alt Hacker NewsThis seems a wild theory. So in your view, effectively abusing autistic kids results in a long-term, sustained, massive reduction in their autism symptoms? Highly skeptical on that, chief. I’d bet good money it goes the other way, and causing intentional pain and suffering in autistic kids would only worsen their symptoms.
I don’t even think I understand your proposed mechanism here. So these kids have this treatment multiple times a day, for eight weeks, and nothing they do during that time changes it, but then suddenly it stops, but they modulate their behavior for many months, what, just in case it happens again? When their behavior changes during the treatment had no effect on whether they keep getting the treatment? How does that make any sense?
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I don't think you should be downvoted for expressing skepticism. I'm not going to address the details here, besides to say, I'm talking about something else.
You can read their current study, its primary endpoint is severely treatment resistant GI symptoms, not "autism". That means they are trying to get a liquid FMT with two hero laxative doses per day approved for ASD kids who have failed two other standard of care GI treatments.
But then why not get it approved for adults without ASD? It's a simple question. As you are not very familiar with the therapeutics startup business, you wouldn't know that it's all about commercialization. They are gambling that parents will buy this drug anyway, for its secondary endpoint, which is supposed to be "less disobedient behavior while ASD" (my characterization of the evaluation they receive).
Look... parents can also punch their kids, and I'm sure it'll modify their behavior. Do you see? It's not complicated, there's no conspiracy, there's barely any science.
> effectively abusing autistic kids results in a long-term, sustained, massive reduction in their autism symptoms?
While I'm dubious about this specific case, the basic dynamic you're describing there is the core controversy around ABA "therapy", which is effectively conditioning autistic children to act "normal" [1], sometimes through social pressure, sometimes through physical punishment that rises to a level legally recognized as torture [2]. It generally results in immediate behavioral changes, but also results in long-term PTSD [2].
[1]: https://whyy.org/segments/how-a-therapy-once-seen-as-a-victo...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Rotenberg_Center#Condemn...
[3]: https://www.academia.edu/35842784/Evidence_of_increased_PTSD...