That’s Snake Oil for You

Last updated on July 26, 2026

The Chicago Tribune has a great story on how DAN! and other organizations use valid science to justify their “treatments” for autism. The sad fact that parents trust these quacks worries me. It’s also why I am not going to continue down the autism research path after I complete the dissertation.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-autism-science-nov23,0,2618338

Autism attracts frauds and quacks eager to take money from panicked parents. Serious research is dismissed because it doesn’t give the easy answers parents want. High-functioning autistics are dismissed as fakes.