Thoughtful House after Wakefeld
There was a time when the names Wakefield and Krigsman were synonymous with Thoughtful House. Wakefield was director of research. Krigsman was director of the gastroenterology clinic.
Dr. Wakefield is one of the founders of Thoughtful House. He has been an integral part of the organization since its inception, particularly in the research program.
That is what it used to say on the Thoughtful House website. Now it says nothing at all. The press release containing that statement has been removed, though it is still in Google’s cache. In fact all the press releases at Thoughtful House have been removed. That page is now “under construction.” So are the publications page and the page for research associates.
The links to conference presentations by Wakefield and Krigsman are broken. Krigsman you may recall left Thoughtful House around the same time as Wakefield. Krigsman’s biography and the gastroenterology FAQ at Thoughtful House are gone. If you Google them the link takes you to this one page website The announcement of Krigsman’s “new” research that is supposed to vindicate Wakefield is also gone from the website.
It is as if they are becoming non-persons, edited out of the record in a manner reminiscent of the old Soviet Union. So has there been a coup? I believe that Wakefield was forced out. After the GMC ruling his position was untenable. Krigsman’s departure was probably driven by business considerations to do with health insurance and billing procedures. But it does seem to have happened at an opportune moment for Thoughtful House
Their rising star is Bryan Jepson. His book is featured on the front page. He is the medical director at Thoughtful House. He has strong links to Defeat Autism Now. He seems to represent a return to traditional biomedical interventions for autism. These may be unproven but at least they are not disproven like the MMR hypothesis. Healing the gut and repairing the immune system via diet and supplements and normalizing behaviour via ABA may lack a sound evidence base but they are not yet discredited. Mainstream researchers continue to investigate them. Parents of autistic children who might be wary of anti-vaccine rhetoric and worried about invasive procedures and the dangers of chelation will consider other biomedical treatments.
That is not to say that Thoughtful House have rejected the anti-vaccine position completely. Laura Hewitson, their lead researcher now Wakefield has gone, is a plaintiff in the Omnibus Autism Proceedings. Her research appears tailored to prove her case before the vaccine court. But Thoughtful House is not going to be at the forefront of any anti-vaccine movement.
They will happily concede to parents beliefs in regard to vaccines while selling them diets, supplements and ABA programes. But the goalposts have been shifted away from vaccines to broader, vaguer environmental toxins within which vaccines are a special case affecting a minority of genetically susceptible children and not the driving force behind the so-called epidemic.
Comment by Emily | March 12th, 2010
Good summary, insightful observations. Wonder where the dynamic duo will turn up next.
Comment by isles | March 12th, 2010
Kind of spooky, really. Wakefield’s been disappeared! By his formal loyalists! It’s like a good old-fashioned South American coup.
What was it the Special Masters in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding said about litigation-oriented research? Um, Hewitson, they’re talking about people like you.
Comment by Mike | March 12th, 2010
Krigsman has a lucrative medical practise in New York and will still see clients from Thoughtful House. It is Wakefield who has suffered the biggest fall. He has even been removed fro the editorial board of the biomed house journal Autism Insights. Rumour has it that Wakefield is trying to rebuild his career on Facebook. I think that his options are limited: total obscurity versus the relative obscurity of the hard core anti-vaxxers.
Comment by Anthony's Dat | March 12th, 2010
Jepson has always been there at the forefront of treatment but laying low and not causing a stir in the media. He is still, to the best of my knowledge, a big proponent of chelation, and willing to prescribe Valtrex if you ASK FOR IT.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Comment by Mike | March 12th, 2010
Anthony’s Dad,
thanks for the heads up on Jepson. Even the biomed white hats come in shades of grey.
Comment by Gavin Pedley | March 25th, 2010
Hi i am Gavin Pedley, i have created a Autism Awareness video and would love it if you could post this on your site for April Autism awareness month?
Autism effects me both at home and at works as i have a son with Autism and also have worked in the field for over 5 years.
I would be very great full if you could post my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ6MayZoaS8&
Kind regards
Gavin Pedley