The Newest Research on Autism

1 in 68 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is an alarming statistic- it’s grown significantly over the past decade, and scientists still don’t understand exactly why.

To learn more about the most up-to-date research on ASD, I turned to Dr. Paul Wang, the SVP and head of medical research at Autism Speaks, a not for profit advocacy organization devoted to understanding autism from all perspectives.

Lot’s of people ask if the spike in ASD is simply due to a rise in a awareness. Dr. Wang says that, at most, about half of the increase in diagnoses could be due to greater awareness, but there are definitely other factors we don’t understand yet. Environmental toxins is one guess; people having children later is another. But we still don’t know.

Okay, so what do we know about autism that we didn’t know before? Well, one extremely important finding is that the early intervention is critical. The earlier a child is diagnosed and treated, the more likely it is that she will grow up to be an independent, active member of society. It used to be assumed that autism cannot be diagnosed until a child displays obvious symptoms, which usually occurs between 10 and 20 months. However, one study recently showed that eye contact in infants as young as two months old could predict whether or not they would develop ASD. This study helps dispels the myth that autism appears when the child begins to lose their language skills: we now know that it begins much earlier.

One important fact is that ASD exists on a very wide spectrum. There is no stereotypical manifestation of autism: symptoms vary widely. Not all people with ASD are intellectually disabled. Those on the lighter end of the spectrum can be completely functional, thriving people, and Dr. Wang made a point to emphasize that no one is trying to “fix them.” The medical community does, however, want to find the best ways to treat those who are severely impaired and need intensive behavioral and medical therapies.

Another important finding is that ASD affects the entire body- not just speech and cognition. For example, many with ASD display gastrointestinal symptoms, which are difficult to monitor when language skills are severely impaired. As Dr. Wang pointed out, pediatricians must be trained to watch out for these “whole body” symptoms; otherwise, they may sedate children with meds without addressing the source of their discomfort. Indeed, Autism Speaks is in collaboration with the American Pediatric Society to spread ASD awareness and to instill more rigorous and regimented screening processes that will help to catch autism earlier. Dr. Wang made an excellent point when he noted that parents have a much better understanding of autism than researchers, so if you think your child is displaying symptoms, visit autismspeaks.org/signs.

Though there are still more questions than answers, Dr. Wang seemed hopeful, particularly in the genetic research that is underway. The same gene that expresses autism can also express ADHD or schizophrenia, depending on the person; so it’s clear that genetics is part of the equation but not the whole story. That being said, Dr. Wang is hopeful that when we figure out what exactly the gene does to cause ASD, we can see what pathway is going awry, and we might discover a definitive treatment.

If you would like to learn more about ASD, read up on current research, or connect with communities of families that are living with autism, visit autismspeaks.org.

If you would like to contact Dr. Annie Abram please call (203) 299 0478 or visit her website www.DrAnnAbram.com