An interesting supplement with contributions from Jane Asher amongst others. Download as a PDF right here.
Archive | March, 2011
Sexual abuse allegations by children with neuropsychiatric disorders
31 MarThe sad fact is that children are often targeted by predators. Disabled children as well. What happens when a child with a developmental disability brings that accusation forward? Are the courts prepared? I hadn’t really thought about it until I read an abstract for a paper just released from a group in Sweden: Sexual abuse allegations by children with neuropsychiatric disorders. I haven’t read the full paper yet, and the abstract isn’t clear to me. One part of the abstract that I found troubling was the lack of psychiatric expertise available in many court cases, which raises the question of how ready are the courts to ascertain the reliability of witnesses with developmental disabilities such as autism, intellectual disability and similar conditions.
I’d be very interested if anyone could point me to sources of good information on these questions, especially within the US.
Loving Lampposts: synopsis and director’s statement
31 MarLoving Lampposts, the new documentary by filmaker Todd Drezner, takes a look at autism and parts of the autism communities in America today. After my initial piece on the documentary, I read the press kit again and thought that the synopsis and director’s statements really should be up here on LeftBrainRightBrain.
Synopsis:
As autism has exploded into the public consciousness over the last 20 years, two opposing questions have been asked about the condition: is it a devastating sickness to be cured? Or is it a variation of the human brain — just a different way to be human?
After his son’s diagnosis, filmmaker Todd Drezner visits the front lines of the autism wars. We meet the “recovery movement,” which views autism as a tragic epidemic brought on by environmental toxins. Operating outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine, these parents, doctors, and therapists search for unconventional treatments that can “reverse” autism and restore their children to normal lives.
We meet the ‘neurodiversity’ movement, which argues that autism should be accepted and autistic people supported. This group argues that the focus on treatments and cures causes the wider society to view autistic people as damaged and sick. Acceptance is the better way, but how do you practice acceptance of autism in a world where the very word can terrify parents? And we meet a too often ignored group: autistic adults. It’s these adults who show just how tricky it is to judge an autistic person’s life. Is an autistic woman who directs academic research about autism recovered? What if the same woman has trouble speaking and uses text-to-speech software to communicate? Is an autistic man who lives in his own apartment recovered? What if his mother must hire people to do his laundry and take him out in the evenings?
This wide angle view of autism makes clear what’s at stake in the autism wars. Will we live in a world dominated by autism conferences where vendors hawk vitamins and hyperbaric chambers to parents desperate for a cure? Or will we provide the support that autistic adults need to lead the best lives they can? And can these two worlds possibly co-exist?
Director’s Statement:
One afternoon in August of 2007, I was pondering possible documentary subjects as I brought my son Sam home. We had just finished walking the circuit of lampposts that Sam liked to visit in Prospect Park.
At the time, Sam’s diagnosis of autism was a few months old, and he was about to start at a special needs school in Brooklyn. His diagnosis still felt strange to my wife and me, especially because we didn’t seem to be reacting like many autism families that are depicted in the media. We didn’t feel like Sam had been “stolen” from us. He wasn’t sick. He hadn’t lost any skills. We didn’t think his life was doomed to be a tragedy. Certainly, we were concerned about how best to support Sam, but he was very much as he had always been. It was just that his differences from typical children now had a name attached to them.
My wife had been exploring the autism community on the Internet and had come across a group of autistic adults and parents of autistic children who supported “neurodiversity”–the idea that autism is both a disability and a difference, a natural variation of the human brain. This idea felt right to us, and yet I wondered: Sam did not have many of the most difficult behaviors associated with autism. Would we still believe in neurodiversity if Sam was banging his head on the wall or rocking endlessly in a corner? Was a parent’s view of autism simply a function of how difficult his child was? On that August afternoon, I realized that such questions would be a perfect subject for a documentary, and Loving Lampposts was born.
In the more than two years since, I’ve immersed myself in the world of autism at the same time that the world at large has paid more attention to autism than ever before. Never has a community been less ready for its cultural moment than the autism community. Indeed, there is disagreement about whether autism is a disease, about how to treat it, about whether it is an epidemic, about whether it can be cured, and even about what it is.
These disagreements are on full display in Loving Lampposts. And yet, at the end of the process, I can’t help but be optimistic. I’ve met parents of severely autistic children whose patience, acceptance, and support of their kids are truly inspiring. I’ve met autistic adults–whose voices are too often ignored in the autism debate–who lead rich, full lives even as they struggle with the challenges of their disability. And I’ve seen Sam progress in ways I couldn’t have imagined two years ago.
He’s still profoundly different from other children. But in making the film, I’ve seen that there may be a place in the world for Sam and those like him. I hope that audiences that view Loving Lampposts will see that, too.
Loving lampposts
30 MarLoving Lampposts is a film by an autism parent. I’m waiting for my copy (disclosure: I have asked for a review copy from the producer). In the meantime, reviews have come out by better prepared writers than I. Steve Silberman at Neurotribes has an interview with the filmaker: “Loving Lampposts,” A Groundbreaking Documentary About Autism, Love, and Acceptance. Shannon Des Roches Rosa at The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism has Loving Lampposts: Accepting and Understanding Neurodiversity. Liz Ditz at I speak of Dreams has A Must-See Movie: Loving Lampposts.
I remember first hearing about this project some time ago when there was just a very sparse website. I had no concept of where the project was going. I was left with a couple of questions then, including: is this going to be a fairly shallow movie about a single quirk in a single autistic? (The idea for the title comes from the fact that the filmaker’s son, well, had a love of lampposts. )
From the reviews (above) and from the materials already available, this looks to be a good movie. A movie which presents some very important questions and gives thoughtful discussion to them. From the Loving Lampposts website:
What would you call a four year old who caresses all the lampposts in the park? Quirky? Unusual? Or sick?
Such labels are at the center of the debate about autism: is it a disease or a different way of being—or both? In Loving Lampposts, we witness this debate and meet the parents, doctors, therapists, and autistic people who are redefining autism at a moment when it’s better known than ever before. Motivated by his son’s diagnosis, filmmaker Todd Drezner explores the changing world of autism and learns the truth of the saying, “if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person.”
Here is a video clip made available:
Loving Lampposts Trailer from Loving Lampposts on Vimeo.
In this short clip we see the wonderful boy, Sam, Prof. Richard Grinker (anthropologist, author of the book Unstrange Minds, and autism researcher), I believe that’s Kristina Chew’s voiceover in a clip of her son Charlie riding his bike, Jenny McCarthy, and parents at a National Autism Association meeting.
Press materials for the book do what they should: they make me want to see the movie. Yes there are the excellent photos of Sam and Lampposts:
But there are also photos of Stephen Shore working with a student:
And a photo of Dora Raymaker:
To point out only a few of the photos.
From the Press Kit, here is the list of participants in the film. It’s a very big and rather diverse group of people.
Featured
Nadine Antonelli and Noah: A resident of Wilmington, N.C. and a medical doctor, Nadine initially believed that she should try to cure her son Noah’s autism. Over time, though, she came to accept his diagnosis and she now works to provide support to other families with autistic children in Wilmington.
Simon Baron-Cohen: The Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University and a world-renowned expert on autism.
Kristina Chew, Jim and Charlie Fisher: Professors at St. Peter’s College and Fordham University respectively, Kristina and Jim are raising their autistic son Charlie in Cranford, NJ. Kristina is a popular blogger writing about her experiences with Charlie and advocating for neurodiversity.
Paul and Jackie Colliton and Billy: Residents of New York City, Paul and Jackie adopted their autistic son Billy when he was ten days old. He did not begin to speak until age seven.
Todd and Erika Drezner and Sam: The filmmaker, his wife, and their autistic son.
Roy Richard Grinker: A Professor of Anthropology at George Washington University, Richard is the father of an autistic daughter and the author of Unstrange Minds, a history of autism and an examination of how it is treated around the world.
Lila Howard and Lyndon: The 87 year-old mother of a 60 year-old autistic son, Lila raised Lyndon as a single mother at a time when there was no support for parents of autistic children. Ignoring experts who blamed her son’s condition on her and suggested he be institutionalized, Lila helped Lyndon learn to live independently. Today, he lives in his own apartment in New York City, where he has lived for 13 years. Lila remains his primary caretaker.
Jay Kochmeister: The father of Sharisa (see below).
Sharisa Kochmeister: An autistic adult who does not speak, Sharisa was believed to have an IQ of 30 from the time she was two until she turned 13. Almost by accident, her family discovered she could read, and she now communicates with a computer with text to speech capability. Her IQ is at a genius level, and she is a graduate of Denver University who advocates for autistic people.
Eileen Muniz, Gianna, Marz, and Vincent: The mother of three autistic children in Mohegan Lake, NY, Eileen and her husband recently separated.
Paul Offit: A doctor who is the Chief of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He argues strongly against the idea that vaccines cause autism, and is the author of Autism’s False Prophets, which exposes scientifically unsupported treatments for autism.
Dora Raymaker: An autistic adult who communicates using a computer with text to speech capability, Dora is working on her graduate degree in Portland, Oregon. She is the co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education.
Johnny and Chris Seitz: An autistic adult and performance artist, Johnny worked with his wife Chris to develop “God Does Not Make Garbage,” a 30 minute show that goes inside the world of autism.
Stephen Shore: Diagnosed with autism in 1964, Stephen was said to be profoundly ill and was recommended for institutionalization. Today, he is a Professor at Adelphi University. He also teaches music to autistic children and lectures about autism all over the world.
Cindy Walsh, Eric, and Robbie: The mother of twin boys with autism in Chantilly, CA, Cindy believes she has “recovered” her children with alternative treatments.
ALSO APPEARING
Elizabeth Avery: An autistic adult living in the Boston area.
Kenneth Bock: A doctor who treats patients with autism using alternative therapies.
Nancy Cale: The co-founder of the organization Unlocking Autism.
Paul Collins: The father of an autistic son and the author of Not Even Wrong, a history of autism.
Doreen Granpeesheh: The Executive Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders.
Kristin Holsworth: The mother of an autistic son, Troy.
Peter Hotez: A doctor who is President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Peter is the father of an autistic doctor. He says that there is no scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism.
Karen Hubert: A sales representative for New Beginnings Nutritionals, Karen markets vitamins and supplements to parents of autistic children.Dan Joyce: A representative of the organization Autism Speaks.
David Kirby: The author of Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic.
Estée Klar: The mother of autistic son Adam, founder of the Autism Acceptance Project, and writer of a blog called “The Joy of Autism.”
Robert Krakow: The father of an autistic son a plaintiffs lawyer in vaccine injury cases.
Jenny McCarthy: The celebrity actress is the mother of an autistic son and a leading proponent of the idea that vaccines cause autism.
Arnold Miller: The Director of the Language and Cognitive Development Center of Boston.
Barbara Moran: An autistic adult with a special interest in steam locomotives and old GE refrigerators.
Bob Morgan: The owner of Heavenly Heat Saunas, Bob believes that saunas can “detoxify” autistic children.
James Neubrander: A doctor who treats patients with autism using alternative therapies.
Christina Nicolaidis: The mother of an autistic son and the co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education.
Laura Rose: The mother of a “recovered” autistic son, Jason.
Ralph James Savarese: Ralph and his wife adopted a six year-old profoundly autistic boy who had been severely abused. Today, although Ralph’s son cannot speak, he is a straight A student in an Iowa high school.
Bill Schindler: The director of the Mild Hyperbaric Therapy Center, Bill works with parents who treat their children’s autism by giving them treatments in hyperbaric chambers.
Phil Schwarz: The father of an autistic son and an advocate of neurodiversity.
Kassiane Sibley: An autistic adult and advocate for neurodiversity.
Autumn Terrill: An expert in special education who works with Billy Colliton.
Anju Usman: A doctor who treats patients with autism using alternative therapies.
Robert MacNeil returns to PBS NEWSHOUR to report on Autism Today
30 MarThe PBS Newshour is one of the premiere news programs in the US. Many will remember it as the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, for Robert Macneil and Jim Lehrer. Robert MacNeil is returning from retirement to present a series of episodes on autism for autism awareness month.
Aside: wow, has it really been 16 years since Robert MacNeil retired?
The press release is shown below:
Robert MacNeil returns to PBS NEWSHOUR to report on Autism Today
6-part series airs during Autism Awareness Month
April 18 – 26, 2011
ARLINGTON, VA (March 29, 2011) – Autism – it’s a developmental disorder that has become increasingly prevalent, affecting 1 out of 110 American children. Despite years of study, little is known about its cause and access to treatment varies. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of American families hungry for answers struggle to care for the unique needs of children with the disorder. Among them, Robert MacNeil, co-founder of the PBS NewsHour and grandfather of Nick, a 6-year old boy with autism.
“I’ve been a reporter on and off for 50 years, but I’ve never brought my family into a story … until Nick,” MacNeil said, “because he moves me deeply.”
MacNeil and producer Caren Zucker tell the story of Autism Today in a 6-part broadcast series beginning Monday, April 18, 2011 and a robust online component where viewers can join the conversation. Ms. Zucker has produced many stories on autism and is the mother of a 16-year old son with autism.
Monday, April 18 An introduction to Nick and autism as a whole body experience: MacNeil brings viewers along on a visit with his daughter and grandson Nick in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to see how autism affects the whole family, including his 10-year-old sister, Neely. Nick experiences autism not just as a disorder in brain development but also as physical ailments affecting the whole body.
Tuesday, April 19 Autism Prevalence: Why are the numbers of children with autism increasing? At the UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento, California, MacNeil sees the wide range of different behaviors that comprise the autism spectrum. Anthropologist Richard Grinker argues that the rising numbers of children with autism is explained because conditions previously given other names, like mental retardation, are now included in the autism spectrum. Scientist Irva Hertz-Picciotto says the wider definition only partly explains the increased prevalence, pointing instead to a variety of environmental factors.
Wednesday, April 20 Autism Causes: The rise in autism numbers has caused a surge in research to find the causes. For the latest thinking, Robert MacNeil speaks with four leading researchers: Dr. Gerald Fischbach of the Simons Foundation, Dr. David Amaral of the MIND Institute, Dr. Martha Herbert of Harvard University and Dr. Craig Newschaffer of Drexel University.
Thursday, April 21 Autism Treatment: Although children with autism see doctors periodically, they go to school everyday. It is the school system that bears most of the burden of treating children with autism because treatment means education. MacNeil visits two schools in New York – a public school in the Bronx teaching 700 children with autism and a charter school created in Manhattan as a model of possibilities in educating children with autism. With only 30 students, it can use one-on-one teacher/student ratios employing intensive Applied Behavioral Analysis – the gold standard treatment for autism.
Monday, April 25 Adults with Autism: Although federal law mandates educational services for children with autism, there are virtually no services when they become adults. MacNeil profiles Zachary Hamrick in Mahwah, New Jersey, about to turn 21. As his family contemplates the uncertain future now facing hundreds of thousands of young people like him, his parents ask themselves, “What will happen when we die?”
Tuesday, April 26 Autism Policy: The NewsHour series ends with a discussion of the public policy issues raised in the series, including the enormous discrepancy in the quality and availability of services for children and future adults in what the federal committee that determines research priorities for autism now calls a “national health emergency” with a panel of experts including: Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Catherine Lord, Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, Ilene Lainer, Executive Director of the New York Center for Autism – a private advocacy group, and John Shestack, a Hollywood producer and the co-founder of “Cure Autism Now” a former advocacy group.
PBS NEWSHOUR will host an online content hub that will offer easy access to video of all the pieces in the series, as well as web-only features that are part of Autism Today, including:
§ First Look Online: In a brand new online-on-air cross promotion, check the NewsHour’s website after each night’s broadcast during the week April 18: We’ll post the next chapter in the Autism Today series online by 7pm ET.
§ Autism 101 – A primer on autism, how it’s diagnosed, the spectrum of disorders, and available resources. We’ll also look at the costs of austim, through the lens of the families profiled in the series and others.
§ The Story of Donald – A new look at Caren Zucker and John Donvan’s profile of the first child diagnosed with autism as reported in The Atlantic.
§ Live Chat with Experts – Viewers can ask their questions directly to the experts and doctors profiled in the broadcast segments via live text chat moderated by PBS NEWSHOUR digital correspondent Hari Sreenivasan.
§ Ask Robin MacNeil – Hari Sreenivasan will preview the series with Robin MacNeil in a special interview on the Rundown news blog. MacNeil will also answer viewer questions after the series concludes.
§ Join us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook: We want to hear how you or those you know are coping with autism. Use the Twitter hashtag #autismtoday to ask questions or join the conversation on the series.
PBS NEWSHOUR is seen five nights a week on more than 315 PBS stations across the country and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, in association with WETA Washington, DC, and THIRTEEN in New York. Major corporate funding for The NewsHour is provided by Chevron, Bank of America and Intel, with additional support from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.
Wired: iPads Are Not a Miracle for Children With Autism
30 MarWired has a piece up that purports to go against the hype on the iPad: iPads Are Not a Miracle for Children With Autism. It’s a provocative statement (even he says so). I wanted to say that it is a big strawman. For the most part the hype isn’t so big as to place the iPad into “miracle” status. But, then again, consider these pieces:
A Cure for Autism? Apple’s iPad has an App for That
Another piece had a title that stuck in my mind: Could the iPad be a Cure for Autism? When I searched for it, I found that the title had changed to
Could The iPad Be Used To Help Autistics?
Wired makes good points:
While there are some apps that are more specific to use with children with autism (like AAC apps), all apps can provide developmental experience depending on how they are used and the child’s own developmental trajectory and interests. You can’t have a “Top 10 Autism Apps.”
But to bring this back to the start, is the iPad a “miracle” for autistics (children or adults)? Depends on your definition of miracle, I guess. Is it a cure? No. The iPad and the iPod touch are excellent pieces of technology and have a lot to offer some people with disabilities. I think that I will paraphrase Shannon Rosa: the iPad is a force for good. It isn’t magic. It isn’t a cure. It is for many a step towards greater independence. Is a step towards greater independence a “miracle”? I think so. I take my miracles big or small.
Social-sexual education in adolescents with behavioral neurogenetic syndromes
30 MarA recent paper abstract I read brought up a very important topic which I don’t see discussed much: sex education for adolescents with developmental disabilities. I don’t know how good the paper itself is, but I agree with the conclusion: “Social and sexual education programs are of the utmost importance for adolescents with neurogenetic developmental disabilities. ” On one level I don’t want to think about sex and my kid. But I also have run into a belief that sex isn’t a topic to consider for people with developmental disability and autistics in particular. Perhaps I am naive, but I don’t see this as a good approach. I think sexuality is too important a topic to leave unaddressed. The discussion is going on. Just rarely in the parent-oriented online world.
Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2010;47(2):118-24.
Social-sexual education in adolescents with behavioral neurogenetic syndromes.Plaks M, Argaman R, Stawski M, Qwiat T, Polak D, Gothelf D.
The Behavioral Neurogenetics Center, Feinberg Department of Child Psychiatry, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikwa, Israel.Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adolescents with developmental disabilities have unmet needs in their sexual and social knowledge and skills. We conducted a sexual social group intervention in adolescents with neurogenetic syndromes, mainly with Williams and velocardiofacial syndromes and their parents.
METHOD: Ten adolescents with neurogenetic syndromes and 14 parents participated in a Social Sexual Group Education Program. The program was delivered in 10 biweekly sessions to the adolescents and their parents separately.
RESULTS: The focus of psychoeducation in both groups was the adolescents’ self-identification, acceptance of the developmental disability, independence, establishment of friendship and intimate relationship, sexual knowledge and sexual development, and safety skills. Change in independent activities of adolescents and in their concept of “Friend” was measured.
CONCLUSIONS: Social and sexual education programs are of the utmost importance for adolescents with neurogenetic developmental disabilities. These programs should start already before adolescence and follow the children into young adulthood.
Telescoping of caregiver report on the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised.
29 MarOne issue that comes up a lot is the reliability of parents’ memories about the development of their children. This can be especially hard the more time that passes and we look back, potentially “telescoping” events. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Michigan, including Catherine Lord, look at telescoping of reports. What they found what that as time went on, parent reports language delays changed. As time went on, parents reported language delays where delays weren’t reported when the children were younger. Interestingly to me, age of “symptom onset” increased with time. I find this interesting because I have read a few discussions online where as time has gone on, parents have reported “symptom onset” occurred at earlier ages. Reports of age of first concerns of delays, daytime bladder control and independent walking did not vary with time.
Here is the abstract.
Telescoping of caregiver report on the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised.
Abstract
Background: Delays in development are a fundamental feature in diagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Age of language acquisition, usually obtained through retrospective caregiver report, is currently used to distinguish between categories within ASD. Research has shown that caregivers often report children as having acquired developmental milestones earlier or later than they were actually achieved. The current study examines the extent to which this phenomenon, referred to as ‘telescoping,’ impacts retrospective reports provided by caregivers of children with ASD.
Methods: Participants were 127 caregivers of children referred for possible ASD or non-spectrum developmental delay. Caregivers were interviewed when children were 2, 3, 5, and 9 years of age. Caregiver-reported ages of first concern, language and non-diagnostic developmental milestones and interviewer-estimated age of onset were compared over time using linear models.
Results: Significant telescoping of language milestones resulted in more children meeting language delay criteria as they grew older, in spite of original reports that their language was not delayed. There was little evidence of consistent telescoping of caregiver-reported ages of first concern, daytime bladder control, and independent walking. With time, the interviewers’ judged ages of symptom onset increased, but remained prior to age three.
Conclusions: Telescoping of caregiver-reported ages of language acquisition has implications for both clinical diagnosis and genetic studies using these milestones to increase homogeneity of samples. Results support proposals to remove specific age-based criteria in the diagnosis of ASD. Telescoping should be considered when working with any clinical population in which retrospectively recalled events are used in diagnosis.
Yes, we’d like to think we are all excellent at recalling details about our kid’s development. But sometimes memory is not the best gauge. Sometimes data is best.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Services Subcommittee: meeting about to start
29 MarThe Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Services Subcommittee is about to hold a meeting. You can listen in via phone or by webcast. Instructions are below.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Services Subcommittee
Please join us for an in-person meeting of the IACC Services Subcommittee that will take place on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
Agenda: The subcommittee plans to discuss issues related to services and supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.
Meeting location:
The Neuroscience Center (NSC)
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8120
Rockville, MD 20852The meeting will be open to the public and pre-registration is recommended. Seating will be limited to the room capacity and seats will be on a first come, first served basis, with expedited check-in for those who are pre-registered.
The meeting will also be accessible by conference call and webinar. Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the meeting, but will not be heard.
Conference Call Access
USA/Canada Phone Number: 888-456-0356
Access code: 1427016If you experience any technical problems with the conference call, please e-mail IACCTechSupport@acclaroresearch.com or call the IACC Technical Support Help Line at 443-680-0098.
Webinar Access: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/169578426
If you experience any technical problems with the web presentation tool, please contact GoToWebinar at (800) 263-6317.
Please visit the IACC Events page for the latest information about the meeting, including registration, remote access information, the agenda and information about other upcoming IACC events.
Contact Person for this meeting is:
Ms. Lina Perez
Office of Autism Research Coordination
National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
6001 Executive Boulevard, NSC
Room 8185a
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: 301-443-6040
IACCpublicinquiries@mail.nih.gov
Sweden to check birth blood samples of autistic Somalis
29 MarSwedish researchers explore Somali-autism link discusses a study to use blood samples from samples taken at birth:
The researchers at the Autism centre for small children in Stockholm want to see if the samples contained in the so-called PKU register, which is used on newborns to detect a slew of illnesses, can explain the differences in levels of autism between children of Somali and children of Swedish origin.
“We want to look at the vitamin D levels at a very early stage in children who are later diagnosed with autism,” Elisabeth Fernell at the Autism centre for small children told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) daily.
The story linked to above has some weaknesses, but it is interesting that the study is being undertaken. People are looking at the question. This group in Sweden. The CDC together with Autism Speaks in the US. The Minnesota Department of Public Health.
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