit while explaining why the government of B.C. is outright incorrect in its assertions against ABA and Lovaas. In the second part of the book, Freeman provides dialogue between the lawyers and witnesses (from actual court records) that depict these arguments and counter-arguments. Happily, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents by declaring that early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is a "medically necessary" treatment for autism and that the B.C. government was in violation of the constitutional rights of the children by not providing funding for this treatment. The court also ruled that the case against Lovaas therapy was biased. Unfortunately, the book concludes by pointing out that the government of B.C. appealed the court's ruling and has still not implemented the funding of Lovaas-style ABA.

This book is a must read for anyone involved in the lives of someone affected by an autism spectrum disorder. It should also be on the reading list of all legal advocates who work in the field of developmental disabilities. Freeman gives us a wonderful guide for effectively arguing against those who would refute the validity of ABA as a science and as an empirically validated educational intervention. "Science For Sale" is a wonderful "candle in the dark" in the field of autism treatment.