“Quacks and Snake Oil: The Futile Search for an Autism Cure”
Catherine Tan explores the world of parents, medical practitioners, and peddlers who continue to believe in the long-debunked vaccine-autism myth. The myth has stoked parents’ fears of disability and contributed to a decline in vaccination rates. Yet, for some parents, the myth is a source of hope that forges a path toward autism “recovery.”Believing in a vaccine-autism link, parents reimagine their autistic children as temporarily injured and sick people. Now, with the installation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, Catherine Tan’s research teaches us what we can expect from a neoliberal approach to healthcare.
Catherine Tan is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Vassar College. She is the author of Spaces on the Spectrum: How Autism Movements Challenge Experts and Create Knowledge (Columbia University Press). Her research on health and wellness has been published in academic journals, like Social Science & Medicine, Social Studies of Science, and Ethnic and Racial Studies. Her writing has also appeared in public outlets, including Newsweek, Time, and CNN. Beyond teaching and research, Catherine enjoys horseback riding, creating stained glass lamps, and hiking with her dog, Piscola.
Catherine Tan explores the world of parents, medical practitioners, and peddlers who continue to believe in the long-debunked vaccine-autism myth. The myth has stoked parents’ fears of disability and contributed to a decline in vaccination rates. Yet, for some parents, the myth is a source of hope that forges a path toward autism “recovery.”Believing in a vaccine-autism link, parents reimagine their autistic children as temporarily injured and sick people. Now, with the installation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, Catherine Tan’s research teaches us what we can expect from a neoliberal approach to healthcare.
Catherine Tan is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Vassar College. She is the author of Spaces on the Spectrum: How Autism Movements Challenge Experts and Create Knowledge (Columbia University Press). Her research on health and wellness has been published in academic journals, like Social Science & Medicine, Social Studies of Science, and Ethnic and Racial Studies. Her writing has also appeared in public outlets, including Newsweek, Time, and CNN. Beyond teaching and research, Catherine enjoys horseback riding, creating stained glass lamps, and hiking with her dog, Piscola.