France is not exactly known for being pro-science (nor is Europe generally) but when it comes to autism, they are decidedly anti-science.
For decades, France has turned its back on the latest scientific thinking and treats autism as a form of psychosis. Instead of using behavioral therapy (developed in the 1970s and '80s in the US and Canada and now the norm in most of the world) to treat autistic children, stimulating and rewarding them to develop the skills they need to function in society, France puts its faith in psychoanalysis. Freud would be proud but most of the world is shocked.
Maybe France is getting the world back for not embracing the metric system. For autism campaigners, it is one of the most serious health scandals of our times.
France's autism treatment 'shame' By Hugh Schofield BBC News
