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Bernard Rimland (November 15, 1928 – November 21, 2006) was an American research psychologist, writer, lecturer, and influential person in the field of developmental disorders. Rimland's first book, Infantile Autism, sparked by the birth of a son who had autism, was instrumental in changing attitudes toward the disorder. Rimland founded and directed two advocacy groups: the Autism Society of America (ASA) and the Autism Research Institute. He promoted several since disproven theories about the causes and treatment of autism, including vaccine denial, facilitated communication, chelation therapy, and false claims of a link between secretin and autism. He also supported the ethically controversial practice of using aversives on autistic children.
Education
Rimland completed his undergraduate studies and earned a master's degree in psychology at San Diego State University. a widely held belief popularized by Bruno Bettelheim. Infantile Autism challenged the medical establishment's perceptions of autism.
In 1967, Rimland left the ASA to establish the Autism Research Institute (ARI), a San Diego–based non-profit organization dedicated to researching and collecting data on autism and related disorders. He kept a database of research and case histories, as well as conducted and sponsored research in an attempt identify the cause of autism and offer effective treatment solutions. Rimland supported Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a systematic educational approach made popular by Ivar Lovaas. published by ARI, which covers biomedical and educational advances in autism research.
In 1988, Rimland served as technical advisor on autism for the 1988 movie Rain Man. Rimland suggested giving Raymond Babbitt, the movie's main character portrayed by Dustin Hoffman, Hoffman interviewed Rimland's son, Mark, in preparing for the role. The makers of the movie made a donation of $75,000, intended to go to Rimland's Autism Research Institute. However, the check was made out to the Autism Society of America in error. Rimland sued to get the money returned, but lost in court because he failed to file the lawsuit in time.
Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!), established in 1995, brought together parents, clinicians, and researchers to "explore and establish effective biomedical interventions.
Vaccinations
Rimland considered vaccinations to be a "prime suspect" in the onset of autism. He maintained that, while not proven, there was a direct link between thiomersal (a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines) and autism. He supported Andrew Wakefield's now discredited suggestion that the MMR vaccine was linked to autism. Rimland contended that the vaccination triggered autism by placing a burden on the immune systems of children between birth and age 2.
Rimland linked the increase of late-onset autism during the 1980s with the introduction of the MMR vaccine, He rejected the idea that a diagnosis of autism at or around 18 months, the same time the vaccinations were administered, was coincidental. The United States Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its 2004 report found that, "the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), National Health Service (NHS), World Health Organization (WHO), European Medicines Agency (EMEA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and many other national and international medical organizations have issued statements of a similar nature, finding no link between autism and thimerosal based on the evidence currently available from a variety of studies.
Chelation
Rimland supported chelation therapy, a treatment for lead and heavy metal poisoning, for some children with autism. Neither the American Academy of Pediatrics support the use of chelation for the treatment of autism. Writing for Science-Based Medicine, neurologist Steven Novella characterized chelation for autism as quackery that is potentially deadly.
Diet therapy and secretin
Rimland supported research that focused on "natural, non-toxic ways" to address symptoms of autism. He believed that vitamins (specifically B-6 and magnesium) and minerals could help change body chemistry and bring about behavioral changes.
Rimland advocated the use of secretin, a "naturally occurring intestinal hormone, saying it was "possibly the most important discovery in the history of autism. He claimed that children treated with the hormone showed "sudden and dramatic improvement". However, researchers in North Carolina and the University of Chicago in separate studies showed that the children receiving treatments with secretin showed "no more improvement" than those receiving a placebo. This treatment was not recommended by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Facilitated communication
Rimland was an early supporter of facilitated communication (FC) (now discredited), though he disputed founder Douglas Biklen's claims that autism was "fundamentally a motor problem". At first, Rimland claimed the technique was effective for "a small number of people", but far fewer than the 100% success rate claimed by some proponents. He advocated "properly conducted research" to determine whether correct answers could be obtained if the facilitator did not know the answers.
As FC generated false claims of abuse (about 25 by his count in 1993), mostly against parents, Rimland's view of FC's usefulness changed to one of caution. "In almost every instance of this sort, when charges have come to court and been investigated, courts have decided that they were untrue." In 1995, Rimland reported that peer-reviewed studies (40+) with more than 400 people with autism as subjects had "failed to document FC in all but a handful of cases."
Aversives
Rimland was in favor of aversives, and testified against the Hughes Act, which restricted their use. At least once, he misrepresented the views of his colleagues to make it seem as though they supported aversive when they did not so as to further his viewpoint. After Rimland quoted Anne Donnellan and another anti-aversive behaviorist as being in support of the practice, Donnellan issued the following response: "We never have made or written such a statement. Dr. Rimland has been warned publicly and privately that to continue to use our names and our professional reputations to support positions that he espouses and we oppose exposes him to charges of unethical, illegal, as well as ridiculous conduct."
Personal life
Rimland was born on November 15, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his family moved to San Diego, California, in 1940.
In 1951, Rimland married Gloria Belle Alf. They had three children. Mark, born in 1956, exhibited challenging behaviors which Rimland self-diagnosed through research as autism. This condition, relatively unknown at the time, was confirmed by a pediatrician.