Guilty! Autism Blame from Cold Moms to Old Dads

Breaking Science News: Guilty! Old Dads convicted of causing children's autism disorders, all charges dropped against environmental toxins!

Once upon a time the medical community accepted without critical analysis the speculation that aloof, cold "refrigerator" moms caused their children's autism disorders. Eventually that so called theory was exposed as a medical establishment fraud, a very harmful one.  In recent years the old dads theory has gained ground and it is the old sperm of dads, including this dad, that is responsible.  The recent "study" which purports to "link" older dads to the autism of their children is the attack du jour on autism parents who MUST be blamed for what has happened to our children. The medical establishment, still at war with McCarthy, Wakefield and parents who observe regression in their children immediately after vaccinations is giddy and giggling with glee over the opportunity to once again blame parents, Dads' turn this time,  for their children's autism disorders.  

None of the environmental toxins to which our children, and we, are exposed in utero, or in our air, water, toys, jewelry, living room window blinds, foods, gasoline, house paint, pharmaceuticals, vaccines or vaccine ingredients including those administered to pregnant women will be considered. Corporate profits will be immunized from the disorder known as Irrational Autism Parents Disease.  Even more funds can be diverted from environmental autism research into "genetic" autism research no matter how genetics is defined at the time.  Many parents do not trust the researchers and medical authorities who accept any piece of speculation as long as fault for autism can be laid at the feet of parents.  And all the smart people of the medical establishment will wonder why many of those same parents do not and will not trust them.

Do Genetics Play ANY Role in Causing Autism?

"Autism is linked to different genes in different people, 
and multiple genes could be involved in each affected person."
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, November 1, 2011

Do genetics play ANY role in causing autism?

The view that autism is caused purely by genetics held sway for many years especially with respect to funding autism research. The "it's gotta be genetic" mindset has seen research dollars dedicated overwhelmingly towards genetic based autism research.  Research into possible environmental causes or contributors to autism has been minuscule by comparison. What have those genetic autism research dollars produced? I am a humble, irrational, distraught parent of a son with severe autistic disorder but as I read commentaries by people who know much more than I do about these subjects what I see is doubt about the role of genetics in causing autism.

Genomic Studies Are Adding to Evidence of Autism’s Highly Complex Nature, an article by Patricia F. Dimon, Ph.D.,  published November 1, 2011 on the Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology web site makes the argument that current research, like that arising from the AGRE (autism genetic resource exchange), is providing some idea of where some common underlying genetic factors involved with autism might be found but in making that argument also makes statements suggesting a limited role for genetics in causing autism disorders:

"From a biological perspective, autism presents a “profoundly complicated” array of disorders with significant genetic components and genomic alterations thought to “organize around a central theme of neural network infirmities and neuroimmunodysregulations,” according to Daniel J. Guerra, writing in the March issue of Autism Research and Treatment.

Autism is linked to different genes in different people, and multiple genes could be involved in each affected person. These genetic factors, in turn, may interact with as yet unidentified environmental factors. It is now known that new mutations show up in children whose parents do not carry the mutation. Additionally, it turns out that in cases where underlying genetic mutations have been identified, the gene abnormalities don’t necessarily predict the disorder.

“Do we really know that every time you make that mutation or you delete one copy of that gene, you cause autism?” asked John Constantino, M.D., a pediatric psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis, in an interview with Los Angeles Times. “We have no idea.”" (Underlining added - HLD)

How can we continue to play the "it's gotta be genetic" card of autism research, and ignore possible environmental causes or contributing factors, when genetic autism research has failed to provide any tangible results?  

After so many years of siphoning off autism research dollars has genetic research helped us understand how autism is caused or developed?

Do genetics really play any role in causing autism?

Apparently .... we have no idea.

Conor Doherty Challenges Silly Autism Theory: Parental Stress Causes Autism? Really Dr. Maté? Really?

Conor Doherty, October 15, 2011, Out for a stroll with Dad 

and showing no obvious signs of stress in his life

In my last blog post I commented on Dr. Gabor Maté's theory that parental stress causes autism disorders including Autistic Disorder.  Dr. Maté is reported to have admitted that he had no proof of his theory but asked what else could be behind rising rates of autism disorder diagnoses.  The first picture  of my son Conor above was taken today. Conor was diagnosed at age 2 with Autistic Disorder. Below are some pictures of Conor as an infant, followed by a number taken at different points in Conor's life.   Stress induced autism? I don't think so and I don't think Conor would agree with Dr. Maté's wild speculation either. 

Autism & Environment Study:Genetics Only Autism Gang Running Scared, Creates Faux Controversy

Scared by althetrainer

The "it's gotta be genetic" gang is running scared over the recent twins study which confirms the pardigm shift in autism causation from 100% genetic to a gene-environment interaction model and which places much greater emphasis on the role of environmental factors, particularly perinatal and prenatal factors in triggering autism disorders.   The ink is barely dry on the paper and already  an article has appeared online at "Science" News with the headline and sub headline:  Environment blamed for autism Controversial twin study challenges idea that genes determine autism risk.

Where is the controversy?  Under the guise of science ScienceNews is helping create controversy by describing the study as controversial.  Teresa Binstock was right many years ago when she described the thinking of the public health research establishment as fixated on the view that autism has to be genetic. That view has been eroded over the last half decade by an autism paradigm shift which views autism as resulting from gene environment interaction.  The failure of the overwhelmingly genetic oriented autism research of the past decade to provide a clear genetic basis for autism causation preceded the recent studies which assign more responsibility for autism causation to environmental factors.  The "it's gotta be genetic" autism crowd is running skeeeeered. 

Autism Research Awakening: Environment Plays A Role In Causing Autism

“We have to look also at environmental factors, and from my point of view, the interaction between the genetic factors and the environmental factors ... It looks like some shared environmental factors play a role in autism, and the study really points toward factors that are early in life that affect the development of the child"

Joachim Hallmayer, MD,  associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University in California

WebMD reports on a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry which  found that autism was surprisingly common in fraternal twins, despite the fact that they don’t share as many of the same genes as identical twins, suggesting that some common environmental factors might be playing as big a role in causing their autism disorders as genetics.  Dr. Hallmayer was one of the study researchers who were surprised with the result.  Is this an awakening in the autism research professions?

For some it probably is.  For others not so much.  Even this humble autism father/blogger reported an autism paradigm shift 4 years ago and I have followed it since then blogging on developments in the area of environmental causes of autism. But there are die-hards who will not be convinced, who will not change their minds no matter what. Academic careers and reputations as expert witnesses have been built promoting the view that autism is 100% genetic and that accordingly autism disorders are not actually increasing.  Reported increases of autism diagnoses are routinely dismissed as due entirely to diagnostic definition change and increased awareness.  Of course manufacturers of products from vaccines to children's toys have a vested interest in encouraging the "it's gotta be genetic" autism causation paradigm described over a decade ago by Teresa Binstock.  Many will never admit that autism could ever be caused by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors.  

Blaming Parents: Autism Families Torn Apart by Ignorance

Families with autistic children, parents who love their autistic children dearly,  must endure much in order to live a normal life with their children, to be happy with their children to see them grow and develop to the best of their abilities notwithstanding their disabilities.  The concerns and challenges of parents of autistic children are often dismissed contemptuously by scientists, health care professionals, educators, social workers ... and some involved with the justice system. 

Last week the world learned that a caring British Columbia single father lost his autistic daughter to that province's children's authorities, at least temporarily, because she had left the home unattended and wandered to a nearby home where she stayed for a couple of hours. The father had taken precautions to prevent such incidents and had run to look for her when he realized she had left the home. He called police and she was found safe and sound but still the government took his child apparently because they doubted his ability to provide her with secure care.   

The Detroit Free Press has been reporting extensively (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ) on the havoc wreaked upon a Michigan family, the Wendrow family,  when the parents were charged with sexually abusing their severely autistic and mute daughter. The evidence was provided by a social worker who purportedly communicated with the daughter via facilitated communication a process which in this case involved the worker guiding the child's hand as part of the "communication" process. The case imploded when the child could not answer ANY questions, in any format, unassisted. It became obvious that the information purportedly communicated by the daughter was simply the beliefs of the social worker not the allegedly abused daughter. The parents did spend time in jail and the family, including the daughter, were separated. What I find most bizarre and disturbing  in this case though is how far the prosecution continued without any apparent legal foundation:

"Julian and Thal Wendrow were criminally charged in late 2007 after their 14-year-old autistic and mute daughter alleged, through facilitated communication, that her father had been sexually abusing her. They were separated from their children for 106 days, until prosecutors dropped the case because of lack of evidence.


...


The ordeal didn't end when it was clear that the girl wasn't communicating, after all. It didn't end when a sexual assault exam found no proof of abuse. And it didn't end when a prosecution witness insisted the abuse never happened."

TIME has reported on the six part investigative series by the Detroit Free Press and noted in its own commentary about facilitated communication generally, and the horrendous impact on a family of its use in this criminal prosecution of the father for allegedly raping his autistic daughter, that:

"the technique, in which the aide's hand is supposedly guided by the child to type what she wants to say, has been proved ineffective. It has been shown to rely on the aide's projections rather than to reflect the child's thoughts. Although some autistic children can learn to communicate genuinely via a keyboard with only initial guidance, facilitated communication, in which an aide always does the typing has repeatedly failed to demonstrate that the words are written or thought by the child. For example, when the facilitator is not allowed to hear the questions being asked of the child, the resulting answers are wrong or nonsensical.

When the Wendrow's daughter's aide typed allegations of sexual abuse against the girl's father and brother — and claimed that the child's mother had been ignoring her complaints — a prosecution of the family was set into motion that became nearly unstoppable. The aide refused to believe she was not typing her own ideas, even though the child was clearly not capable of the complex language being attributed to her. Once prosecutors and the aide became convinced of the truth of the allegations, even overwhelming evidence of their falsehood was ignored."

Parents of autistic children face many challenges trying to raise and care for their autistic children. Most of us  face some of those challenges .. the stares and looks from strangers who do not understand the screaming of the "obviously spoiled" child in the grocery store, the educators and doctors who ignore the input of parents.  Some face the grief a father is going through right now in British Columbia.  Few of us face the horror of a wrongful criminal prosecution as the Wendrow family has had to endure; or the after effects they will probably have to continue to face.  Behind it all though is a common thread, a thread that goes back to the "refrigerator mothers" theory of autism causation that was embraced so willingly by the psychology and psychiatry establishments, to that theory's politically correct replacement - the "it's gotta be genetic" theory of autism causation. It is easy to find fault, to blame parents, for the challenges faced by their autistic children who suffer from serious neurological disorders ... who suffer from autism spectrum disorders. 

As a father with a severely autistic son,  who happens to also be a lawyer,  I commend the defense team that represented the Wendrows throughout the criminal prosecution.  I commend the Detroit Free Press for bringing this story to the forefront when so many in the mainstream media refuse to comment on the harsher realities of autism disorders and their impacts on families.  Most of all I commend the Wendrow family for staying strong, for fighting the good fight.  I wish them well.

Autism's Compelling Question: What is Causing Spontaneous Mutations Linked to Autism?

"One compelling question is what is causing the mutations ... The obvious conclusion one has to reach is that something environmental may well be the cause of these [spontaneous] changes in DNA"

Irva Hertz-Picciotto, autism researcher and professor of public health science at UC Davis, commenting on studies led by Matthew W. State and  Michael Wigler, showing hundreds of spontaneous mutations linked to autism, LA Times, June 9, 2011 

The gene environment interaction (GEI)  model of autism causation has been emerging over the past half dozen years. Even this humble layperson has noted the GEI model on several occasions on this blog. The "it's gotta be genetic" (IGBG) model was noted over a decade ago by Teresa Binstock. The GEI model has developed despite, or perhaps more accurately because of, the almost exclusive dedication of research dollars to  the  "it's gotta be genetic" (IGBG) model of autism causation. 

It is the failure of the pure genetic research to identify a specific genetic basis for  autism that only now is beginning to cause its adherents to doubt their faith.  It is the failure of the pure genetic model to explain autism causation beyond the existence of hundreds of spontaneous mutations that must finally make even the most determined of the IGBG school of autism causation ask ... could environmental factors be involved?  Spontaneous mutation is giving rise to spontaneous combustion as the purely genetic model of autism causation burns in the flames of failure.

Autism's most compelling question, as stated by Hertz-Picciotto: What is causing the spontaneous mutations?

Indian Autism Experts Promote Television Causes Autism Myth

Conor relaxes and watches some television with the Host of Jeopardy .... Alex Trebek .... and  Mom and Dad .... in motel room during a visit to grandparents in Nova Scotia.  Conor was diagnosed with autism 13 years ago at the age of 2.  The symptoms that prompted us to seek medical attention which ultimately led to an early diagnosis for Conor appeared long before he ever watched television. 

India has contributed much to humanity over the centuries and is growing today as a world economic powerhouse.  Unfortunately it also appears now to be pushing as fact the myth that television causes autism disorders.  The Times of India quotes several autism "experts" and reports their opinions that television causes autism in 1 in 60 kids suffer from autism spectrum disorders: Experts:

"CHENNAI: Watching television for hours and not interacting with parents or other family members is pushing more children into the bandwidth of autism, say experts. From one in 1,000 children two decades ago, one in 60 children are now showing symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), such as poor social interaction and bad communication skills, said consultant paediatrician at the Sundaram Medical Foundation Dr Shanthi Raj.

Experts say that while autism itself is biological, the other disorders in the autism spectrum, such as bad communication and social interaction skills, can be because of changing lifestyles and rapid advancement in technology. "Autism spectrum disorders and features are caused by environmental factors like being a single child, having no one to interact with, watching TV endlessly and not playing with children," said Shanthi Raj. The difference between autism and ASD is the severity of the symptoms.

With more children being left alone or in the care of maids, they end up watching television where communication is only one way, leading to ASD symptoms. "Children today are exposed to too much stimulation, too much information and such instrumental-based stimulation in the form of TV or computer and video games can be harmful," said Shanthi Raj.

Treatment of ASD involves inducing behavioural changes by changing the environment. Experts ask parents to constantly communicate with their children, encourage peer group interaction, and cut down on TV. The Indian Academy of Paediatricians recommends that children below the age of three should not be allowed to watch television."


The Times of India report does not provide any studies or journal discussions in support of the views of the Indian autism experts.  Hopefully credible American authorities who have contributed much to our understanding of autism here in Canada over the last decade and a half can reach out to autism experts in India and prevent another autism myth from growing in one of the great nations of the world. 

Homeostasis Model of Autism Causation - Is Autism Triggered By Glutamite and Glycine Imbalance?

In a press release from PR Newswire, a New Jersey based business oriented think tank, The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes® LLC, outlines what it believes is a model of autism causation discovered while researching neuroscientific principles in business. The think tank members themselves are not scientists but had the assistance of various scientists at different stages of developing their model which they believe has widespread applicability to other disorders and to other areas of science.

The model appears to be focused on a concept called "homeostasis" and views autism disorders as triggered by disruptions in the homeostatic relationship of several variables:

"The Center's Life Sciences group was able to formulate a scientifically verifiable model for the highly probable causal path of autism. Through the application of their model, it became apparent that autism is an outcome of several variables that, when the homeostatic relationship of each one is disrupted, a "perfect storm" scenario results in autism. The application of the model identified several of the variables that account for why boys have a 4 to 1 ratio of instances over girls as well as why not every boy is affected.

While the scientific community will have to validate The Center's findings, the model for assessing homeostatic relationships indicates the "trigger" behind autism is an imbalance between a pair of amino acid neurotransmitters; glutamate and glycine.

The Center, perhaps naively, offers its homeostasis model of autism causation to the scientific community. Two problems emerge immediately that will cause problems for this model in being taken seriously by the "scientific community".

One problem for the homeostasis model is the focus on glycine which brings the model into potential breach of the 1st commandment of modern public health authorities - thou shalt not speak evil of vaccines, vaccine ingredients or vaccine injection schedules.

The second problem for the model is that the think tank members actually listened to, and received information from ...... parents of autistic children .... definitely a No No in the Vaccine Cult Era:

"According to The Center's founder, William McFaul, a retired business person and not a member of the scientific community, "Because of its universal applicability, our Life Sciences group has already used the model as a tool to identify highly probable causal paths for several illnesses and disease entities. Autism was one of most difficult illnesses The Center had attempted to analyze. If it hadn't been for so many parents insisting that vaccines were responsible for the condition, we might never have found the fact that the stabilizer in MMR and a few other vaccines is hydrolyzed gelatin; a substance that is approximately 21% glycine. It appears that, based on readily verifiable science, the use of that form of glycine triggers an imbalance between the amino acid neurotransmitters responsible for the absorption rate of certain classes of cells throughout the body. It is that wide-spread disruption that apparently results in the systemic problems that encompass the mind and the body characterized in today's 'classic' autism." He also added, "The use of our model indicates each of the disorders within Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is attributable to different disruptions in homeostasis. We look forward to sharing our findings relative to each disorder with the scientific community."

The Center members do not fashion themselves as scientists but offer their model for use by the scientific community. The press release offers a link to the Center web site for more details, and an email address, that of Linda Oliver Perrier, for more contact information:

The homeostasis model looks interesting. Hopefully it will be considered seriously by researchers actually trying to discover causes of, and cures for, autism disorders before it gets trashed by the Vaccine Cult defenders who have declared vaccines off limits for scientific inquiry as possible causes of autism disorders.

autism

Autism Is A Complex Disorder, A Single Causal Mechanism Is Unlikely

There are some who believe, as an article of faith, that autism is 100% genetic.

They cling to this belief even though the fact that one identical twin has an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis does not necessarily mean that the other twin will also have an ASD. For many with the "it's gotta be genetic" mindset no explanation, no study, no evidence will budge them.

For everyone else in the world though Dr. Harvey Singer of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore who, with his colleagues, has studied the effects of mice that developed autistic like behaviors after being exposed before birth to antibodies from mothers of autistic children, has some wise words to share with us. Dr. Singer is quoted in a Reuters article Mother's antibodies may contribute to autism :

"Autism is a complex disorder and it would be naïve to assume there's a single mechanism that can cause it. It's most likely the cumulative effect of several factors, including genes, metabolism, and the environment. We believe we have identified one of those factors."

I am pleased any time I see such a sensible perspective offered about autism by someone with the knowledge and credibility to have his comments be given serious weight and consideration. Here in Canada our autism research community, and our CIHR, are dominated by a small Montreal based neuroscience elite that still leans heavily towards the outdated "it's gotta be genetic" view of autism that Teresa Binstock cautioned against a decade ago. There is an Autism Research Paradigm Shift taking place ... in the United States ... if not in Canada.

Once again, I must thank our American friends for offering informed, sensible information about the nature of autism disorders, their possible causes and interventions.

autism

Autism’s False Proffit at Absolutely Unherdof

I strongly recommend that anyone interested in a rebuttal to Dr. Paul Offit's "False Prophets" and those who follow him in the autism blogosphere should check out "Autism's False Proffit" at Absolutely Unherdof.

The biggest issue AU has with Dr. Offit:

"is the lack of reference to real evidence but rather an attack on anyone that wants to try to help their autistic child try to recover from this neurological state."

Autism's False Proffit is a well written, informative, pull no puches, commentary both about Offit's book and the ways in which parents seeking to help their autistic children are dismissed by the pretentious pseudo-scientists who populate certain blogs. A good read for anyone with an open mind on issues relating to causation of autism.

autism