I want to write you all an open letter to offer you my opinion as to where you are going wrong. Before I do, I fully realise that this is a massive generalisation and that some of you won’t hold all the opinions I’m about to go through. I think though, that many of you do.
Three things prompted this open letter. First of all was David Kirby’s trip to the UK. Second was a comment from Kelli Ann Davies where she expressed surprise that some of us might know/guess/whatever the intentions of the science and medical community. Third was Ginger Taylor’s recent sulk about the AAP. I’ll touch on these things as I go through this.
You have a truly massive credibility issue which grows with every passing year. Once upon a time it was an issue with the science/medical community but now it is an issue with the general public. There are a number of reasons why this is so.
1) You cannot keep your story straight. You have (as I said to Kelli Anne) some first class marketing and PR people. As I recall, Lynn Redwood, Mark Blaxill and Sallie Bernard all have marketing qualifications. You also have numerous leading lights who are very, very rich. This means you have ample opportunity to lever your message into the heart of the US media system.
But that means nothing without a coherent story to sell. You don’t have one. I understand that you have recently talked about how the ‘story of vaccines’ has _evolved_ . That is stretching things more than a little. Its mercury, no its MMR, no its both, no its Aluminium, no its all three, no its all ingredients, no its the very vaccines themselves, no its the schedule they’re given. No – its ALL the above. And don’t forget the mitochondria!
The more ingredients you add to the pot, the more you have to explain why they are causative of autism. You didn’t even manage to do this when you were concentrating on just _one_ thing (thiomersal). The above is not an example of an evolving hypothesis. Its an example of an ever widening hypothesis as one after another, your original ideas have been taken down.
Nowhere is this better illustrated than David Kirby’s stumbling backwards and backwards:
In 2005, David said in a FAIR Autism Media interview:
It’s now 2005…..[W]e should see fewer cases entering the system [cdds] this year than we did last year.
When that didn’t happen he then said:
if the total number of 3-5 year olds in the California DDS system has not declined by 2007, that would deal a severe blow to the autism-thimerosal hypothesis…..total cases among 3-5 year olds, not changes in the rate of increase is the right measure.
That didn’t happen either.
You started off by pointing an air pistol at a target 20 feet away and missing. You worked your way through Magnums, Shotguns and Miniguns and kept missing. You currently have a canon wheeled right up to within a foot of the target and you’re _still_ missing.
2) Your science is weak and getting weaker. Sadly for you, the onus was (and still is) on you to provide evidence that vaccines in any of the myriad of hypotheses cause autism. Lets hypothetically agree with you that vaccines are in fact, fashioned by Satan and are in fact, tools of population control. That is not the point. The point is: _do they cause autism?_
There is not one paper that passes muster as valid science that offers corroborating evidence that any vaccine, any ingredient of vaccines or any schedule they are administered in causes autism. This is after over 10 years of trying to find one. What you are increasingly left with is a double conspiracy theory. In one barrel of the conspiracy theory, brave maverick doctors are having their research suppressed. In the other barrel of the conspiracy theory, Big Pharma shills are publishing science to refute the various vaccine hypotheses.
Of course, neither barrel is true. The brave maverick docs are not having their science suppressed. It is simply not good enough to pass peer review.
A good example of this is the science experts being presented at the Omnibus Autism proceedings. No Geier’s. No Jim Adams. No Boyd Haley. No Andrew Wakefield. At least, not so far anyway. And this is in the Vaccine Court, where standards of evidence are way lower than in a civil court, where – by the way – not a few of these same researchers science was not good enough to even be entered as evidence.
And you have this nasty habit of shooting yourselves in the foot. Only today David Kirby posted on the Huffington Post about how rubbish the VSD database was. The very same database the Geier’s recently used to allege a link between vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders.
And the list goes on. The Hornig study? Refuted by Rick Rollens MIND Institute. The Nataf paper on Porphyrins? Liz Mumper, head of DAN! medical admits that even ‘normal’ children have raised Porphyrin levels. The Bernard et al paper? Refuted. Richard Deth’s work? Exposed and questioned.
3) Your choice of media people to represent you is doing you harm. I am not sure how the idea of latching onto Jenny McCarthy as a spokesperson for the anti-vaccine/autism connection came up. There are a few other celebs I can think of with more gravitas than McCarthy. In truth, you couldn’t have chosen worse. Already, she has made a public fool of herself (and you). As has her partner, Jim Carrey, with his ‘lazy ass’ FUBAR and calls to notice ‘warnings from the universe‘.
I understand that these events feel terribly cathartic to you but I would urge you to take off your rose tinted glasses and see how the real world perceives these kind of things. Its not good. Don’t take my word for it, go to a _mainstream_ news source, discount the people you know as friends/associates who are leaving comments and then see what people think.
You have also latched onto the words of Bernadine Healy. I can see why but she (is/was) a member of a paid lobby group that advances the ‘science’ of Philip Morris to put forward the idea passive smoking isn’t dangerous. How desperate do you have to be to turn to _this_ ‘authority’ for backup?
4) You cannot see that you are being humoured. I know that some of you have been very proud of your success in getting involved with things like the IACC and y’know, thats great – well done to you. And then there’s the ‘coup’ of getting the AAP to attend a DAN! conference and ‘work with’ them. But there’s one thing you seem to have forgotten. AAP members are medical scientists. They will go with the decent science.
I read a blog post from Ginger Taylor today which seemed to be telling the AAP their ‘window of opportunity’ to work with DAN! et al had closed due to the fact they endorsed a letter that a paediatrician had written on how to tackle parents who were nervous about vaccination.
Amusingly, Taylor also chided the AAP for not turning up to the ‘green our vaccines’ rally:
I warned that the window would only be open for a short time unless we saw real action, and would probably close around the time of the Green our Vaccines Rally if they didn’t show up for us in some respect.
Well the AAP didn’t show up for the rally and well… this certainly signals that the window is closed. They want it closed. And it looks like they may be locking it.
Can you not understand that to expect the AAP will turn up for a rally which touts such anti-science as Aluminium and Formaldehyde being at singularly dangerous levels in vaccines and Anti-Freeze being in them at all is the height of arrogant stupidity? Surely you cannot be that naive?
The truth is – and I get this from speaking to AAP, NIH, FDA and NHS members – that you had, and always will have, an opportunity to impress them with decent, peer reviewed science. That’s all you’ve ever needed. And that’s what you’ve never had.
5) The future. The person you’ve decided will be your public face is writing another book. <a href="http://stopthinkautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/today-autism-recovery-tomorrow-crystals.html"She says that:
It’s really an Indigo book…….We’re definitely the Indigos, you know, breaking down these walls so this, you know, New Earth behind us can happen.
And what’s your role in this?
…But people aren’t quite there yet and I kinda had to, not lower my vibration, change my vibration to focusing on the world hearing that message. Hearing that biomedical treatment does help these kids.
And then, slowly, you know I can put it in my speeches. and then in my last book I talked about the indigos and crystals. And I’m just like, I’m really following source, kind of I felt the need to do that, I’m just kind of dribbling it here and there until people, you know, have that spiritual awakening of spirituality.”
That’s where you’re going. You’re close to abandoning any kind of rational basis for your beliefs and just becoming Jenny’s followers in an Indigo Spiritual Awakening to herald in the New Earth..
Left Brain Right Brain 
Can I add my name as a co-signer?
I missed that particular- Stop. Think. Autism. blog where that Jenny interview was… Wow!
http://stopthinkautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/today-autism-recovery-tomorrow-crystals.html
SS: “You mention the word Indigo. What happened to your Indigo Moms website?” JM: “You know I had to take that down and I was so sad to take it down, for a while anyways, it’ll be coming back up. People got really confused because I was coming out with Evan’s autism at the same time. And, they thought that I was healing Evan through Tarot cards instead of biomedical treatments.
So I realized I had to separate my messages and I had to take down one message which is the indigo and crystals, for now. I said, ‘oh the world is getting confused with these two different paths,’ you know. I consider them to be one. But people aren’t quite there yet and I kinda had to, not lower my vibration, change my vibration to focusing on the world hearing that message. Hearing that biomedical treatment does help these kids.
And then, slowly, you know I can put it in my speeches. and then in my last book I talked about the indigos and crystals. And I’m just like, I’m really following source, kind of I felt the need to do that, I’m just kind of dribbling it here and there until people, you know, have that spiritual awakening of spirituality.”
Either immediately after this statement, or later on, she reiterates this,
JM: “I was definitely feeling that from source.”
When speaking about her new book, JM says:
JM: “It’s really an Indigo book.”
The interview ends with Jenny’s message to the listeners:
JM: “The parents…the parents. It is time to take back your power. It’s time to remember your power. Go within. Remember you have a voice. We are the seekers and doers of change and it is possible as long as you believe it. So join me in this collective awakening, in this new world, so we can have a perfect world for our kids.”
So I realized I had to separate my messages and I had to take down one message which is the indigo and crystals, for now. I said, ‘oh the world is getting confused with these two different paths,’ you know. I consider them to be one.
What do you know, I consider them to be one as well.
Coincidence?
“For James Eugene Carrey, freedom means escape from popular expectations of plastic-fantastic mugging, talking asses, and “Alll rrrighty, then!!”” (“Split Personality” by Steven Daly, Vanity Fair magazine, November 1999)
First rate piece. You tell it exactly like it is. Brilliant.
A.
Delusional.
I think that word sums up perfectly where the vaccine-causes-autism proponents are today.
You are correct, Kev. They had many chances to prove their case and couldn’t. That’s because you can’t change the scientific truth by willing it to be different, by gaining media attention, or even by winning in the courts. The truth will emerge, through the scientific method. And the truth is emerging, it’s practically monumentally against vaccines-cause-autism, with just a little concession to “vaccines might cause something similar to autism in very rare cases, but even then we can’t be sure that it was the vaccines that caused it”.
I realize that marketing and promotional skills don’t automatically instill critical thinking. I used to think that Mark Blaxill, in particular, was able to think critically, but I don’t anymore. He, and the rest of them are too invested.
Maybe it’s Mercury + some other mystery piece of the puzzle. I don’t know and confess that this issue is confusing on all sides. I do know that on the day my 4 month old got her first vaccine, she had her first seizure and we were told, no biggie. On the day of the second vaccine, seizures started thru the roof and we end up with about 300 before they stabilized in the last couple of years.
I am trying to stay open and keep up with all sides, but I must say that getting to the truth does not seem very high on the government’s agenda.
JHC, AutismRetort.com
Maybe it’s not even Mercury at all. I conceed that, but I do think it is something in the vaccines OR the sheer number. One thing that can’t be debated is that kids today get a shitload more vaccines.
We seem a tad clueless on what most of the preservatives do to us or what the other 80,000 chemicals in our households do to us.
I personally would like to see some studies related to antibiotics + vaccines or compromised immune system at the time of vaccination, etc.
This is not a closed issue on either site.
I am just a regular dad with a 7 year old who has Autism. They tell us, no way, no how vaccines are related. Many of those same people say the biomedical treatments don’t work either, and they are flat wrong.
Anyway, thanks for you blog. It would be nice to see folks disagree on issues without it being such a grand US vs THEM struggle.
JHC
Nice post, Kev, and long overdue.
Thanks for writing this–like Kristina, I’ll sign.
I wanted to repost this comment at : Respectful Insolence: EpiWonk shoots and scores: Kirby admits his error. The writer is D. C. Sessions:
Great summary of points in favor of the rational approach to this issue.
It looks like outside of the “evil vaccines are killing people! Killing people!” inner circle of anti-vax pro-biomed folks, some of the parents are starting to realize they are being bamboozled. Here is a letter from a parent to a pediatrician, evidence that maybe not all parents think that the AAP has abandoned them and DAN! is the one and only solution:
“When receiving Boy’s diagnosis of Autism, it was devastating. My first and foremost priority is to help Boy come to “recovery,” or as close to it as possible. He definitely has a ways to go.
When doing research, ABA is the most popular known tactic for Autism patients. There are many other “therapies” that are out there as well. Of course, there is the biomedical realm that has taken the spotlight. It is very controversial; however, many people are adamant that it has helped their children.
In my mind, I want to try anything and everything to see what will work for Boy. I don’t want to regret not trying something if it may work, or help in some way.
We have gone to a DAN! Doctor, Dr. XXX. Our next appointment with her is August 4th. It is very expensive to go to her and we can only stay 30 minutes. In your professional opinion, please let us know your thoughts as to what we should do. We would greatly appreciate any ideas/suggestions you have.
We have tried the vitamin/mineral supplements. Not sure if they have worked; however, his immune system seems to have gotten a little better. Of course, we’re not sure whether that is from the supplements or something else. The supplements are very expensive. Listed below are the vitamins/minerals Boy is on. Please advise as to what you think he should be on, or not be on.
Cod Liver Oil (1/2 tsp.)
Multi-Mineral (2 tsp.)
Multi-Vitamin (1 tsp.)
DMG, B12, Folinic (1 tsp.)
Zinc Liquid (1 tsp.)
Malic Acid (800 mg.) (pulls aluminum out of body)
L-Carnosine (1000 mg.) (to help increase BUN/Creatinine ratio)
CoQ10 (50 mg.)
Vitamin C (250 mg.)
Monolaurin (300 mg.)
P5P (50 mg.)
L-Carnitine (1 tsp. 2x/day)
Boy’s test results did show a high level of yeast. He is currently on Nystatin liquid (1 ½ tsp. 2x/day).
Boy was on the Gluten Free/Casein Free Diet for about 6 weeks. It was extremely difficult!!!! Boy got sick and refused to eat. In order to get him to eat again, we took him off the diet. We’ve been told, though, that we really didn’t give it long enough to really know if it would work. We were also told that we shouldn’t have given him any soy products during the diet. We were giving him soy products b/c we thought it was o.k. We are hesitant to try him on the diet again b/c he’s really coming along with trying new foods recently and not being so picky; however, would the diet help him feel better? Dr. XXX did tell us to give Boy a Trienza Enzyme to take after he eats a meal. This would replace the diet. Because there may be a die-off period, we haven’t tried the enzyme yet. Do you recommend that we try it?
Lastly, b/c we have pretty much tried everything thus far regarding the biomedical “field,” and Boy is still non-verbal, the last time we went, Dr. XXX wanted to try some chelating methods. She wanted to try suppositories to get out the metal (mercury) that showed up in his blood results. When we met with you, you made the comment that you wouldn’t try them with your own children. So, we decided not to do them. They are, however, in our refrigerator if we do decide to try them.
Again, please advise us in any way. We are extremely concerned about our son and want to do everything we can to help him; however, don’t want to hurt him in the process. Do you feel that we should continue to see Dr. XXX?
Thank you for your time and for your thoughts on this matter. It is greatly appreciated.”
Lack of vaccines kills.. you just posted the news article about the teenager in England.. it will cycle once more, these viruses will mutate and… around we go again.
Then the parents that afterwards, who hate vaccines, give their kids high doses of vitamins (not safe, and full of preservatives), chelation etc… WHY?? If you didn’t like what was in the vaccines why compound the problem? I find this idea frightening.
Vaccines are not safe for all… that also needs to be recognized. If a child has a reaction then the medical community should offer alternatives and try to find out if that child cannot have that vaccine. Those are rare, but need to be treated with respect.
I have a child who’s severely intolerant to dairy. Our little experiment 1 week after taking him off of dairy (nighmares/terrors, diahhrea all gone within 48hrs) yielded a NIGHTMARE… Removing dairy or gluten is minor… and if you need to feel that you have tried something… it’s always worth a try. Ironically it was the mild one not the severe one it helped. Science to back it up. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/27/autism-study.html
Also, you may want to check your school district before you decided not to give vaccines. Here, the Dr’s want you to stay home for a week if you get chicken pox, as long as the child can cope, they can go to school. Which is how my children got them, and little boy, not the elder.. was VERY ill. We weren’t expecting that.
We didn’t have chicken pox, meningitus I’ve pd ($70) for eldest, need to do for little boy and we haven’t had the pneumonia one. We’ve had the one’s the gov’t pays for. #1 – I forget and #2 – cost.
S.
Wow!!
Don’t know who’s the biggest shill –
Kevin Leitch
Anthony Cox
Orac
Orac probably writes his own stuff but the other 2 have ghost writers for a lot of their blogging.
I vote for Kevin
Hi Kev
I will apply your points to a some different groups of people
1- You cannot keep your story straight
You (AAP, CDC, FDA) have some first class marketing and PR people. Many aspects of the health aspects related to vaccines seem very marketed. You also have numerous leading lights who are very, very rich. This means you have ample opportunity to lever your message into the heart of the US media system.- such as you do, using all kinds of advertisements and versions of what would happened in terms of avoiding vaccination in mass-that is not going to happen- and the UK media and the European media and the world media…..- and you have money to do advertisement for vaccines- IN THE CURRENT SCHEDULE but NOT OTHERWISE- in Mars if you want – because… you never know and you need to be sure of being heard of the need of vaccines….
You are not going to explain a biochemical analysis- even one – with epi. You couldn´t and you can´t. I understand that you have recently talked about how the ‘safety of vaccines’ has evolved . That is stretching things more than a little. It is not mercury, its no MMR, its no both, its no Aluminium, its NOT all three, its no all ingredients, its no the very vaccines themselves, its no the given schedule. No – its NOTHING of the above- in combination or not with antibiotics/infections-whatever the number and combination during the first two years- even when you do not know WHAT something environmental is ASD related but FOR SURE VACCINEs have not been , are not and will never been related to ASD. PERIOD. The schedule is perfect , the combination of ALL the vaccines as the schedule is- at the minute – safe for almost all –practically whatever the circunstance at the time of vaccination or the previous history- and you may administer 9 at once to a one day old human being because we as infants may theoretically manage 10000 at once (didn´t you know? ).Genes are important and crucial for everything and epigenes also EXCEPT for vaccine answer. This is totally preserved and perfect- whatever the (epi)/genetics or the systemic status or the previous history ; IT so wonderful and simple the inmunology á la FDA/CDC/AAP (sarcasm included) –(not, unfortunately it isn´t).
About the numbers and the database of vaccines VAERS or others and ASD , they have demonstrated to prove whatever the user wanted to prove.Not very nice as evidence…like the educational data of California, ALL use them even when all know that nobody should….Kev, nobody is keeping the history straight, The point is why and what the implicancies are. In the case of the defendents of the no –link, they are doing adjustements to the explanation to explain the situation- doing corrections to the “vaccines are not” and “why the vaccines are not-never have been and never will be” and oh! Semantics!. This remembers me other situations where the corrections are so many at one point that the overall explanation fall in pieces- and science history has many many many of this…it is a matter of time. It looks bad.
In the case of the defendents of the link, it looks at improvements of the idea…with the recognition of the need of further hypothesis complexity and it is a matter of time but ,again, I remember Kuhn….In the meanwhile it looks bad….
ALL LOOK BAD- especially in the extremes- and ALL have explanations about why they look wonderful- and have very interesting explanations that fit the selected model.
No extreme is helping. ”Vaccines are safe and schedule is perfect and improving with more” vs” No vaccine is safe “ are no helping.
2) Your science is weak and getting weaker. The several testimonies on the Omnibus done by the experts for the respondents have so many aspects …. that are very very difficult to consider high quality evidence. There are so many things presented as “Absolutely such” that after a little search- and I say little- are “ absolutely not such” that is very problematic to use the word refute to begin with-I have not read a refutation of nothing- being honest, but the explanation of dogmas- without the consideration of the state of the art at 2008- many cases with citations of 30, 40 years ago. The overuse of “absolutely” “ me puso los pelos de punta” –such as other things do the same. My language is better to say this, sorry.The science about how Vaccine schedule and pediatric management of the infancy may have contributions or related to ASD- considering children genetically or epigenetically susceptible is so lacking that is incalificable.High quality science from both sides is needed because nobody has proven nothing…
3) Your choice of media people to represent you is doing you harm.
Both sides have “depending on the point of view” harming media people.
4) You cannot see that you are being humoured.
We can all be humoured because nobody knows the truth. We may conjugate the verb “how someone else humour me” don´t you think?.
5) The future
Things are evolving in the autism field for good or bad- I do not know for sure But for sure they are evolving… and moving. IF we are going in the right direction or in free fall is other point and depending on who you ask the answer will be different..We don´t know where we go, only that we go…
I still stand up for my son for the proper consideration of his CMPs and the importance of the PROPER TESTING; DETECTION and TREATMENT of them for his life quality. THAT is also part of his human rights- between others as a full person, such as a NT person.And the “experts” are not helping- or explaining – in (almost) nothing– also depending on what expert you consider –depending on who is considered an expert-and who you ask and what aspect you consider.It is the world of the relative and IF ..BUT and so on.However, there are so many committed , serious and working in the dark doctors/researchers/activists/autistic adults ( agreeing with me or not) for and by our children that I want to exclude them of all this. And some of the scientists you Kev mentioned as so bad perhaps are not having the category of proof that the proponents of the theory- in extreme- want/pretend but are not as bad as you mentioned.(I disagree with you in your analysis in many pieces and in a whole but in some aspects I agree) especially if the analysis is done in other context that the never ending cause-cure situation. I am talking of all that fit this category-mainstreamed or not, known or not, mentioned or not and perhaps today they are not being aware that his/her work may be relevant for ASD in the future.
Who knows what the future will bring? They are my hope about what the future may bring…
“Y la nave …VA”. ..The question is to where.
_”Orac probably writes his own stuff but the other 2 have ghost writers for a lot of their blogging.”_
I do?
Orac probably writes his own stuff but the other 2 have ghost writers for a lot of their blogging.
Of course you do, Kev :)! And y’know you pay those ghosts with those big checks you get from Big Pharma.
Snort.
Hi Maria, you said
“me puso los pelos de punta”
I am learning Spanish at the moment. Does the above translate to
“it made my hair stand on end”
Hi century
Well, the translation was difficult for me; but it would be more like-even when I do not consider so right
“it made my hairs rigid from the begin to the end of them”
The graphic that is evoked when you say something like this in spanish is the punk hair with all the hairs of the head straight rigid, like an angry “hedgehog”- erizo in spanish.
Sorry I have not found a better explanation. There are plenty of this local language uses and they are difficult to translate.
You know, I think they summed up their real scientific and cosmological experience in the words of one of their own mouthpeices. “Bullshit!”
Hi Maria
Thanks for the reply
Is it possible to email you – in Spanish – so that I can improve my written Spanish?
If yes, please email me – century6w@yahoo.co.uk
TIA
Hi century
Please check your mailbox, I have sent you one e-mail.Sometimes my e-mail account does not work properly and the mails are lost.
Regards
There you go – LB/RB – bringing people together and furthering learning opportunities 😉
Kev,
I must say that you make a strong point. However, how can we be certain who is right and who is wrong? I would like to know what your opinion is on how children become Autistic? What do you believe is the cause for Autism? Also, can autism be treated? If so, would you recommend any of these popular myths/theories such as the GF/CF Diet? Please update us on what type of proven therapies you have chosen for your daughter’s progression.
I would like to know what your opinion is on how children become Autistic?
There are many causes of autism and there are many variants of autism. The question is not a good one just based on that.
However, the question also assumes that kids “become” autistic rather than are autistic. Even for kids who regress, there is evidence that in at least some of the cases the causation happened before birth. For others, even though they regress, they had signs before the regression.
It is not a good question and not well posed.
Breaking news…. a federal judge has sanctioned Clifford Shoemaker… hah!
http://www.citmedialaw.org/blog/2008/judge-sanctions-lawyer-issuing-subpoena-blogger-kathleen-seidelA
“A federal magistrate judge in New Hampshire has sanctioned Clifford Shoemaker, a Virginia attorney, for abusing the legal process by issuing a subpoena to Kathleen Seidel.”
…”In the end, the judge didn’t order Shoemaker to pay a monetary sanction, but he did order the Virginia lawyer to attend ethics training and directed his court clerk to notify the Virginia State Bar so that it could consider disciplinary action on its own.
Shoemaker and his client have a right to disagree with Seidel and, if they think they’ve been the victims of a conspiracy, to sue her. But they don’t have a right to misuse the legal system to coerce a critic to “shut up.” As I’ve noted before, we all lose when we allow that to happen. ”
Yay!!!
Sullivan,
Next time I want your opinion I will ask you. My questions did not assume anything. Therefore they were just questions. Your answers were not good and not well posed anyways. What are you a scientist? Now that was a great question might I add well posed. Never mind. Have a Good day.
Kev,
Please forgive my “not well posed” questions. I am simply asking what your opinions are and what you as a father have done such as in therapies that have been given in the aid of your daughters progression.
This is a blog. You’re going to get comments. Don’t give commenters grief. If you want to ask me and only me a question, use the contact form.
_”I would like to know what your opinion is on how children become Autistic?”_
I don’t know. My opinion is that it is mostly genetic with some environmental aspect.
_”What do you believe is the cause for Autism?”_
See above.
_”Also, can autism be treated? If so, would you recommend any of these popular myths/theories such as the GF/CF Diet?”_
I don’t think autism can be treated, no. I think some things (PECS/SaLT/etc) help with certain aspects that are associated with autism. I don’t believe these things treat autism directly however.