Brit parents with autistic children paying thousands for 'scam dolphin therapy'
EXCLUSIVE: A Sunday People investigation found marine parks in Turkey charge British parents up to £2,500 for the unproven "treatment", claiming autistic children will see significant benefits from contact with dolphins
Marine parks in Turkey are charging British parents with autistic children thousands of pounds for unproven dolphin therapy “treatment”.
Some of the centres claim sonar signals “activate brain cells” if children touch heads with the mammals.
Staff at one waterpark visited by the Sunday People even claimed children unable to speak had uttered their first words after contact with dolphins.
Dozens of other parks offer services online – some claiming therapy can beat cancer and aid people with Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The centres, which also host cruel dolphin shows, charge people up to £2,500, assuring parents that their child will see significant benefits.
A dolphin therapist and another staff (right) member from Aksu Dolphinarium, in Antalya, speak about the dolphin therapy sessions they offer(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
But experts accuse them of offering false hope.
Prof Richard Mills, a consultant for AT-Autism and former research director at the National Autistic Society, said: “It’s exploiting people to spend a lot of money on something where there is no evidence of any benefits.”
We visited three parks in or near Antalya – Aksu Dolphinarium, Dolphinland and Dolphin Park Kemer.
Aksu said British people “come more and more”.
A dolphin at Dolphin Park Kemer in Turkey(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
Kemer said many come from the UK. Dolphinland told us “not so many English” people come.
All three parks claimed potential benefits for autistic people.
To examine the claims we took autism awareness campaigner Emma Dalmayne, 44, and her autistic children Damien, 12, and Skylar, seven.
Emma, who is also autistic, was horrified when she saw a therapy session at Dolphinland.
She said: “Don’t waste your money, it’s a scam.”
Emma and her two children Damien and Skylar at the Aksu Dolphinarium, in Antalya(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
Emma was told by Aksu staff that her children would only show benefits six months later – at which point she should buy another ten-day course for £2,500 per child to maintain progress.
One therapist bragged how staff would coax her kids to swim even if distressed, adding: “Even if he cries, it’s normal for him to cry.”
Emma said: “When I heard them talking about my child’s brain it was horrifying.
“It’s yet another scam to fleece naive parents who are wasting thousands that could be spent on a more beneficial pastime that would give the children tools to cope in the world.”
A member of staff from Dolphin Park Kemer speaks about the dolphin therapy sessions they offer(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
None of the centres we spoke to guaranteed improvement or a cure.
But all three said there were long-term benefits for autism and tried to sell Emma ten sessions.
Aksu staff said: “It cannot heal but it can make it better. It’s not a cure, it’s just a treatment but you can make it better and dolphin therapy makes it better.”
A rep showed images of children touching heads with the mammals to exchange “waves”.
He said: “Electromagnetic waves help activate the brain of children. In some cases they can lose symptoms.”
A therapist at Dolphinland told us the animals have “signals and vibrations” and “they send these signals everywhere”.
She claimed: “For the kids with autism it helps so much. We have the kids that come every year and they’re better every year.
“If they don’t speak, for example, they start talking after therapy. Yes!”
Dolphin centres in Turkey claim that they can help children overcome autism and other illnesses and ailments by swimming with their captive dolphins(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
Emma says Damien and Skylar have sensory issues which can lead to “flapping, gritting of teeth, spinning and repeating things to calm down”.
When she asked if these symptoms could be helped by dolphins, the therapist at Dolphinland said: “Yes of course” – adding that the children could lose “some of the bad energy”.
Asked outright if it would “heal” a lot of her children’s behaviours, Emma was told: “We hope so. Not all the kids are better. But you may try.”
The parks charge an extortionate amount of money(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
We saw a session at Dolphinland, where the creatures are also made to perform tricks like throwing balls and catching hoops in shows.
Twin girls aged four spent 30 minutes with two “therapists” and two dolphins in their 32 x 25 metre pool.
One child screamed and cried as the dolphins rolled over so the girls could stroke them.
Their mother, from Craiova, Romania, said they were on day seven of ten and admitted her twins were “afraid” of the animals.
She said: “We need to wait six months but we are coming in August again.”
Watching the therapy session left Emma distressed.
The mum of six, from Plumstead, South London, said: “It was heartbreaking to see animals in pools with children screaming and crying. It’s cruelty mixed with fake therapy.
"My children’s reactions were horror, anger and sadness for the children we saw.
“I had to leave and cry. My son asked, why are they doing this? He’s very upset.”
Our investigation revealed how parents are paying thousands for the so-called therapy(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
When asked if Dolphin Park Kemer practitioners were medically trained and experienced with autism, the rep there said: “He’s experienced in making therapy, in how to stand in the water and play with the dolphin.
“It’s for the nervous system. Therapists stay in the water with the child... when you put your head underwater you can hear the signal. Honestly you don’t need a doctor. I can say this. This is something alternative for the child.”
When Emma asked if therapy could stop her children “flapping and making noises” he replied “yes”, before adding: “I cannot guarantee you will see these effects, nobody can say this.”
Asked again if it is a “good treatment for autism”, he insisted: “Yes, yes, yes.”
Prof Mills said: “Dolphin therapy promotes a narrative that autism can be cured. We know it can't. We suspect any benefit from swimming with them is social. To take it to a pseudo-scientific level about brainwaves is too far.”
We visited all three parks in March. They closed because of Covid but have reopened and are offering therapy.
One of the parks admitted there was no "medical side" to it(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)
A spokesman for Aksu Dolphinarium admitted: “There is no medical side of this, it’s not proved yet. But there is a business side for us.”
He insisted the therapy works for “nearly 100 German families” that visit regularly. He described the therapy as a “love story between animal lovers” and defended the conditions in which the dolphins are kept.
Dolphinland said: “If it is a question on how therapy works and the scientific background and the therapy, you can approach me and write me and email and read my documents on the internet. If you want information on dolphin therapy, read our website.”
EXPOSED: Businessman peddles deadly BLEACH touted as a cure for kids’ autism EXCLUSIVE: ‘Miracle Mineral Solution’ can cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and ulcers
EXCLUSIVE by MIKE HAMILTON 11:01, 7 Feb 2016 (The Sun)
Tony Taylor, 41, flogs Miracle Mineral Solution on his New Earth website.
The “medicine”, taken as a drink or an enema, has been promoted as a potential autism cure by the US-based Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.
But it contains chemicals sodium chlorite and hydrochloric acid, which when combined form chlorine dioxide, a type of bleach.
The substance can cause nausea, ulcers in the gullet and vomiting.
Harmful … ‘medicine’ contains liquids that mix to form bleach Harmful … ‘medicine’ contains liquids that mix to form bleach News Group Newspapers Ltd
The compound, sold by Taylor, of Torquay, Devon, has been linked to at least one death in Mexico. And last year Thames Valley Police received a complaint a mum was using it on her autistic son.
The Sun on Sunday launched a probe after speaking to autism campaigner Emma Dalmayne, who alleged Taylor was touting a cure.
Emma Dalmayne author of “its an autism thing ill help you understand it”, who has two children diagnosed as autistic, said: “It’s disgusting that he is selling this as a cure for autism. Autism is a neurological difference and it’s not going to go anywhere. This is bloody dangerous stuff — people have died taking this.”
A Sun on Sunday reporter phoned Taylor posing as the worried father of a six-year-old girl with autism. He explained he had been in touch with parents of autistic kids and sold them MMS.
He sells two bottles to mix together to form the solution for £9.95. Taylor, who did not claim to us it cured autism, said: “I make it myself. I personally haven’t got experience on autism but a lot of my clients use it for autistic children. It’s helped a lot of people and if you get the dosage right there are no side-effects. The worst that can happen is diarrhoea, feeling sick.”
Asked about the effect the bleach could have on autistic children, Taylor replied: “Part of me hates it and thinks ‘How is that going to help someone?’
“If there’s a virus or pathogen, chlorine dioxide gets rid of the viruses or pathogens. I have about three drops of it a day.”
After our call, The Sun on Sunday confronted Taylor at his £700,000 home in Torquay.
He said: “All I do is supply a product and some people find it works. The problem is I haven’t got the skull and crossbones on so legally I’ve done that wrong.”
But Taylor said he intended to stop selling the product.
He added: “Trading Standards are going to come round, take all the stock and close it off.
“I will probably just chuck my stock away and forget about it.”
He offered MMS to our reporter and then drank some himself.
The Food Standards Agency said: “Our advice is MMS is not safe and should not be sold as a supplement. It is commonly used as bleach and can be harmful.” The dangers Chlorine dioxide can cause the following reactions:
– Severe vomiting
– Gullet ulcers
– Lung irritation
– Nausea
– Diarrhoea A form of child abuse By CAROL COOPER, Sun Doctor
AUTISM is a complex chronic condition with no cure.
Parents can become desperate and turn to anyone offering hope, including charlatans who peddle bogus remedies.
But MMS isn’t just a useless waste of money. It’s toxic.
Bleach can seriously damage health. There are reports of nausea, diarrhoea and severe vomiting, and there may be many more children injured by similar treatments.
Autism isn’t caused by viruses or bacteria so there’s no point using an antiseptic.
I would strongly advise parents never to use a product like this. Harmful treatments are a form of child abuse.
It is with great pride and pleasure that we announce the release of Emma’s first book. It is available online from the publisher at the link below. Regular readers will know the insightful and friendly words Emma uses to communicate a powerful and important message of neurodiversity.
As an autistic woman, and mother of 6 autistic kids Emma has the lived experience of both being autistic and parenting autistics. It’s often said ‘if you’ve met one autistic then you’ve met one autistic’ and that is certainly true, well Emma presents in this book her wisdom distilled through the lived experience of a household of seven autistics.
No matter how much you know about autism, no matter how much you have lived alongside autistics or how long you have lived as an autistic I am confident that you will learn even more by reading this book by Emma.
‘It’s An Autism Thing ….I’ll Help You Understand It’ and why I wrote it.
When I was diagnosed with Aspergers two years ago I felt relieved, jubilant and sad all at the same time.
Relieved because I now knew myself, I could understand so much more about myself. There were a lot of ‘ahh!’ Moments to look back on!
Jubilant because I now knew I wasn’t crazy or a complete misfit, I was part of a neurodiverse community that helped me be proud of my autistic identity.
Sad, for all the missed opportunities I had had, all the misunderstandings and meltdowns that are, in short, terrifying when you do not understand why you are going through them.
Most of all I wanted to help other parents, I am mother to neurodiverse children, two with complex needs and felt I could offer help to others.
I started a Facebook group with the help of a friend to support and educate parents and carers with a large volume of autistics in it to create a safety ‘net’ of sorts.
If these parents, I thought, could meet adult autistics and learn from us it would help them.
For them to know and realise that their children are capable of so much, that if their child uses non verbal communication it’s not the end of the world simply an alternative to the typical is extremely important to a worried parent of a newly diagnosed child.
The group is incredible and I’m proud of it, and through it I became aware of another side of the autism community.
The side that’s being exploited and hurt by corporations intent on offering ‘cures’ for autism as if it’s an illness or disease in the most harmful ways possible.
I began campaigning in earnest here in the UK, working with the media including London Live, BBC, Ben Tv, The Independent and The Times to expose the quackery and mindset of the exploited.
Parents desperate to help their children, believing there are no other alternatives but these harmful treatments, being told they had to normalise their child through compliance therapy, that their child would never become anything and that the only way for their child to ‘fit in’ was to be ‘healed’.
I came to the conclusion that parents do want to help their children, fear comes from not knowing, not understanding how to cope or aid someone we love.
For someone to be able to say, “Right, I understand now, what can I do, how can I help?”
Is a massive thing for a concerned carer or parent.
I began writing blogs, I have a website called autisticate.com with loads of articles on it. I am published on The Mighty, Autism Daily Newscast, Geek Club Books, Autistic Spectrum Digest and Special Needs Jungle.
But I had so much more to say, so much more to give.
I had often heard it said to people “It’s an autism thing, you wouldn’t understand.”
So let’s help them, I thought.
If my book can dispel myths, give teachers and parents the tools to step over to our point of view, to see how we see the world, feel the world even then I’ve done what I set out to do.
Children and indeed adults do not need to ‘fit in’,we need help, encouragement and inclusion. We do not need harmful treatments or compliance training.
It’s An Autism Thing…I’ll Help You Understand it.
Text by Emma Dalmayne Illustrations by Raphelle Dalmayne
