There was an article/commentary with Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/09/dr-manny-says-autism-breakthrough-is-realfor-now/)today regarding the relationship between Autism and genetics. It was a commentary on an article that can be read here: http://technorati.com/women/article/autism-more-complex-than-we-thought/.
It seems like the scientists are agreeing with my opinion of the origins of Autism. I think (and I'm not in the medical profession) that many of those diagnosed with ASD have a genetic link to it. In my family, Autism has been lurking in the background for about 5 generations. So when people were blaming vaccinations for causing Autism I did a lot of mental eye rolling. I'm pretty certain that my great-grandfather didn't have a lot of vaccinations back when he was a baby in the late 1800's.
I also think (remember no medical background) that for many, there needs to be a trigger to cause Autism to develop. This trigger could be medical, psychological, traumatic, etc. So basically, just because your family has a genetic pre-disposition to Autism Spectrum Disorders, doesn't mean that you will develop it. Which, I think, is why a family with 3 children might have only one child on the spectrum and the other two are neurotypical. Or the reverse could be true: one neurotypical child and two on the spectrum.
I suppose that my opinions regarding the causes of ASD are why I get so irritated with people saying that they've "cured" their child of Autism. There isn't a cure. Just like you can't cure someone of diabetes (yet!), Autism isn't a curable affliction. I think that a person can be taught to overcome it using any combination of therapies and/or medications. People adapt. That's why when someone is diagnosed with Type II Diabetes they can overcome it with a combination of diet and exercise. Even when the blood sugars are being kept at manageable levels, you don't go on a sugar and carb binge. The diagnosis of diabetes is still there. You've just learned how to manage it.
I guess that I'm saying that I'm thrilled when studies like those referenced in the first paragraph come out, I feel vindicated in my opinions. I like being right. But regardless of how I feel about any research, I'm glad that there are people out there who are trying to find a cause (and yes a cure) because then I know that someday Autism will be conquered. Just like cancer and diabetes will someday become footnotes in medical history and not a topic that we discuss regularly with our doctors.
It seems like the scientists are agreeing with my opinion of the origins of Autism. I think (and I'm not in the medical profession) that many of those diagnosed with ASD have a genetic link to it. In my family, Autism has been lurking in the background for about 5 generations. So when people were blaming vaccinations for causing Autism I did a lot of mental eye rolling. I'm pretty certain that my great-grandfather didn't have a lot of vaccinations back when he was a baby in the late 1800's.
I also think (remember no medical background) that for many, there needs to be a trigger to cause Autism to develop. This trigger could be medical, psychological, traumatic, etc. So basically, just because your family has a genetic pre-disposition to Autism Spectrum Disorders, doesn't mean that you will develop it. Which, I think, is why a family with 3 children might have only one child on the spectrum and the other two are neurotypical. Or the reverse could be true: one neurotypical child and two on the spectrum.
I suppose that my opinions regarding the causes of ASD are why I get so irritated with people saying that they've "cured" their child of Autism. There isn't a cure. Just like you can't cure someone of diabetes (yet!), Autism isn't a curable affliction. I think that a person can be taught to overcome it using any combination of therapies and/or medications. People adapt. That's why when someone is diagnosed with Type II Diabetes they can overcome it with a combination of diet and exercise. Even when the blood sugars are being kept at manageable levels, you don't go on a sugar and carb binge. The diagnosis of diabetes is still there. You've just learned how to manage it.
I guess that I'm saying that I'm thrilled when studies like those referenced in the first paragraph come out, I feel vindicated in my opinions. I like being right. But regardless of how I feel about any research, I'm glad that there are people out there who are trying to find a cause (and yes a cure) because then I know that someday Autism will be conquered. Just like cancer and diabetes will someday become footnotes in medical history and not a topic that we discuss regularly with our doctors.
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