That’s the title of a post on Canada’s National Post website. Another article on the main site reads Controversial autism conference got funds from Sick Kids
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The pieces are about the fact that Sick Kids, a highly respected children’s hospital, is hosting a Canadian version of the Autism One conference.
AutismNewsBeat attended and reported on a previous AutismOne conference, should you wish to see what happens at such conferences.
The Canadian version of the AutismOne conference appears to be much smaller than its American counterpart. Here is the list of speakers:
Jonathan Alderson, EdM
Evdokia Anagnostou, MD
John DeMarco, BCBA
Wendy Edwards, MD
Richard Frye, MD, PhD
Paul Hardy, MD
Martha Herbert, MD, PhD
Sonja Hintz, RN
Bryan Jepson, MD
Derrick MacFabe, MD
Valerie MacLean
Lindsay Moir
Manon Noiseux, MsC
Jon Pangborn, PhD
James Partington, PhD
Dan Rossignol, MD
Stephen Shore, EdD
Chantal Sicile-Kira
Lauren Underwood, PhD
Rudi Verspoor, HD(RHom), DMH
Sueson Vess, AutismOne Chef
William Walsh, PhD
Compare this to the last Chicago AutismOne conference speaker list:
Lisa Ackerman
Tim Adams, JD
James Adams, PhD
Alanna Apap, BCBA
Lynne Arnold
Tapan Audhya, PhD
Carmen Augustin, MSW, LCSW
Mary Lynch Barbera, RN, MSN, BCBA
Jeffrey Becker, OD
Marion Blank, PhD
Mark Blaxill, MBA
Kenneth Bock, MD
Tom Bohager
Mika Bradford
Kerry Brooks
Gregory Brown, MD
Jeff Cantor, DDS
Jane Casey
Ved Chauhan, PhD
Charles Chapple, DC
Lillian Chen-Byerley, MS, OTR/L, RCTC
Sylvia Chin-Caplan, JD
Rob Coben, PhD
Ken Cook
Laura Corby
Mark Corrales, MPP
Lee Cowden, MD
Mary Coyle
Mary Beth Cull
Dorinne Davis, MA, CCC-A, FAAA
Dennis Debbaudt
Vicky Debold, PhD, PN
Amy Derksen, ND
Richard Deth, PhD
Lisa Dietlin
Tami Duncan
Stephen Edelson, PhD
Mayer Eisenstein, MD, JD
Michael Elice, MD
Lark Eshleman, PhD
Seyyed Hossein Fatemi, MD, PhD
Barbara Fischkin
Barbara Loe Fisher
Richard Frye, MD, PhD
Carolyn Gammichia
Andrew Gammichia
Patricia L, Gannon, DDS
Mark Geier, MD, PhD
David Geier
Kristin Selby Gonzalez
Dana Gorman
Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD
Cindy Griffin, HD (Rhom), DSH-P, DIHom
Katherine Guttshall, MA, BCBA
Louise Habakus, HHP, AADP
Boyd Haley, PhD
Elaine Hall
Paul Hardy, MD
Martha Herbert, MD, PhD
John Hicks, MD
Betsy Hicks
Sonja Hintz, RN
David Holmes, EdD
Devin Houston, PhD
Diane Isaacs
Laurette Janak
Pam Johnson, DDS
Oliver Jones
Michelle Lancaster, DDS
Raun Kaufman
KP Khalsa, DN-C, RH
Cheryl Kilmer
Brian King, LCSW
David Kirby
Steven Kossor
Robert Krakow, JD
Arthur Krigsman, MD
Andrea Lalama
Mary Jo Lang, PhD
Lindyl Lanham, DSH-P, BS Spec Ed
Jeffrey Lewine, PhD
Carolyn Lewis
Allen Lewis, MD
Derrick MacFabe, MD
Cynthia Macluskie
Mark Macluskie
Jackie Marquette, PhD
Vicki Martin, RN
Julie Matthews, CNC
Jenny McCarthy
Woody McGinnis, MD
Mary Megson, MD
Joseph Mercola, DO
Claudia Miller, MD
Elizabeth Nickrenz
Mark Noble, PhD
Nancy O’Hara, MD
Melissa Olive, PhD, BCBA
Dan Olmsted
Valerie Paradiz, PhD
James Partington, PhD
Mitchel Perlman, PhD
Kathryne Pirtle
Jon Poling, MD, PhD
Sym Rankin, CRNA, APN
Kerri Rivera
Rick Rollens
Mary Romaniec
Dan Rossignol, MD
Jennifer Salcido, ND
Sarah Clifford Scheflen, MS, CCC-SLP
Harry Schneider, MD
Norm Schwartz, MD
Alice Shabecoff
Stephen Shore, EdD
Chantal Sicile-Kira
Terrie Silverman, MS
Allan Sosin, MD
Jane Sparks, RN
Pramila Srinivasan
Kim Stagliano
Cheryl Steinberg
Sandra Stewart
Carol Stott, PhD
Rev. Lisa Sykes
Catherine Tamaro
Theoharis Theoharides, MD, PhD
Polly Tommey
John Turner, DC, CCSP, DIBCN
Lauren Underwood, PhD
Anju Usman, MD
Sueson Vess
Aristo Vojdani, PhD
Andrew Wakefield, MB, BS, FRCS, FRCPath
David Warner
Vicki Warren, EE
Toby Watkinson, DC
Stacey Whetlow
Robert Weiner, PhD, CST-D
Amy Yasko, PhD
Yes, Canada will miss out on Jenny McCarthy and Andrew Wakefield, who was recently given “The first annual Andrew J. Wakefield Award for Courage in Medicine” by AutismOne, if that gives you an idea of AutismOne’s leanings. Does Sick Kids want to be hosting future “Andrew J. Wakefield Award for Courage in Medicine” award ceremonies? Do they want to have HBOT balloons smoking in their exhibit hall? Do they want to host future conferences with speakers from SafeMinds (Mark Blaxill), TACA (Lisa Akerman), the “National Vaccine Information Center” (Vicky Diebold and Barbara Loe Fisher), together with Mark and David Geier (bad armchair epidemiologists and, worse yet, purveyors of Lupron as a therapy for autism), Mayer Eisienstien, Joseph Mercola…?
I join Orac at Respectful Insolence in asking, what was Sick Kids thinking?
Left Brain Right Brain 
They were probably thinking that they should atleast listen to their concerns, and address them, instead of simply calling them names.
They can listen to concerns without supporting the conference. How about Sick Kids send some people to the conference to see what happens at one? They don’t have to lend their name and reputation to the conference.
Listen, fine. Give them money to help spread quackery, as at first blush they appear to have done here? Ethically reprehensible.
Andrew Wakefield award to… Andrew Wakefield?? The phrase that comes to my mind is narcissistic sociopath!
While I am appalled, I am not surprised – it was only a matter of time before the promoters of garbage science made it to Canada. The fact that Sick Kids would fund such an event bothers me a great deal – Autism One is no doubt thrilled to have the Sick Kids Foundation stamp of legitimacy on it.
To make matters worse the anti-vaxxers have been out in full force this week with the release of the H1N1 vaccine here in Canada.
When questioned about the event Sick Kids responded with “it would be wrong to “censor” any new or unusual idea for treating autism.”
Sigh…..I sometimes think we Canadians are way to nice.
I think we should give the First Annual Left Brain Right Brain award for online autism news reporting to Left Brain Right Brain.
Why thank you for the nomination, ANB.
I’m holding out for the “Rock Award”, which was on Dr. Corbier’s resume (discussed at the Autism Omnibus Proceding, page 163 of this document), and award named for Dr. Corbier (how Rock is named for him, I do not recall), and never given before or since.
I think it just too much to hope for the Age of Autism “Gallileo” award, given to Dr. Wakefield, or their excellence in Journalism award, given to David Kirby.
I am glad that at least someone in Canada is sincerely trying to help our children and families affected by autism. Before you knock these doctors and professionals, try reading their studies and information…and then you can provide an informed rather than just an empty opinion.
I’ve read several studies by several of these people, including one just the other day, and this isn’t even my area of study.
I’m far from the only person here to have done so.
Accusations of ignorance on the grounds of disagreeance don’t fly here Cath.
Toodles.