The father of nonverbal autistic child believes videos constitute proof that other children with autism can communicate by by pointing to letters on a board held by a facilitator to spell out words. He is wrong. I get a lot of email inquiries about questionable treatments, and when I explain… read more "Videos Said to be “Proof” that Nonverbal Autistics Can Communicate by Spelling"
Stupid Videos and Marketing Ploys
Purveyors of so-called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) don’t have any credible scientific evidence. If they did, their treatments would not be called “alternative” but would have been accepted into mainstream practice and would just be called “medicine.” They tend not to appreciate science or even to understand it. They… read more "Stupid Videos and Marketing Ploys"
Fairy Tale Science and Placebo Medicine
In May, 2012, I spoke at the 6th World Skeptics Congress in Berlin on “Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fairy Tale Science and Placebo Medicine.” My talk is now available as a YouTube video. This article was originally published in the Science-Based Medicine blog. read more "Fairy Tale Science and Placebo Medicine"
Lessons Learned
I just returned from a trip to Montreal where I spoke at the Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium, an annual event that David Gorski spoke at a year ago. My topic was “Puncturing the Acupuncture Myth” and the other speakers were Paul Offit, Edzard Ernst, and Bob Park. I was honored… read more "Lessons Learned"