Archive | Autism Books RSS feed for this section

Christmas break reading list

29 Dec

Mine is too big (pages and content, not number of books), and a good chunk of Christmas break has already past. That said, I set a goal for myself to read more books. And to read better books. Reading “The Age of Autism” and “Callous Disregard” had some small value. It is good to challenge one’s ideas. But these books are just poorly done and poorly written. I figured it’s time to devote some time to something that could be a bit of a benefit in education, entertainment or both.

The two main books on my shelf right now are
“The Developing Human. Clinically Oriented Embryology“.

and

Send in the Idiots

The first was suggested to me when I expressed an interest in learning more about human development, especially very early development and the brain. I got a copy very cheap, somewhat used. As long as I was perusing used books, I picked up a copy of “Send in the Idiots” as well. That one is new, with the exception of the tag put on it by the used bookstore. Send in the Idiots has been in the back of my mind since I heard the author interviewed on the NPR program “Fresh Air”.

Another book on my shelf, which will come as no surprise, is “Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All”. This is Paul Offit’s new book. I’ve read that already and will be discussing it here on LeftBrainRightBrain soon.

While I feel like I should be virtuous and read “The Developing Human”, I started on “Send in the Idiots” first. I don’t know if I will finish anything before I head back to work, but if I finish that I will write about it here.

Commentary on Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism

22 Dec

I recently wrote about the paper Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism by the MIND Institute. It is difficult to write about the topic of mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial disorders and autism without discussing vaccines. Even the Simons Foundation blog mentioned vaccines in their treatment of the paper, even though the paper makes no comments about vaccines.

Why? Because the case of Hannah Poling and, especially, the way David Kirby presented it to the public has linked autism–mitochondrial dysfunction–vaccines into one neat package. With posts like “NEW STUDY – “Mitochondrial Autism” is Real; Vaccine Triggers Cannot Be Ruled Out” and “The Vaccine-Autism Story: Trust Your Government, or Be a Patriot and Get on Google”. In the latter post he wrote:

“Google “autism and mitochondria,” (96,900 hits) and then Google “mercury and mitochondria,” (169,000 hits) and draw your own, informed conclusions. “

It was very much in David Kirby’s style. Don’t come out and say something directly (like, “mercury is the cause of mitochondrial disease”) but lead the reader along with a series of, well, leading statements.

A more responsible approach would be that one needn’t trust the government nor seek advice on google. A more responsible approach for Mr. Kirby would be to suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, parents of autistic kids should seek out the advice of experts in mitochondrial medicine. Mr. Kirby clearly had an agenda, and it wasn’t the well being of autistics. He was promoting the idea that vaccines caused an autism epidemic.

Mr. Kirby thankfully appears to have moved on from focusing his attention on promoting the vaccine-autism hypotheses. And yet, there is obviously a hunger amongst his old readers for this discussion. This can be seen in Mark Hyman’s blog post at the Huffington Post, “Autism Research: Breakthrough Discovery on the Causes of Autism” which has nearly 1,900 comments. Where David Kirby was promoting himself and the interests of groups like SafeMinds and Generation Rescue, Dr. Hyman uses the MIND Institute paper to promote himself and his own business.

What is worse is the way he goes about doing this. Dr. Hyman is even less capable of covering his obvious mistakes than was David Kirby.

Dr. Hyman writes:

While we don’t have all the answers, and more research is needed to identify and validate the causes and treatment of autism, there are new signs of hope. A study just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers from the University of California, Davis called “Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism” (i) discovered a profound and serious biological underpinning of autism — an acquired loss of the ability to produce energy in the cells, damage to mitochondria (the energy factories in your cells), and an increase in oxidative stress (the same chemical reaction that causes cars to rust, apples to turn brown, fat to become rancid, and skin to wrinkle). These disturbances in energy metabolism were not due to genetic mutations, which is often seen in mitochondrial problems, but a condition the children studied acquired in utero or after birth.

The statement is amazing. Not in a good way. It is amazing that someone could write such an irresponsible paragraph and attribute it to a paper which clearly doesn’t make or support these claims.

The very title of Dr. Hyman’s post (Autism Research: Breakthrough Discovery on the Causes of Autism) is in error. The study makes no claims about the causes of autism. Dr. Hyman didn’t have to look any farther than the paper itself which clearly states as one of the limitations:

Sixth, inferences about a cause and effect association between mitochondrial dysfunction and typical autism cannot be made in a cross-sectional study.

Given this, we can also throw out Dr. Hyman’s wild claim that the study’s authors “discovered a profound and serious biological underpinning of autism”.

Since it is already clear that Dr. Hyman is using the paper to promote his own ideas, regardless of the facts in the paper, I won’t posit as to why he claims that the mitochondrial dysfunction is “acquired”, or that this is due to “damage” to mitochondria. The paper does not support either of these conclusions as fact.

He makes the claim that “These disturbances in energy metabolism were not due to genetic mutations, which is often seen in mitochondrial problems, but a condition the children studied acquired in utero or after birth.”

I am unsure how Dr. Hyman reached this conclusion. The paper notes differences in the mtDNA of many of the children studied. It does not provide evidence as to when or how these genetic differences arose.

Table 3 clearly shows the genetic measures the MIND Institute researchers used. Question the method as you may (or some experts have), there are differences in the mtDNA. The methodology doesn’t allow one to state if these difference were present at birth or not.

The MIND Institute hosts an interview with Prof. Giulivi
At about 3:30 into Prof. Giulivi’s interview, she states clearly that they can not conclude if the mitochondrial dysfunction they claim causes autism or is a result of it.

It is hard for me to decide if Dr. Hyman is more irresponsible than David Kirby or if it is the other way around. David Kirby was certainly doing some self promotion, but his impact was largely as a publicist for the autism-as-vaccine-injury groups like SafeMinds and Generation Rescue. Dr. Hyman is clearly focused on promoting his own services as a practitioner of alternative medicine.

The problem is that in the end, rather than being a leader in treatment, as Dr. Hyman presents himself, such irresponsible actions hinder advancement.

The Huffington Post: Featuring bad science, facile reasoning since 2005

14 Dec

That’s the title of a new blog post by Seth Mnookin, author of “The Panic Virus“. The title is spot on (and could be the the title of a book in its own right): The Huffington Post: Featuring bad science, facile reasoning since 2005.

Seth Mnookin took a look at unscientific thinking that can lead to dangerous results. Not surprisingly, he found that the anti-vaccine movement and the autism-vaccine discussion in particular made an excellent core for his book. In his first blog piece related to Panic Virus, Mr. Mnookin takes a look at how the Huffington Post reported a recent study on mitochondrial dysfunction and autism. The Huffington Post piece, authored by Mark Hyman, made claims well beyond those supported by the paper itself.

A brief quote by Mr. Mnookin:

If you’re confused as to why The Huffington Post would run Hyman’s piece — well, I have my theories, but suffice it to say that the site arguably features more scientific quackery than any other mainstream media outlet.

Reading Age of Autism – All I can handle, I’m no Vladimir Nabokov

13 Nov

I read Dan Olmsted’s latest post on Age of Autism and was reminded I had yet to publish a closing post on my experiences with the book. Here’s a quote from Dan:

It’s doubly disappointing to see traditionally progressive outlets – from Salon to Daily Kos to The Atlantic to National Public Radio and PBS – ignore the evidence presented in our book and so many other places, twist the facts they can’t deny, belittle those who believe otherwise including beleaguered autism parents, and glibly trumpet tired reassurances that the concern over vaccines has been “asked and answered,” that “study after study” has refuted any relation, and that continuing to point out disturbing patterns of evidence to the contrary endangers children and infants.

Quick translation for you: “Waaah, nobody liked our book or thought it was valid. What a bunch of pooh-pooh heads!”

The embarrassing truth for Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill is that their book has been still-born. Take a look at the Amazon rankings compiled by Broken Link and its hard to come to any other conclusion. But why has this happened?

First off, the book is badly written. Its not an easy read in the way that Evidence of Harm was. Of course the style is different but Age of Autism is not even a well written poor story.

Secondly, the content is – well – embarrassingly one sided. Whilst B & O claim to be not anti-vaccine, the whole book – particularly part II is rife with anti-vaccine sentiments designed not so much to lead the reader to a conclusion but to batter the reader over the head with the conclusion B & O reached before sitting down to write even.

Thirdly, the content is old hat. There is literally nothing new in the book. For those of us who have followed the the whole story, AoA has nothing _new_ to add to the overall scenario. Whereas Defeating Autism, Autism’s False Prophets and Evidence of Harm all had something _new_ to add to the story, AoA merely dully repeats truthiness from 3 or 4 years ago and couples it with a retelling of historical speculation that simply reiterates what everyone already knew – mercury isn’t so good for you.

So thats that for me reading purgatory. I’m reading something very much better now that I think Sullivan and I will be blogging at length in the new year.

Autism-vaccine books, an indication that the tide has turned?

13 Nov

We recently discussed here on LeftbrainRightBrain two books, both due out in January. The first, The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear, is by a new name to the discussion, Seth Mnookin. The second book, Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All, is by Dr. Paul Offit, a name well known in the autism/vaccine discussion.

With these two books due out in the near future, it is only natural to look back at the recent past. I am thinking of two other books on autism and vaccines, Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill’s “The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-made Epidemic“, and Andrew Wakefield’s “Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines: The Truth Behind a Tragedy. Both of these books continue the old story of autism caused by mercury in vaccines and autism caused by the MMR vaccine. There is really no new science and there never was much in the first place. Sure, Age of Autism tries to apply their same “correlation is causation” arguments about mercury to other medical conditions in history, but that isn’t science. Callous Disregard is more about Andrew Wakefield’s excuses for his own misdeeds than about the science anyway. The books have been given a lukewarm reception by their target audience (neither has really sold in large numbers, and the trends are clear that the books are selling through the promotion by “friendly” blogs and book signings). Even Dan Olmsted himself recently blogged about how the formerly friendly press is now ignoring his book.

Jenny McCarthy has moved on, at least for now. The same can be said for David Kirby (but he is still giving appearances at autism-parent conventions as some sort of expert.) But, the days when Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy could hit the New York Times best seller list are in the past.

This isn’t about some sense of schadenfreude or an “our author’s books are doing better than your author’s books” sort of competition. Rather, this is a time to ask (once again), has the tide turned? Do two flops tell us that the heyday of the movement over?

Sure, there will always be a SafeMinds and a Generation Rescue out there pushing the idea of a vaccine-induced autism epidemic. But one researcher I know has told me that vaccines just aren’t even coming up as a point of discussion any more. Not in conferences (the real kind, not the parent-convention kind). Not even in public lectures.

Has the tide turned? I hope so. I really do.

Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All

13 Nov

I recently wrote about the book, Panic Virus, which is set to come out in January, 2011. Another book which includes sections on the autism/vaccine story is also scheduled for January: Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All, by Paul Offit.

The “product description” is very brief:

How did we get to a place where vaccines are viewed with horror rather than as life-saving medicine? The answer is rooted in one of the most powerful and disturbing citizen activist movements in our nation’s history—a movement that, despite recent epidemics and deaths, continues to grow. Deadly Choices is the story of anti-vaccine activity in America—its origins, leaders, influences, and impact—and is a powerful defense of science in the face of fear.

While the word “autism” doesn’t appear at all on the Amazon.com page for the book, it will come as no surprise that the autism/vaccine parent groups play a prominent role in the book’s discussion of the modern anti-vaccine movement.

Dr. Offit’s books get read. By important people. I have little doubt this one will too.

As I said with my discussion of Panic Virus, there is no joy in realizing that some of the vocal autism-parent groups are being chronicled in this way. There is, however, relief that books such as these signal that perhaps the worst is over. The public and the press are no longer giving the idea of the vaccine-induced-autism-epidemic the credibility it enjoyed only a year or two ago.

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear

13 Nov

The past 15 years have seen a rise and, I would say, fall in the notion that vaccines might cause autism. I’ve often wondered when someone might write a history of the period. Somehow I thought that was still years away but I am wrong.

In January, a new book comes out: The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear. Seth Mnookin takes on the project of telling the story. From the sumary below and the blurbs on Amazon.com, this does not look to be the next “Evidence of Harm”. Far from it.

Here is the summary from Amazon.com:

WHO DECIDES WHICH FACTS ARE TRUE?

In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile one study after another failed to find any link between childhood vaccines and autism.

Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both sides” of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.

In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America.

The Panic Virus is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking medical detective story that explores the limits of rational thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time.

The blurb from Arthur Allen (author of Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver should give you a bit more of a taste of what is to come:

“Seth Mnookin understood there was something more to the cruelly misled and dangerously misleading vaccines-cause-autism movement than just an unhappy group of parents with a need to blame someone. He saw the connection between this deathless conspiracy theory and the proliferating irrationality of a society that has supersized its information diet while starving its capacity to think straight. For that reason alone—not to mention the deft, often charming characterizations woven into its skillful and fascinating narrative—this is an important, powerful, and bracing book.”

There is no joy in reporting that segments of the autism parent community are being outed for what has been and continues to be a very damaging agenda. Damaging to the public at large and to the autism communities. No, there is no joy in that. There is however a sense of relief that perhaps the worst is over.

My latest book

9 Oct

I’d like to thank the anonymous donor who sent me a copy of Age of Autism – the book. It arrived this morning. So for the next few days I’m going to put aside the unabashed joy of reading Under the Dome by Stephen King and take up this newer work of fantasy. I promise to blog everything I can.

Barbara Loe Fisher discusses her failed lawsuit against Paul Offit and Amy Wallace

22 Sep

Amy Wallace wrote an article on the vaccine/autism discussion entitled An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All. In it she quotes both Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center. As part of that article, Ms. Wallace quoted Dr. Offit discussing Ms. Fisher:

Offit is quick-witted, funny, and — despite a generally mild-mannered mien — sometimes so assertive as to seem brash. “Scientists, bound only by reason, are society’s true anarchists,” he has written — and he clearly sees himself as one. “Kaflooey theories” make him crazy, especially if they catch on. Fisher, who has long been the media’s go-to interview for what some in the autism arena call “parents rights,” makes him particularly nuts, as in “You just want to scream.” The reason? “She lies,” he says flatly.

Ms. Fisher sued Dr. Offit, Amy Wallace and Conde Nast Publications (who publishes Wired) over the statement “she lies”, claiming it was defamatory.

Ms. Fisher’s suit was dismissed before it could be heard. Ms. Fisher has now blogged her experiences as Amy Wallace & Yellow Journalism.

Much of that account struck me, but allow me to discuss a few here:

Ms. Fisher states in regard to Ms. Wallace’s response to the suit: Instead of providing one piece of solid evidence to support Offit’s defamatory statement, Wallace claimed I could not sue her because she is a resident of California.

Well, I looked up the MOTION TO DISMISS BY AMY WALLACE AND CONDÉ NAST PUBLICATIONS INC.. Yes, in point 4 they do state that there is a problem with jurisdiction. But that is not the whole story. Ms. Fisher seems to have forgotten point 3 of the “Motion to Dismiss”. I’ll quote it below:

It is evident, however, that plaintiff cannot obtain the relief she seeks even if all well-pleaded factual allegations are accepted as true and the reasonable inferences derived therefrom are viewed in the light most favorable her. Under controlling state and federal law in this jurisdiction, the challenged remark by Dr. Offit, about a matter of substantial public concern, is not actionable as defamation because it is neither capable of being understood as stating actual facts nor of being proven true or false. It is, therefore, an expression of opinion that is immune from civil liability under the common law of Virginia, the Constitution of this Commonwealth, and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Ms. Wallace’s defense was not just that she is a resident of California.

Ms. Fisher conitinues:

And Offit, who has no trouble keeping a straight face when he states flatly that it is absolutely safe for a child to get 10,000 vaccines at once and 100,000 vaccines in a lifetime, claimed he was simply having an emotional meltdown when he hysterically told Wallace “flatly” that I lie. And to draw attention away from the seriousness of engaging in libel per se, the defendants’ attorneys argued that “the quoted remark ‘she lies’ is not capable of being proven true or false” because the civil court system cannot prove whether vaccines do or do not cause harm.

I don’t know what video Ms. Fisher is referencing when she states that Dr. Offit can’t keep a straight face. I mean, she wouldn’t say that unless she actually saw him talking (each and every time he has done it) and noticed that he had such troubles, would she? In Dr. Offit’s Motion to Dismiss, I don’t see any mention of the words “emotional meltdown”. Perhaps it was in some other document I was unable to pick up from PACER? I don’t recall the Wired article claiming that Dr. Offit was “hysterical”. I mean, this couldn’t possibly be an expression of opinion of Ms. Fisher in a heated debate and not a statement of actual facts? As such, wouldn’t Ms. Fisher’s statements be protected speech, even if they aren’t completely factual?

As to the actual statement “She lies” that is the basis for Ms. Fisher’s failed suit? In her blog piece Ms. Fisher writes:

Third, Hilton offered the opinion that Offit’s allegation “cannot be reasonably understood to suggest” that I am “a person lacking honesty and integrity” and that Wallace and Wired magazine were only reporting Offit’s “personal opinion” about my “views” and none of the defendants intended to make a “literal assertion of fact” that I lie.

In other words, they really didn’t mean it.

Is that really what was argued and decided? From a response Dr. Offit filed with the court:

Accordingly, the question is not whether Dr. Offit could provide a list of specific “lies” stated by Plaintiff in the past – an exercise he will undergo to establish “truth” if this case is not dismissed on this initial motion – but whether Dr. Offit’s vague statement in the context of the Article will merely be understood as a loose expression of disagreement with Plaintiff, not an assertion of specific actual fact, and thus constitutes protected opinion immune from suit.

He seems to be willing to provide a list of specific “lies” stated by [Ms. Fisher] in the past. I don’t see that as the same thing as “they didn’t really mean it.” (as an aside, why “they”? Amy Wallace wasn’t saying that Ms. Fisher lies. She was reporting what Dr. Offit said.)

In response to Ms. Wallace’s argument that Virginia was the incorrect jurisdiction, Ms. Fisher requested discovery information:

Plaintiff requests discovery concerning all facts germane to personal jurisdiction including, but not limited to, traffic on the defendants’ various websites, including, for example, the geographic locations of all who have transmitted comments in association with those websites; all who have sent correspondence in response to Wallace’s Wired article; the Virginia state Wired magazine subscriptions obtained through Wired.com; and Wallace’s communications with CNP concerning the Wired.com blog, as well as any and all interactions between Wallace and Virginia sources, Virginia media, and Virginia readers.

Yep. Any and all interactions between Amy Wallace and people in Virginia (the state of jurisdiction for this case) and all communications with CNP (Conde Naste Publications. Essentially her employer on this piece).

This sounds like a fishing expedition to me (is that protected speech?). Especially the part about “Wallace’s communications with CNP concerning the Wired.com blog.”

Ms. Fisher notes in her piece that she has been a proponent of vaccine education for many years. Earlier this year she put out a YouTube video discussing the presence of “fatal pig viruses” in the rotavirus vaccines. At that time I emailed them, seeking some education on the subject. I asked a simple question:

I saw your recent video. You mention “fatal pig viruses”. Could you please point me to your data indicating that these viruses are fatal in humans?

The email remains unanswered.

Age of Autism – the book – sales figures

20 Sep

Deep in the heart of the Big Pharma Wackosphere, shadowy figures, twisted into parodies of humanity by their greed, shuffled to and fro. They all carried the stain of Big Pharma – a tattoo of Darth Offit – on the back of their left hand so that they might know each other. The stink of corruption hung in the air like the stench of a festering wound. Not that the Wackosphere cared. Such was their corruption that they breathed deep of the foetid stench…and called it good.

Two figures, barely human broke off from the main rank and file and walked towards a small door. They glanced quickly at each other. Nobody entered this room lightly. Behind its plain brown door lay secrets the likes of which those – the sheeple – outside of the Big Pharma Wackosphere could not even imagine. Dark secrets of events that had the power to blast ones sight and scar one’s mind. Repeated visits rubbed away at a man’s conscience until all that was left was greed and the desire to do harm via blogging. This was…The Knowledge Room.

The two figures steeled themselves. Once they had been simple bloggers, sheeple themselves, but over the years they had first sipped at the Cup of Corruption and then swigged greedily from its poisoned chalice. Now all they wished for was to do as much harm as was possible, whilst getting paid for it in silky Big Pharma cheques.

The first figure, who called himself Kev but who’s real name has passed beyond knowledge, turned to the other who called himself Sullivan, a twisted joke on the name of a sheeple film where monsters are the good guys.

“Go on, then.”
“Its your turn”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so.”
Kev uttered an oath. “I still don’t like this,” he said gloomily.
“Think of the money.”
“True.”
Kev reached out a hand and pushed at the door. It was unlocked as always, inviting visitors into its cold heart.

The room was a small, plain, somewhat arid brown box with a chair in front of a TV. The TV, as always was on and showing the snow of an untuned station.

Kev went to sit in the chair, then stopped.

“Are you sure its my turn?”
“Pretty sure.”
“Damn.”

He sat down.

“Erm…hi…I was wondering if you could tell us how many copies of The Age of Autism had actually sold this week. Uh…Please.”

The room went dark. Sullivan stepped back from the chair. All he could see was the dull throbbing of the tattoo of Darth Offit on Kev’s left hand. He knew what Kev was going through now. Delivery of the answer was always a hideously painful process. The price one paid for having access to this room.

Slowly the room lightened, little by little Sullivan made out the figure of Kev. He had fallen to the floor and was panting like a boxer who was still floored after a big punch.

“Well? How many?” Much rested on the answer to this question. If the book was a success, Big Pharma would have to spend more of their resources refuting the book. That meant less money for Wackosphere bloggers.

Kev looked up from the floor. “Twenty-six.” he panted.

“Twenty six?” Sullivan laughed darkly…by the power of Wyeth! To the Blogging Chamber!!”

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →