Image: Timothy Archibald
In Brief
- Fringe frenzy: As many at 75 percent of autistic children are receiving alternative treatments not developed by conventional medicine, which are often bogus.
- Risky medication: Some practitioners prescribe drugs that are approved only for other conditions, have serious side effects and have never been tested for safety or efficacy in autism.
- More science: In the past decade U.S. research funding for autism has increased by 15 percent a year, in part because of rising demand by parents for proved treatments and increased public awareness.
- Genetic promise: Recently discovered genetic variations in children with autism could reveal a cause, but related therapies may be years away.
More In This Article
When Jim Laidler’s oldest son, Benjamin, was diagnosed with autism, he and his wife started looking for help. “The neurologists were saying, ‘We don’t know what causes autism, and we don’t know what the outcome for your son will be,’” Laidler relates. “No one was saying, ‘Here’s what causes it; here’s what treats it.’”
But when the Laidlers, who live in Portland, Ore., searched the Web, they found dozens of “biomedical” treatments that promised to improve or even cure Benjamin’s inability to talk, interact socially or control his movements. So the parents tried them on their son. They began with vitamin B6 and magnesium, the nutritional supplements dimethylglycine and trimethylglycine, vitamin A, gluten- and casein-free diets, the digestive hormone secretin, and chelation, a drug therapy designed to purge the body of lead and mercury. They applied the purported treatments to Benjamin’s little brother, David, who also was diagnosed with autism. Chelation did not seem to help much. Any effect from secretin was hard to tell. The diets showed promise; the Laidlers hauled special food with them everywhere. And Mom and Dad continued to feed the boys dozens of supplements, calibrating doses up and down with every change in behavior.
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39 Comments
Add CommentYou forgot PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's known that Agencies who provide Behavioral Intervention (ABA) will PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE parents into chelation and diets claiming the parents are abusing their children if they don't, and stating that the agency doesn't want to work with those kinds of parents.
Also, even within Behavioral Intervention there is a lack of science. The intervention tries to make the child indistinguishable from normal peers, but behaviour changes as kids age which raises the issue of whether Behavioral Intervention is aiming at the right target for long term success.
Also, studies in linguistics have shown that language, a certain use of a certain type of language -- namely the sentential compliment, is critical for autistic spectrum children to achieve the Theory of Mind that they lack. Agencies specializing in Theory of Mind training often ignore that research believing their steps are better. We need research here.
Much of Behavioral Intervention is useless it seems to me, but the language aspect of it is certainly critical. With increased understanding and use of language, behavior changes.
Much scientific research is also needed into the reward system that is used in Behavioral Intervention as incentive to change behavior or acquire language. It plays a critical role in fostering development of these children but we lack a solid scientific examination of the practice.
Unfortunately, many of the "agencies" "dedicated" to "helping" are so overly protective of their "proprietary technology (teaching methods)" because they want to be exclusive and make more money.
This article, unfortunately, contains a major error in stating that vaccines contained methylmercury. Vaccines never have contained methylmercury, a known neurotoxin and the form of mercury contaminating fish, oceans, and many parts of our environment. The preservative used in vaccines was ethylmercury, a very different chemical compound than methyl mercury. Given the totally unsubstantiated claims that mercury in vaccines caused autism, it is shame that Scientific American let this error appear in this article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fact that the author of this article has no idea which mercury preservative is in vaccines is a clear indication that most people who write about autism and its treatments have no idea what they are talking about, including Ms Shute and the magazine itself. To add insult to injury, this article is about as biased
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisas any I have read on the subject. Where are the interviews with parents who have recovered their child with some of the therapies that you mock?
How about interviews with scientists and DAN doctors who have helped do wonders for thousands of children.
And there you go again talking about the wonders of those elusive genes which are about as close to finding
as a fair article on autism in this magazine. There is no such thing as a genetic epidemic. To pretend that there is no increase-only better diagnosing is outrageous with the numbers we have today. Do read a terrific book just out called THE AGE OF AUTISM-MERCURY,MEDICINE, AND A MAN-MADE EPIDEMIC by Dan Olmsted and Mrak Blaxill.
Maurine Meleck, SC
Nancy Shute seems desperate to continue every myth about autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShe pretends that autism is genetic and that current epidemic is because doctors "redefined the condition as autism spectrum disorder."
Shute isn't alarmed over the jaw-dropping rate and she believes methyl mercury is used in vaccines.
Shute must not have heard about the U.S. Senate hearing on children's health on Aug. 3.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_id=1ab3cf42-802a-23ad-4a3a-686da83bf6d0
Experts from around the country testified that that autism is a real epidemic and that exposure to toxins is the cause.
Shute must have missed that recent news reports on Hannah Poling, the young GA girl who was awarded damages because her routine vaccinations caused her to become autistic.
Fox News http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8wseIXsPmw&feature=player_embedded
MSNBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQGAy3PMNo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
FOX NEWS: http://video.foxnews.com/v/4336206/proof-of-vaccine-autism-link-/?playlist_id=87937
CBS NEWS: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20015982-10391695.html
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: Settlement reached in autism-vaccine case http://www.ajc.com/health/settlement-reached-in-autism-611234.html
Shute quotes Thomas Insel from NIMH but doesn't tell us that in a speech at NIH this past spring,https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p53171631/ Insel stated that we are in an epidemic of autism as a result of environmental toxins.
He said, "Eighty percent of the people with a diagnosis of autism [in the U.S.] are under the age of eighteen." He described it as "a huge wave that is moving through the system."
Insel warned that we have to "prepare [this] nation for a million people who may need significant services."
Shute's title will become more important in the near future when hundreds of thousands of autistic children age into adulthood and become dependent on the U.S. taxpayers for their support and care. We will be not only desperate to find a cure but also to recognize the cause and stop the nightmare.
Anne Dachel
Media editor: Age of Autism
Nancy Shute seems desperate to continue every myth about autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShe pretends that autism is genetic and that current epidemic is because doctors "redefined the condition as autism spectrum disorder."
Shute isn't alarmed over the jaw-dropping rate and she believes methyl mercury is used in vaccines.
Shute must not have heard about the U.S. Senate hearing on children's health on Aug. 3.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_id=1ab3cf42-802a-23ad-4a3a-686da83bf6d0
Experts from around the country testified that that autism is a real epidemic and that exposure to toxins is the cause.
Shute must have missed that recent news reports on Hannah Poling, the young GA girl who was awarded damages because her routine vaccinations caused her to become autistic.
Fox News http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8wseIXsPmw&feature=player_embedded
MSNBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQGAy3PMNo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
FOX NEWS: http://video.foxnews.com/v/4336206/proof-of-vaccine-autism-link-/?playlist_id=87937
CBS NEWS: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20015982-10391695.html
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: Settlement reached in autism-vaccine case http://www.ajc.com/health/settlement-reached-in-autism-611234.html
Shute quotes Thomas Insel from NIMH but doesn't tell us that in a speech at NIH this past spring,https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p53171631/ Insel stated that we are in an epidemic of autism as a result of environmental toxins.
He said, "Eighty percent of the people with a diagnosis of autism [in the U.S.] are under the age of eighteen." He described it as "a huge wave that is moving through the system."
Insel warned that we have to "prepare [this] nation for a million people who may need significant services."
Shute's title will become more important in the near future when hundreds of thousands of autistic children age into adulthood and become dependent on the U.S. taxpayers for their support and care. We will be not only desperate to find a cure but also to recognize the cause and stop the nightmare.
Anne Dachel
Media editor: Age of Autism
In the "In Brief" section the writer says "Fringe frenzy: As many at 75 percent of autistic children are receiving alternative treatments not developed by conventional medicine, which are often bogus."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMOST medical discoveries have come about through alternative treatments that were not developed or believed by conventional medicine.
In 1881 Dr Carlos Finlay stated that Yellow Fever was transmitted by mosquitoes. The world medical community rejected his findings for over 20 years. In 1847 Ignaz Semmelweis suggested that contagious diseases could be passed from patient to patient by doctors who didn't was their hands between patients. Even after Lister and Pasteur proved him right 30 years later, the medical community was reluctant to change.
In the 1790s doctors didn't believe that Edward Jenner could prevent smallpox by vaccinating people with cowpox, but it worked.
Also "In Brief"
"Risky medication: Some practitioners prescribe drugs that are approved only for other conditions, have serious side effects and have never been tested for safety or efficacy in autism."
Conventional medicine attempts to "treat" some of the negative behaviors associated with autism with medicines such as Ritalin, Abilify, Adderall and others. Most of these are off-label uses. These are given despite the numerous side effects.
Autism is certainly NOT caused by a lack of Ritalin, Abilify etc.
Thank you Rick Tallman for your intelligent and noteworthy observations. I'd like to add the treatment of syphilis to this list. It was treated for decades with copious amounts of mercury in different formulations. Because it often cured the external aspects of the disease they continued for use it for many decades even after people were dropping like flies
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissprayed with DDT. For others it took years for mercury disease to take hold, but the medical profession continued to ignore mercury's deadly ramifications.
Instead they gave patients a combo of mercury and arsenic. Kind of like McDonalds burger and fries combo.
Maurine Meleck
This article is pure propaganda - that, I believe, will harm more people that it could ever possibly help. The author's bias is blatant, and her embracing of skepticism over hope reflects the injured state of our societal psyche.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe respectable doctors, researchers, parents, therapists, clinicians, and caregivers comprehend autism accurately: as a whole-body systemic disorder that CAN be treated, and improved health and behavior IS possible. They NEVER use the word "cure" to describe their health improvement intentions.
The author's use of the work "cure,"in her title is a clear tip off of her bias, or likely, sheer ignorance of the broader reality that's unfolding here - that children with autism CAN and ARE "recovering."
Pursuing recovery is not about "curing" autism; it’s about believing in and taking action toward improved health and healing.
Doctors now recognize that the bodies of children with autism are unique and require very specific care, including special enzymes for digestion, medical treatment for yeast infections and other common conditions found during testing, attention to digestive issues, special dietary requirements (autism diets), nutrient and fatty acid supplementation, behavioral therapy, and more.
The outdated model sees autism as a “mysterious” psychiatric disorder that begins and ends in the brain—and reports that little can be done to impact its effects. But parents are not waiting for answers from a mainstream medical system that holds an antiquated perspective of their child’s condition (the authors notes that as many as 75% are seeking such "alternative treatments).
Through the breakthrough work of the Autism Research Institute a more appropriate “whole body disorder” (the brain is affected by the biochemistry generated in the body) perspective of autism has emerged.
When seen as a whole body disorder, parents and physicians are more likely to identify the physical symptoms of autism that often get overlooked including diarrhea, constipation, bloating and GI pain, inflammation, and frequent infections. With this broader comprehension it becomes apparent that there is a great deal that can be done to address these challenges.
Step one is to take charge of diet.
It seems that the autism parents that are helping their kids are the real Scientific Americans - observing, measuring, testing, and constantly learning - ALL focused on supporting their children, each other, the field of research, and all of we humans who have something to learn here.
Martin
Hundreds of kids with autism are being cured with safe and simple protocols.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRegardless of anyone's *OPINION*, the *FACTS* are CDC has stated VACCINES CAN CAUSE AUTISM http://tinyurl.com/Vax-Autism1 - and have paid out BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to vaccine damaged kids and have THOUSANDS on the lawsuit list yet to be heard.
THIMEROSAL (MERCURY) containing vaccines are well over TOXIC WASTE LEVEL (250x's) http://tinyurl.com/VaxToxicWaste and expired or spilled vaccines must be handled by HAZMAT AS TOXIC WASTE. How can you justify direct injection of TOXIC WASTE into our babies (and adults) and say it is healthy?
http://vacinfo.org/ingredients.htm
Vaccines contain ingredients such as MSG, antifreeze, phenol (used as a disinfectant), formaldehyde (cancer causing and used to embalm), aluminum (associated with alzheimer’s disease and seizures), glycerin (toxic to the kidney, liver, can cause lung damage, gastrointestinal damage and death), lead, cadmium, sulfates, yeast proteins, antibiotics, acetone (used in nail polish remover), neomycin and streptomycin. And the ingredient making the press is thimerosol (more toxic than mercury, a preservative still used in many vaccines, not easily eliminated, can cause severe neurological damage as well as other life threatening autoimmune disease). These vaccines are grown and strained through animal or human tissue, like monkey and dog kidney tissue, chick embryo, calf serum, human diploid cells (the dissected organs of aborted fetuses), pig blood, horse blood and rabbit brain.
Could vaccines explain the high SIDS rate and USA ranking #46 in the world in INFANT MORTALITY RATE? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate Doesn't this shock you?
The only studies that have ever said vaccines are safe are those conducted by the Vaccine Manufacturers - EXACTLY what we saw with CIGARETTES and LUNG CANCER.
ALL INDEPENDENT STUDIES WITHOUT TIES TO BIG PHARMA SHOW VACCINES ARE NOT EFFECTIVE at best and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS at worst.
Please note any scientific studies that show long term safety of multiple injections of TOXINS and VIRUSES in vaccines. (HINT - there are NONE)
Read KENNEDY's (or watch YouTube video) DEADLY IMMUNITY -
http://tinyurl.com/VaxDeadlyImmunity
Why did scientists acknowledge the link and cover it up by adding in tons of kids under 2 yrs where they could not be Dx'd with Autism to make the statistical correlation disappear?
Why do unvaccinated population have ZERO autism
www.GenerationRescue.com
www.GenerationRescue.org
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRead the analysis of the Canadian and Denmark studies that show EXCLUSION OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) and inclusion of NON-ASD groups to make statistical correlations disappear. Plus how the DENMARK SCIENTIST THORSEN FORGED documents and STOLE 2 MILLION DOLLARS from CDC and disappeared? Yet we still base our vaccine policy on his input?
Years ago you would have been taught in medical school to prescribe HEROIN, CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL and THALIDOMIDE - but today we call that insane. When the real evidence is reviewed, you will find the same pattern with vaccines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin
www.tobacco.org/resources/history/Tobacco_History20-2.html
FDA DTaP insert lists AUTISM as vaccine side effect. But vaccines don't cause autism? http://ht.ly/2BSBE How can it be both?
I don't remember where I got this, but it talks about the healthy unvaccinated compared to the vaccinated ones.
http://www.imcv.info/vaccination/articles/the-marvellous-health-of-unvaccinated-children.html
Vaccine Death Coverup Implodes Worldwide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP_kei648oI
This is a long one (90 min) but worth every second.
David Ayoub, M.D discusses Mercury, Autism and Vaccines.
This is a 90 minute presentation that will make everyone ask questions and challenge their confidence in vaccines.
The CDC has publicly admitted that vaccines can significantly contribute to autism under certain conditions.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6890106663412840646&q=vaccines&ei=GGVjSNSXH4umqgPL1omhCg
http://tinyurl.com/5db6vw
I'm an ABA therapist and believe it or not, ABA is actually typically against any type of biomedical treatment, including chelation, special diets, and medication. We don't ever advise parents of anything that doesn't have to do with behavior analysis. We aim to inform about these biomedical treatments, which lack in scientific evidence. Behavior analysis, on the other hand, has a large body of research to back it up. It was developed by B.F. Skinner, and if you do a little research, you can find dozens upon dozens of articles in peer reviewed journals proven its efficacy. Skinner himself proved a lot of the core concepts long ago. Please don't criticize a theory until you have thoroughly researched it. In ABA we take rigorous data on everything that we do with a child. And through this data, as well as our own observations, children improve. I've witnessed it myself in all 30+ children that I have worked with.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a parent of a child with Autism, an advocate, and special educator I am concerned that some of the comments are not focusing on the real issue and that is; We have a huge population of children with Autism that need help. ABA works, certain medications lessen certain symptoms and for some kids special diets seem to help.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere is research being done at UC Irvine that supports a genetic factor, maybe one day we can cure it, until then families need favorable legislation that makes insurance companies cover ABA/ DTT Therapies.
Until you have raised a child with Autism you really have no clue what it does to a family and how these children suffer, so you academics need to listen to parents and get your heads out of your BOOKS and connect with kids and parents that deal with Autism on a daily basis.
1. In Milwaukee autism is known among Somalian refugees as the Milwaukee illness. In Sweden autism is known among Somalien refugees as the Swedisch illness. The theoretical reason for this: Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy. Dark skin filters out ultra-violet light. Up to 25%! of all children born to Somalian immigrants in both places are autistic.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this2. A former colleague (we both live in Germany) whose wife is from Somalia has a child who is probably autistic. He told me this evening that German immigrants to Australia (no dark skin) also have an increased incidence of autistic children. My question: Are immigrants to Australia so worried about skin cancer that they use sun screen to an extent that their body suffers from a lack of Vitamin D. Thus far only first generation immigrants to Australia are affected whether light or dark-skinned. Or is the stress involved in emigrating from one's home country the culprit.
3. Most pregnant women in developed countries receive vitamin supplements, including vitamin D. Maybe something else in sunlight is essential to our health that we have not yet identified.
4. My niece has a son who has been diagnosed as autistic. My niece did not eat properly during her pregnancy (She probably has never eaten "properly".) and she smoked. At about three months her son went limp. First diagnosis: a very rare genetic disorder. Second diagnosis: Vitamin B (12?)deficiency. My niece has certainly not spent more than five minutes a day outside for years. Sunlight deficiency?
5. Certainly not only the child itself should be scrutenized, but also the mother and the pregnancy and perhaps the father as well. Leukemia rates among children of fathers who work in Selafeld/Windscale are higher than normal. Maybe autism is due to environmental influences on the father.
6. About twenty years ago I read my first article about autism in Scientific American. Allegedly autistic children had mutated brain stems. California was severely affected. Theory then: Nerds who would normally not reproduce got jobs in the new computer industry. High earnings made them attractive partners. Their social disfunctionalsm was passed on to their children.
Not mentioned in the article: Heart defects also increased due to computer industry solvents leaching into the ground water. (Toxins as a cause? See comment above.)
Anyway we have a real problem which needs to be solved.
Parents should be conscious the the health of their children
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href="http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=7661D13D980A6421">vista bay drug rehab</a>
I respectfully disagree with your comments on the validity of behavioral treatments (e.g., ABA) with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). I can just give you a few empirical references of studies that have demonstrated effectiveness of ABA treatments (e.g. http://precisionteaching.pbworks.com/f/BAT23-2addNETFlu.pdf)(http://www.childmind.com.hk/images/AP%20Article%201_63_Eikeseth_2007.pdf). This is an small example of the science behind the ABA treatment. I disagree also when you say "Behavioral Intervention there is a lack of science" On the contrary, behavior analysis (e.g., ABA) has a strong philosophical, empirical and applied tradition that span 70 years of research in behavioral principles, theory and applied implications.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRespect to your comment on the language training. There is a huge amount of empirical research (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Verbal-Behavior-Analysis/R-Douglas-Greer/e/9780205458370) on the effectiveness of teaching verbal behavior to folks with autism. I agree with agencies, teachers, parents and researchers must find a common ground based on empirical research and valid treatments.
It has become increasingly clear that autism is a disorder related to the immune system. Most autistic children have several food allergies in addition to milk and wheat, and nearly all the parents have or had at least one immune-related problem: thyroid disease, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or allergies. Autistic children are probably genetically predisposed to immune-system abnormalities,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Where are the interviews with parents who have recovered their child with some of the therapies that you mock?"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis publication is *SCEINTIFIC* American, not Hocus-Pocus American or Quackery American.
I hope this clears up your confusion. I know it won't, but, I still have hope.
People, the author did indicate that ethylmercury was the mercury in vaccines. The amount was less than a can of tuna fish and had a half life of 3.5 days- in other words, was out of the child's system within a week. If the immune system response was the trigger, then any infection could have triggered the autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisApplied Behavior Analysis is the MOST researched area of autism intervention. And is the most effective to be studied to date.
I do believe that Autism has an autoimmune component as a study by Johns Hopkins showed that 100% of the study participants had evidence of active autoimmune response in the brain. However, current anti-inflammatories do not target the appropriate chemicals and cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, so for the meantime, no more prescribing anti-inflammitories to children with Autism unless they have another auto-immune disease.
Autism is obviously genetic, in part, because the rates of autism among identical twins is around 90% but is around 5% for fraternal twins, which is the same as the rates of siblings from different therapies.
Those of us who stick with research-based practices care about the health of the whole child- which is why we do not recommend the therapies that are not clinically proven to be effective and which are obviously dangerous.
As for the gluten-free thing, I have celiac disease, and I'm here to tell you that the disease has OBVIOUS physical and behavioral symptoms. If the child with autism does not have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, then why would that diet help anything? It's very difficult and expensive to remain on that diet and to do so for no reason- like a parent I know who insists on it despite the fact that her 15 year old son has made NO progress, partly due to no structured teaching, use of visual supports, or ABA therapy.
OH, and I forgot to add that mercury and thermisol are NO LONGER IN ANY VACCINES, and autism rates are still up, therefore disproving that theory entirely. When the publisher recants a study, the one "proving" the vaccine connection, as unethical and not to be trusted, you don't think that's important?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, of course the autism rates skyrocketed with the addition of Asperger's and PDD-NOS to the spectrum in 1994. Are you kidding me, you discount that huge addition as part of the rate increase?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA caps lock key is no substitute for real evidence.
Milwaukee is in Wisconsin. You're thinking of Minnesota.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisResearch suggests that the symptoms diagnosed as autism spectrum disorder may arise from a variety of causes. However symptom overlap with the symptoms of neuroborreliosis -- or neurologic Lyme disease -- suggest another possible link. According to the authors of The Lyme-Autism Connection, the ten states with the highest incidence of Lyme disease are the same states with the highest incidence of autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisStandard tests for Lyme disease are generally insensitive, missing half or more of the actual cases, and standard treatments also fail half the time. Lyme disease has become so politicized that many doctors shy away from diagnosing or treating it.
To pursue the possibility that their child's autism is caused by infection with the Lyme disease spirochete, parents should seek out a specialist who follows the clinical practice guidelines of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, www.ilads.org. For more information about Lyme disease, visit www.lymedisease.org.
Phyllis Mervine, President
CALDA
Empowering Patients Through Advocacy, Education & Research
The authors view about Sensory Integration therapy in the 'cure' of Autism seems to be absolutely incorrect.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1. Sensory integration therapy never claims to 'cure' autism but advocates in helping the child make sense of himself and his surrounding to aim at making him independent in his activities of daily living and in the society.
1. She mentions that SI ( sensory Integration)therapy ranges from wrapping children in blankets or placing them in huge hug machines or making them play with scented clay. It by no means defines or even nearly states the SI philosophy and theory of SI and wrongly portraits the community of SI practitioners in the field of Autism. It shows a very myopic view of the author regarding the profession, somewhat akin to the fable of six blind men and elephant. Just seeing a part of the puzzle and claiming it to whole.
2. For an observer or someone who just Googles the term SI and autism the above written finding may seem somewhat true. However they are means to reach to an end and not the end itself.
3. SI therapy is based on neuroscience and is sometimes used in conjunction with other therapies like ABA. Since birth we use our sense to make sense of the world around use. The integration of various senses- touch, smell, pressure, vision , movement etc form the basis of how we interpret our environment and function in the world. For some children with autism,this integration and process does not occur properly. Due to this sensory problems the child may not engage in sensory rich playful experiences which are the building blocks for mental, physical, emotional and social development.
4. Occupational Therapist who are trained in SI will engage the child in playful activities, tapping his inner drive and help him process the senses he receives in a more typical manner.
5. Changes are seen in the quality of life of these children. Research is ongoing in the field of SI and Autism. For eg: http://www.aota.org/News/Centennial/40313/CY/Autism_1.aspx
It is ethically wrong to define a profession incorrectly in a magazine which is so well read and informative for the general masses.Then to name them as 'Dubious' therapy is even more misleading. Maybe there is limiting research to claim it as 100% effective treatment, but mind you, there is no empirical research either that proves it is a 'Dubious' therapy .
That is entirely untrue. As a Behavior Analyst, I can tell you that we in the field of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and Behavioral Intervention would NEVER pressure a family into using biomedical treatments, and in fact many of us, myself included, are VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED to the use of chelation and other harmful biomedical treatments- we advocate only Behavioral Intervention and NOT USING ANY BIOMEDICAL TREATMENTS as the safest, most effective way to build skills and decrease challenging behaviors in individuals with autism and other behavioral disorders. We collect the most rigorous scientific data on every thing our clients do or don't do before, during, and after treatment and we encourage families to only use scientifically validated treatments for their children- this means ONLY USING ABA!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article did a terrific job of exposing all the biomedical and alternative autism treatments for what they are- a bunch of horrible quackery. The only shortcoming of this article is that it doesn't say enough about the tremendous benefits of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), which is the ONLY SCIENTIFICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENT FOR AUTISM and has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals with autism to communicate, learn, and lead rewarding and independent lives.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat is ABSOLUTELY untrue- ABA providers would *never* encourage parents to use biomedical/alternative treatments, and in fact we ACTIVELY DISCOURAGE the use of chelation, secretin, and other harmful treatments. Children have DIED FROM CHELATION! We tell parents that they should only use treatments with VALID, SCIENTIFIC DATA to support their efficacy. In terms of autism, that means Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), also known as Behavior Therapy and Behavioral Intervention. There are NO OTHER TREATMENTS WITH A VALID SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BASE to support them! ABA has hundreds of thousands of studies supporting its effectiveness in ameliorating the communication deficits, social skills difficulties, and behavioral excesses common in autism spectrum disorders, as well as in treating many other behavioral disorders. Please see http://www.asatonline.org/ for more information!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso see http://www.lovaas.com/ and http://wiautism.com/.
I found this article to be largely accurate and helpful. My own literature research on epidemiology in autism convinces me that thiomersal (aka thimerosal) the preservative in some early vaccines—chemical name ethyl(2-mercaptobenzoato-(2-)-O,S)mercurate(1-) sodium—is not implicated in autism. Genetic links to autism are definitely implicated and increasingly documented, although current evidence indicates several interacting genetic lesions and synergisms among them. There is one error in the article that might appear minor to one not versed in chemistry and biochemistry. The article mentions methylmercury as a constituent in thiomersal, whereas the actual constituent is ethylmercury, the substituent in the chemical name given above. A correction is recommended because methyl mercury is very well known to be neurotoxic, whereas ethylmercury is not known to be toxic. The difference between ethyl mercury and methyl mercury is important and very significant.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo all those claiming that vaccines- CURRENT vaccines- can "cause" autism, read Ben Goldacre's "Bad Science". You are wrong. The CDC website CURRENTLY SAYS you are wrong. There is no smoking gun here; it's a complex interplay of epigenetics, environment, and who knows what else. Stop linking to random people who support the view you WANT to hold and read the science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI notice you have not linked to one SCIENTIFIC body- articles in the Lancet; CDC; Mayo Clinic- nothing. These are all fringe sites trying to make a buck by propagating false information.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHysterical. I would read "Quackery American" just for a laugh! Great title! :-)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI find far too many posters that have responded to this article to be of the sort that have their pet theory and have fanatically latched on to the given theory as the sum of all human knowledge. Just as there are many viruses that have the same or similar symptoms, there may be literally thousands of causes for the symptoms we label autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisExplain to me how a vaccine could cause a severely autistic person to be missing certain parts of their brain. Particularly when that person was never immunized at all for anything. How did their diet cause that brain area to never develop? Stating conclusively that 1 cause is responsible for everything is flat out stupid at best.
I haven't seen any MRIs or fMRIs of the mildly autistic but the ones of the severely autistic are pretty profound. When you can walk on water and fly unaided then I will believe in your cure-all.
PS. The CDC hasn't paid a dime in vaccination settlements. That particular lie is easy to disprove because the CDC didn't manufacture the vaccines. They were made by pharmaceutical companies which bear the only liability. A few small local area courts have found for the plaintiffs but every one has been over turned on appeal. Considering that life expectancy has increased by over 2 decades since vaccination started, I think the vaccines win over the fear mongers that don't want to admit that they have genetic defects just like everyone else does.
“Desperate for an Autism Cure”..................When you talk of a “Cure”, what do you mean? - Turn us into non-autistics – neurotypicals ? ........Thanks very much , I don't want to be “cured”. After 38 years practicing Medicine, I discovered in my 70s that I had lived my life on the “spectrum”. I knew little or nothing about it until then, so is it any wonder the “incidence' is thought to be increasing ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs I have learned more about my fellow subjects and myself, it has become more and more obvious to me that we do not “suffer from” a disease/syndrome/disorder etc., but are in fact simply DIFFERENT, and what is needed is simply UNDERSTANDING this difference, by both subjects and everyone else. Even the latest edition of the DSM books lists us as having a “disorder” ! I know from my own experience that understanding the condition can be extremely liberating, even at the age of 70+; how much more so if the young among us can understand as much as they are capable of.
I was very fortunate in having a mother who knew instinctively how to manage her child, who happily flapped his hands and remarked in a loud voice in the shop “that lady is fat”. Her training and my own ability to suppress behaviours which were generally considered socially unacceptable led to my being fairly well accepted as “normal”. My inability to communicate verbally in an effective manner was hardly noticeable among a population eager to express themselves whether they had anything to express or not.
To talk of cures is equivalent to saying brown eyes should be “cured” because blue ones are more common. I firmly believe that those apparently severe cases of autism, will eventually find their place in the mainstream too, Also in my 70s I discovered that my grandfather had a brother who on retrospect obviously belonged to that group, and he died in an institution at age 9 years.
It has even been suggested that autism represents the next stage in human evolution !
Sigh. This is not really your kind of website, is it ? There is no point in refuting this nonsense, the evidence that you are wrong is very clear and it is plain you are not open to considering this issue objectively. If you do not have the capacity to distinguish science from recycled chatroom nonsense you should have the good grace to stick to the corners of the net where antivaxxers, 9-11 Conspiracy Theorists and Alien hunters hang out. Go away, we don't want you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen someone cannot adapt to the world then make the world easier to adapt to. Obviously the sensory integration therapies try to work on this level, and behavioral therapies build on this.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere can be no adaptation when the pain of adapting cannot be accepted. There are esoteric (hypnois/meditation) and pharmaceutical methods of dealing with this kind of pain.
Its going to take a combination of all to overcome this demon.
How do folks with symptoms of this disorder generally respond to consumption of alcohol?
Was just looking at a blog article on this site that "love" is the best painkiller according to some study.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDo autistic children have a problem feeling "love"? Could this explain why they are so easily overwhelmed by sensory and mental pain. I'm talking about the love for a parental unit vis-a-vis the neurochemical pathways; thereby softening reality and creating a safehaven of exploration.
Oxytocin is an after-effect of love; so it's not the magic ingredient here.
I, like some of the other commenters, was disappointed by this article. But then I dropped my subscription of SciAm long ago.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would recommend anyone reading these comments to check out the following books: Gut And Psychology Syndrome, and the GAPS Guide. (See gutandpsychologysyndrome.com) I do not know anyone with autism, but being a nutrition geek, I have read both these books and I feel they give a very good explanation of the disease along with means to treat it.
To quickly summarize: autism is caused by a problem called gut dysbiosis. This basically means an imbalance of proper gut flora (bacteria, etc.). The bacteria are necessary for proper digestion and nutrient absorption. When gut flora are severely out of whack, toxins are produced instead of proper nutrients and the gut lining gets damaged. This sets up a toxic environment that doesn't allow other organs in the body (including the brain) to develop properly. Autism is virtually always associated with gastrointestinal issues (constipation, diarrhea), and was glad to see the SciAm article at least mention that.
On gluten and casein: gluten and casein are only two potential toxins. There are many more being generated by the bad bacteria. Gluten/casein free may alleviate some symptoms, but it does not address the underlying problem.
On vaccines: children with gut dysbiosis have severely impaired immune systems and so caution should be taken. Vaccines may be what push some kids over the edge (regardless of mercury). Gut And Psychology Syndrome talks specifically to this along with recommendations.
On the cure: GAPS (Gut And Psychology Syndrome) is basically a specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) which must be followed long enough to allow intestinal lining to heal and gut flora to rebalance. This takes 1 to 2 years. There are often supplements and probiotics to go with this, although I don't know that they are necessary.
Watch a video with the author here:
http://www.gutandpsychologysyndrome.com/gaps-diet/
I'm curious about the selection of the first image accompanying the article -- a picture of a boy with a vacuum cleaner hose. If she's checking these comments, or would let me know how I may reach her more directly, it would be a great favor. Thanks in advance, Pete Mickelson.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSpiritHorse serves people with all types of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, stroke victims, scoliosis, traumatic brain injury including shaken baby syndrome, and a very wide range of neurological disorders.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlmost half of the individuals we serve have an autism diagnosis, and we expect this trend to continue due to our success in treatment outcomes. The Brookings Institution maintains that 50-60% of toddlers with autism who receive effective therapy can be mainstreamed into regular classrooms without personal aides by the time they reach school age. We believe the equine therapy works even past the early developmental years, as we have a 16-year-old student named Matthew who reached the “non-autistic” rating after four years at SpiritHorse.
UT Southwestern Medical Center and four partnering universities recently conducted a two-year study on our work with 24 severely autistic children, and the results were statistically “Significant”: the children’s autism levels moved from a rating of “severe” to “mild/moderate” in just six months of weekly therapy sessions! We are pleased that the results confirm our effectiveness as a treatment for autism. The study has been scheduled for publication in the Journal of Alternative Therapy in Medicine and Health, May 2011 issue. Details of the study can be obtained at your request.
Following the addition of several new methods developed by SpiritHorse for intervening with children with autism, Vrije Universeteit, Amsterdam, completed a study of our work with 47 children with autism and their findings showed that through only 10 weeks of intervention, we moved 20% (9 children) diagnosed with autism to “non-autistic” We also received a rating of “Significant” from this study as well. We are pleased for the opportunity to become the pioneers of this industry!
During this past six months, we have developed new ground-breaking methods for traumatic brain injury, stroke, and cerebral palsy. We have also modified our methods for autism to enable us to apply them to the very young, which provides them with their best chance of healing.
More information on SpiritHorse is available on our website at www.spirithorsetherapy.com.
Here is another approach to the treatment of autism: SpiritHorse Equine Therapy serves people with all types of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, stroke victims, scoliosis, traumatic brain injury including shaken baby syndrome, and a very wide range of neurological disorders. But almost half of the individuals we serve have a diagnosis of autism, and we expect this trend to continue due to our success in treatment outcomes. The Brookings Institution maintains that 50-60% of toddlers with autism who receive effective therapy can be mainstreamed into regular classrooms without personal aides by the time they reach school age. We believe the equine therapy works even when a patient is past the early developmental years, as we have a 16-year-old student named Matthew who reached the “non-autistic” rating after four years at SpiritHorse.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and four partnering universities recently conducted a two-year study on our work with 24 severely autistic children, and the positive results were statistically significant: the children’s autism levels moved from a rating of “severe” to “mild/moderate” in just six months of weekly therapy sessions! We are pleased that the results confirm our effectiveness as a treatment for autism. The study has been scheduled for publication in the Journal of Alternative Therapy in Medicine and Health, May 2011 issue. Details of the study can be obtained on your request after publication.
Following the addition of several new methods developed by SpiritHorse for intervening with children with autism, Vrije Universeteit, Amsterdam, completed a study of our work with 47 children with autism and their findings showed that through only 10 weeks of intervention, we moved 20% (9 children) diagnosed with autism to “non-autistic” We also received a rating of “Significant” from this study as well. We are pleased for the opportunity to become the pioneers of this industry!
During this past six months, we have developed new ground-breaking methods for traumatic brain injury, stroke, and cerebral palsy. We have also modified our methods for autism to enable us to apply them to the very young, which provides them with their best chance of healing.
More information on SpiritHorse is available on our website at www.spirithorsetherapy.com.