Jenny McCarthy Knocks Over Neurodiversity Hornet's Nest

As expected, Jenny McCarthy’s appearance on Oprah has stirred up the Internet’s Neurodiversity bloggers. During the past week they buzzed about in a paroxysm of sarcastic rage over Ms McCarthy's audacity in speaking out about autism. Some of the Neurodiversity commentary has been mean and snide. Some of it has been outright offensive.

Following is a list of Neurodiversity Hub bloggers who fell over themselves taking cheap shots at Ms. McCarthy and her views on the nature of autism, autism causes and cures. Some, like Mike Stanton, Educator, and Kristina Chew, Educator, Ph.D., felt compelled to belittle her more than once. Ms Chew in fact featured Ms McCarthy in no less than 7 of her commentaries over the past week. What will the Neurodiversity Hub bloggers ever do with themselves until the next autism appearance by Ms McCarthy?

Mike Stanton
Respectful Insolence
Autism Street
Left Brain/Right Brain (Kevin Leitch)
Natural Variation (Joseph)
Autism Diva
One Dad’s Opinion
Autism Vox

Although I do not share her views on autism cause and cure, I respect Ms. McCarthy for speaking up. As noted previously she may yet be proven right, and I may be proven wrong on our differing autism opinions. I have not subscribed to the dietary interventions for autism. But yesterday the Autism Canada conference focused on biomedical interventions with Dr. Derrick MacFabe of the UWO team that reported a gut-brain autism link, and Dr. Martha Herbert of Harvard Medical School. The conference also featured Dr. Wendy Edwards, a paediatrician and mother of an autistic child, who advocates the use of various biomedical treatments including dietary interventions. The Neurodiversity ideologues will have to come up with different ad hominem attacks to use against Dr. Edwards.

Dr. Wendy Edwards, Pediatrician and Autism Mother, Advocates Treating Autism as a Whole Body Medical Illness

The Times Colonist has an article on yesterday's Autism Canada conference and its focus on treating autism as a whole body medical illness. Speakers included Dr. Derrick MacFabe of the UWO team which recently released its findings on proprionic acid and Dr. Martha Herbert of the Harvard Medical School. Much of the article though focused on Dr. Wendy Edwards, a Southern Ontario pediatrician whose son was diagnosed with autism at age 3. The message at the conference as summarized by the Times Colonist is that autism is a full body illness and is not limited to the brain.

Dr. Edwards advocates the use of biomedical treatments in addition to applied behaviour analysis in treating autism. She recommends diets aimed at eliminating toxins and reducing digestive tract inflammation and describes some elements of such diets including melatonin, antioxidants and the GF-CF free diet. Dr. Edwards acknowledges that her biomedical recommendations are not supported by scientific study but questions whether parents should wait while the studies are done:

"Why not do what we feel is working while we wait for the study to prove or disprove it? If we're not out there doing all these things and telling the researchers 'What about this?' the research won't get done."

There are good arguments against the use of experimental treatments for autism or any other medical condition. Financial resources are not unlimited, special diets can often add expense to a family budget already stretched tight particularly if the family is already strapped by the expense of paying for ABA, which although not curing autism, is an evidence based effective health and education intervention. Experimental treatments can also waste time and morale both of which are valuable to a family trying to help their child. Further, some seemingly innocuous interventions might in fact have unforeseen and possibly harmful effects on a child.

Still, if a family can afford the interventions, consults with physicians and does not get their hopes too high, it is difficult to see why they shouldn't try interventions backed by anecdotal evidence of other parents some of whom like Dr. Edwards are also pediatricians themselves. Especially if they do not forgo evidence based interventions in order to try experimental approaches. The UWO Proprionic Acid study grew out of parental observations. Although all parents are not also medical professionals like Dr. Edwards, they are the front line observers of their children's condition.

Autism: A Medical Condition

An autism conference featuring doctors and researchers organized by Autism Canada and featuring Dr. Martha Herbert, Dr. Derrick MacFabe and Dr. Wendy Edwards will take place this Saturday at the University of Ottawa. As the title indicates the focus will be on autism as a medical condition. Gord McDougall at 580 CFRA has commented that "governments have been reluctant to tie autism to health issues, because that would commit them to spending money from the already stretched health envelope." Mr. McDougall's comment is absolutely right.

8 years ago the lead Minister on autism issues being examined by a government of New Brunswick InterDepartmental Committee on Autism Services was the Health Minister. When funding for autism specific services was first announced it was by the Health Minister. Then the programs and leadership on the autism portfolio were transferred to the Department of Family and Community Services. The Province of New Brunswick, like other governments, did not want to acknowledge that autism interventions, particularly Applied Behaviour Analysis sought by so many parents of autistic children, were health care treatments. Autism interventions were characterized as family services to avoid having them characterized as health care treatments and reduce the possibility that a court might order them to be funded under Canada's medicare scheme. As it turned out they needn't have worried. The Auton decision was such that, medical treatment or not, Provinces would not be obligated to fund them under Medicare.

The conference this weekend will focus on autism as a medical condition, biomedical treatments , " the shift in autism paradigm to a whole-body systems approach" and current research.
The Autism Canada web site sets out the full particulars, invites registration on their web site and identifies their target audience as parents, agencies, school personnel, medical professionals, basic research scientists and others dedicated to improving the quality of life for those with ASD.