Facing Autism in New Brunswick: National Institute of Mental Health Drops Chelation Autism Treatment Study

Thursday, September 18, 2008

National Institute of Mental Health Drops Chelation Autism Treatment Study

The National Institute of Mental Health has decided to drop a planned study of chelation as an autism treatment study. The AP reports that the NIMH issued a statement saying the money would be better used testing other potential therapies for autism and related disorders.

autism

1 comment:

Marcella Piper-Terry, M.S. said...: I'm very happy to have found your blog and would like to point you to mine. I commented on this issue a couple of days ago as well.

http://4allofyou.blogspot.com/

I am a DAN! provider and autism advocate in Indiana. (coal country and home to hundreds of thousands of canaries - our children)

Governor Mitch Daniels is pushing for more power plants here and compares our coal reserves to the oil in Saudi Arabia. We currently rank 5th in the U.S. (per IDEA data) for the number of children with autism. I hope you will check out my post from September 17, "An Open Letter to Mitch Daniels" regarding thimerosal and environmental mercury. Lots of unanswered questions, I think.

Keep up the good work. I will definitely be following.

Marcella Piper-Terry, M.S.; 2:57 am

Why ABA For Autism?

The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of research by using single-subject methodology21,25,27,28 and in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive behavioral intervention programs in university and community settings.29–40 Children who receive early intensive behavioral treatment have been shown to make substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic performance, and adaptive behavior as well as some measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have been significantly better than those of children in control groups.31–4

American Academy of Pediatrics, Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Research Awakening - Environment Plays Big Role, MUST Be Studied

My Autism Pledge For Conor

Today I pledge to continue; I Pledge to continue to fight for the availability of effective autism treatments; I Pledge to continue to fight for a real education for autistic children; I Pledge to continue to fight for decent residential care for autistic adults; I Pledge to continue to fight for a cure for autism; I Pledge to continue finding joy in my son but not in the autism disorder that restricts his life; Today, and every day, I Pledge to continue to hope for a better life for Conor and others with autism, through accommodation, care, respect, treatment, and some day, a cure; Today, and every day, I Pledge to continue to fight for the best possible life for Conor, my son with autistic disorder.

Dr. Jon Poling : Blinders Won’t Reduce Autism

"Fortunately, the ‘better diagnosis’ myth has been soundly debunked. ... only a smaller percentage of this staggering rise can be explained by means other than a true increase.

Because purely genetic diseases do not rise precipitously, the corollary to a true autism increase is clear — genes only load the gun and it is the environment that pulls the trigger. Autism is best redefined as an environmental disease with genetic susceptibilities."

We should be investing our research dollars into discovering environmental factors that we can change, not more poorly targeted genetic studies that offer no hope of early intervention. Pesticides, mercury, aluminum, several drugs, dietary factors, infectious agents and yes — vaccines — are all in the research agenda.

Dr. Jon Poling, Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 13, 2009