Autism Disorders - Science topic

Very wonderful

To economically empower the socially challenged:

It is pretty much certain that it is not such an adaptation insofar as the behavioral profile of children with autism was first scientifically identified as a specific syndrome with a set of deficits (and sometimes splinter skills) by Leo Kanner (1943) and Hans Asperger (1944) based on children they were treating in their respective clinics-- Kanner at Johns Hopkins and Asperger Austria. In fact Asperger began speaking and writing of autism in 1937, but his work was in German, and the war pretty much kept his early work hidden for many years. The behavioral profile characteristic of the autism spectrum disorder (a term and view of autism as a spectrum rather than a highly standardized set of characteristics) is due to the work of Lorna Wing in the early 1980s. The syndrome may go back to antiquity, but at minimum was considered a feature of childhood schizophrenia by Paul Eugen Bleuler in 1908.

As previously clarified, both the ratio and the "types" of Autism you mention are based on outdated findings that have been widely falsified. These findings and assumptions are heavily influenced by the history of exclusive and hegemonic psychiatric and autism science practices. This persistant epistemic injustice causes a lot of harm to Autistic people (Botha & Cage, 2022). Autistic scholars and advocates have been calling for a shift in research, namely more participatory research methods and following certain ethical guidelines that ensure respectful practices and acceptable, humane conditions. Including certain linguistic considerations, like avoiding ableist terms that have been and are still often used in autism research (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2021). For example, the notion of Autism being "mysterious" or a "problem" is a micro-aggression for me personally, but also for many others due to the harmful image it conveys (Dunn, 2023; Gernsbacher et al., 2017).

Even though many disproven assumptions about Autism, like only children being autistic or the subtypes you mentioned, are no longer a part of the diagnostic criteria, the validity of diagnostic criteria and the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tools are still heavily debated (Ratto et al, 2023).

There have been attempts to finding the true (unbiased) ratio of Autism prevalence, e.g. by McCrossin et al. (2022) who found a ratio of 3:4 rather than 4:1. The suitability of splitting Autistic people in binary gender categories remains questionable, since a lot of us are gender non-conforming, seemingly significantly more often than the general population (George & Stokes, 2017).

Scholars prioritising inclusive and non-discriminatory autism research, some of whose work I refer to in this comment:

Bottema-Beutel, Gillespie-Lynch, Botha, Cage, Cooper, Pearson, Pellicano, Han, Linden, Remington and Crane and their whole CRAE research team. And many more. There are some new(er) journals like "Autism in Adulthood", edited by some of the mentioned scholars.

Fortunately there is a growing interest in or rather awareness of the need for dismantling the epistemic injustice in autism research.

Can anyone explain me how can i calculate the ird in single case research when the most of the data points in the baseline are over than the data points in the treatment phase?

and generally can i convert the pnd to ird ?

Greetings! We are looking for research collaboration in ASD in Dubai. We are presenting a platform for integrative research in ASD.

Here is another article that might provide some unique insights to researchers!!>>

Thanks Laura

Elija on Long Island is looking to develop a farm program to aid in transitioning, a good idea: https://www.elija.org/elija-farm-csa

the main problem might be coping strategies, so questions need to filter these out.

Hi Sharon,

It would be worth contacting NAS Prospects (UK) as they have been working in this field for many years and have some internal research reports which you could perhaps access.

Best wishes,

Prithvi

it is hard to anwer this since when you know one case you only know ONE case. But hypersensivity is a comorbidity and therefore some subjects might have light sensivity issues, but eye contact is a totally different matter. It is not yet clear why. Is it lack of social skills, is it anxiety for being invaded by the other through the eyes (to open up), is it lack of interest in the other, shyness, absorbtion by linguistice activity... many things have been suggested and/or recorded. It can be trained as part of a coping strategy, so I don't think it is physical. I believe it is cognitive and the question I would ask is if how ASD subjects feel about being looked in the eyes (fMRI or so). I guess that to find out why, one needs to find out how they experience the mirrored image themselves. Most subconscious motivation is based on personal preference. I'm just thinking while typing. So don't take it for granted.

Jack, I have certainly heard of some children on the spectrum benefiting from karate or other more formalized movement disciplines. using dance for "therapy" to help improve in those areas  like dance and gymnastics, and karate helps so much in morale, especially when morale can be so difficult in other areas of life.  My own daughter, who didn't have autism, but had issues in motor skills when she was little, was in a gymnastics program at Easter Seals that took place in a regular gymnastics facility where other children were becoming athletes.  I think that setting became an important aspect to the success of that program.  Yes, there were children on the spectrum in her classes, but it was better for these classes to be conducted in a public facility rather than somewhere dedicated exclusively to children with special needs.  It gave them a way to feel proud of their accomplishments.

I also would be interested in seeing interdisciplinary approaches used to tie in issues in the biochemistry with any difficulties in movement.  I've dreamed of seeing some occupational and physical therapists formalizing evaluations in this sort of area...evaluating such things as stiffness, and vestibular function and even strength and muscle mass and speed.  I've seen what is possible at a gait clinic that deals mainly with people recovering from injuries or  from MS.  An autism center could develop formal standards  that later could be used to evaluate function for many adults with other developmental disorders.  But, for "treatment", the more normal setting (how people with no diagnosis build these skills), seems better overall.

Yes, it works . I had read one article which is called "A Systematic Desensitization Paradigm to Treat Hypersensitivity to Auditory Stimuli  in Children with Autism in Family Contexts". You

can read it .

I found the following links could be helpful, good luck

I've published several dozen studies on the topic.  Most of the interventions involved typically developing children as intervention agents.  Peer mediated Intervention has been regarded as an evidenced based practice by the National Stamdards Project, national professional development center for autism and the national research council.

Hi, I was on SCERTS training yesterday with Emily Rubin. She mentioned that SCERTS has been taken on by many London Boroughs and mentioned research they are doing in the US about SCERTS but I don't think she mentioned anything about the UK. Perhaps you could email her directly?

Dr Susan Hyman just published a research article out of the University Of Rochester that showed no correlation between gluten/casein and autism spectrum symptoms if this is what you are referring to.

I send you one article with title "Genetics of autism spectrum disorder & BDNF gene" by

Usha P. Dave

Hi Kostas,

You may want to look into these:

Best wishes,

Stephen

The current thinking is that ASC s are multifactorial in origin and as such triangulation of assessment data gatherer over time and context on presenting characteristics is used for diagnostic purposes (NAPC  guidance may be useful.  This I realise only indirectly answers your question, sorry- there is indeed some debate whether there will ever be paraclinical assessments used on their own for this heterogeneous spectrum of conditions. 

Hi, the following study considered the differential diagnosis of autism and there is consideration of PDD-NOS

Kiln, A., Lang, J., Cicchetti, D. V., & Volkmar, F. R. (2000). Brief report: Interrater reliability of clinical diagnosis and DSM-IV criteria for autistic disorder: Results of the DSM-IV autism field trial. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 30(2), 163-167.

In addition a number of early studies looking at the application of the DSM-5 have considered this also: 

Huerta, M., Bishop, S. L., Duncan, A., Hus, V., & Lord, C. (2014). Application of DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder to three samples of children with DSM-IV diagnoses of pervasive developmental disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry.

McPartland, J. C., Reichow, B., & Volkmar, F. R. (2012). Sensitivity and specificity of proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(4), 368-383.

I hope these are useful.

WPS offers education and research discounts for many of their measures. Here is the link to the program:

Asperger Syndrome (AS) is a type of autism. It is less severe than classic autism, and probably the mildest form of autism, but it's still autism. AS was believed to be different than High Functioning Autism (HFA) because individuals with AS did not present language delay. We now know that this is not true since there is no significant difference in language ability between individuals with AS and those with HFA after a certain age. The prevalence of anxiety and depression is significantly higher for individuals who are on the spectrum compared to those who are developing typically and to those with other developmental disabilities. I agree with Dr. Baron-Cohen's opinion that depression might be more prevalent among those with AS because of their greater awareness on their social deficits.

It is unfortunate that a "gold standard" like the ADOS seems to have that loophole. If you could contact a suitable informant, perhaps you could use the ADI-R, or supplement your assessment strategy with a measure of adaptive skills such as the Vineland 2 or ABAS-II. I don't know a thing about your study, but the adaptive skills interviews might be a good addition regardless of which ASD-specific measures you select.

My impression is that people on the spectrum are more likely to end up in contact with the criminal system, both as perpetrators but also as victims. I have found some interesting articles in danish by the man in scandinavia who is the best I know of in the field, Bo Hejlskov. In the link below there are some good references (in english)

Henrik Anckarsäter has written a review of the link above. In swedish unfortunately. He explains that Bo Hejlskov shows both that there is a overrepresentation of people with autism and at the same time that there is not. Hejlskov explain the paradox that in the ordinary prison population there is not a difference. But if you look at those that have been sentence to forensic care instead of prison there is a clear overrepresentation. Here is Ackarsäters list of references.

Anckarsäter H, Nilsson T, Ståhlberg O, Gustavsson M, Saury, J-M, Råstam M, Gillberg C. Prevalences and configurations of mental disorders among institutionalized adolescents. Pediatric Rehabilitation 2006; in press.

Gabbard GO. Mind, brain, and Personality Disorders. Am J Psychiatry 2005;162(4):648-55.

Hare DJ, Gould J, Mills R, Wing L. A preliminary study of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders in three hospitals in England. 1999. London: The National Autistic Society. 

Isager T. Autism Spectrum Disorders and Criminal Behaviour – A Case Control Register Based Study. 1ST International Symposium on Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Forensic Context, 2-3 September 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark. Conference paper.

Scragg P, Shah A. Prevalence of Asperger´s syndrome in a secure hospital, Br J Psychiatry, 1994; 165:

679-82.

Siponmaa L, Kristiansson M, Jonsson C, Nyheden A, Gillberg C. A juvenile and young adult mentally

desordered offenders: The role of child neuropsychiatric disorders´. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law: 2001;29: 420–26.

Söderström H, Nilsson A. Childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders among adult patients in a Swedish special hospital, Int J Law Psychiatry, 2003; 26:333-38.

Söderström H, Sjodin AK, Carlstedt A, Forsman A. Adult psychopathic personality with childhoodonsetr hyperactivity and conduct disorder: a central problem constellation in forensic psychiatry. Psychiatry Res 2004; 121:271-80.1/9 2004

Yes, autistic children tested either had poor sulphate production, or poor sulphate transport. Sulphate deals with amines produced by the nervous system. Dietary amines and phenols are sulphated, and autistic children should not have too much amine or phenol in their diets. Relevant supplements are molybdenum, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamins B2, B5 and B6. Poor sulphation in the gut may make it too permeable, in which case avoiding casein and gluten makes sense. Boron is excreted with vitamin B2, and so foods high in boron are best avoided. Often there have been many courses of antibiotics, and replenishing beneficial bacteria is relevant. Chlorella and vitamin C may help remove harmful minerals like mercury and aluminium.  Butter and coconut provide fatty acids to reduce gut permeability.

If possible, test plasma elements, red cell magnesium and functional B vitamins.

Relevant articles include:

Murch SH, MacDonald TT, Walker-Smith JA, Levin M, Lionetti P, Klein NJ. Disruption of sulphated  glycosaminoglycans in intestinal inflammation. Lancet 1993; 341: 711-4.

Waring RH, Klovrza LV. Sulphur metabolism in autism. J Nutritional & Environmental Medicine 2000; 10: 25-32.

Whiteley P, Shattock P. Biochemical aspects in autism spectrum disorders: updating the opioid-excess theory and presenting new opportunities for biomedical intervention. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2002; 6(2):175-183.

Harris RM, Waring RH. Dietary modulation of human platelet phenolsulphotransferase activity. Xenobiotica 1996; 26: 1241-7.

Moss M. Effects of Molybdenum on Pain and General Health: A Pilot Study. J Nutr Env Med 1995; 5: 55-61.

Moss M. Purines, Alcohol and Boron in the Diets of People with Chronic Digestive Problems. J Nutr Env Med 2001; 11: 23-32.

Moss M, Waring RH. The Plasma Cysteine/Sulphate Ratio: a Possible Clinical Biomarker. J Nutr Env Med 2003; 13(4): 215-229.

Ahmad, neither of the two links you provided in support of the treatment actually support it. The first, the trial, concludes that 'no overall clinically significant benefit from HBOT could be shown' and the second is a brain imaging study that showed brain oxygenation changes following oxygen treatment. That's hardly proof of anything other than that the brain uses oxygen.

Yes, but not always. It depends on the severity of Autism, and cognitive and developmental dysfunctions for each special child.

You can ask actual clinicians in the field, but based on my knowledge, the most commonly used measures in the US are ADOS and ADI. The Stanford Binet only measures IQ and thus doesn't really capture the whole ASD spectrum (as many people with ASD do not have an intellectual disability). It may be appropriate to test Intellectual disability in ASD but not as a measure of ASD severity since it does not tap into behavioral and social issues. 

Then maybe you should find a scale or assessment measure that will objectively specify where your participants will lie on the scale in terms of severity. Try the M-CHAT questionnaire, that is the one right off the top of my head. I'm sure there are a lot. 

You might find the attached references helpful

The Iris Center put out a great side-by-side comparison. I've attached it for you here.

The UK's National Institute for those who have them and their families, it is known that consists of three

parts:

1. Social Interaction

2. Social Communication

3. Imagination

At the preschool level, ASD-specific curriculum are often focused on the fundamentals of communication, basic social skills, task persistence, and developing functional independence. There are existing curricula available, but most have been for Western populations and may need to be tailored somewhat to be culturally appropriate for non-Western populations. That said, if it would be useful to you, I would be happy to suggest a couple of my favorites.

I am based in Leicester and currently researching stress in children with autism, how is your publication going?

For such a measure, any of the above mentioned scales will do. They are all inter correlated highly. The PDDBI is both reliable and valid ..it also correlates with the Conners.  It also includes a Teacher version.

There's quite a lot of research coming out in this area at the moment. Here are some references:

Jacobs, L. A., Rachlin, K., Erickson-Schroth, L. & Janssen, A. (in press). Gender dysphoria and co-occurring autism spectrum disorders: Review, case examples, and treatment considerations. LGBT Health.

Pasterski, V., Gilligan, L. & Curtis, R. (2014). Traits of autism spectrum disorders in adults with gender dysphoria. Archives of Secual Behavior, 43, 387-393.

Strang, J. F., Kenworthy, L., Dominska, A., Sokoloff, J., Kenealy, L. E., Berl, M., Walsh, K., Menvielle, E., Slesaransky-Poe, G., Kim, K-E., Luong-Tran, C., Meagher, H. & Wallace, G. L. (2014). Increased gender variance in autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior, DOI 10.1007/s10508-014-0285-3.

Bejerot, S. & Eriksson, J. M. (2014). Sexuality and gender role in autism spectrum disorder: A case control study. PLOS ONE, 9, 1-9.

Vanderlaan, D. P., Postema, L., Wood, H., Singh, D., Fantus, S., Hyun, J., Leef, J., Bradley, s. J. & Zucker, K. J. (2014). Do children with gender dysphoria have intense/obsessional interests? The Journal of Sex Research, DOI:10.1080/00224499.2013.860073.

De Vries, A. L. C., Noens, I. L. J., Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., van Berckelaer-Onnes, I. A. & Doreleijers, T. A. (2010). Autism spectrum disorders in gender dysphoric children and adolescents.Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 930-936.

Thank you

I would agree that sensory input and its impact on learning is important element to consider, but of course you have to think of this in terms of your cultural context. Children's ability to cope with sensory information does change based on exposure and maturation.

As suggested above principle of TEACCH such as reduced levels of distractions and making the environment visual and predictable can also help. There are a few journal articles which have explored this topic.

Dear Jose,

This is a huge area of research at the moment. There is growing evidence that impairments in neural circuit connectivity is the general feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders, and may be the underlying cause of behavior impairments in ASD. 

Based on the studies of single gene mutations associated with autism, these connectivity impairments may be caused by problems in synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity, including long-term depression, which ultimately leads to synaptic pruning. 

We have done some work on the role of neuroligins in neuronal-activity dependent synapse stabilization. Mutations in neuroligins and their presynaptic partners, neurexins have been discovered in autistic patients. Later on, it was discovered that neuroligins are cleaved in an neuronal activity-dependent manner, which most likely one of the crucial steps in synaptic pruning. It also involves matrix metalloproteinases, which are believed to be important in direct physical pruning. 

Furthermore, there is another recent paper which shows that in another single-gene model of autism (Tsc2+/− mutation) impairments of synaptic pruning may be causal to autistic phenotype. 

I am attaching these papers below:

Have you checked with the Interactive Autism Network, which links individuals with ASD with researchers? https://www.ianresearch.org

Thank you for responding.

My question is in fact an inquiry into the relationship between two concepts: that of 'screening' and that of 'central coherence'. My reasoning: if there is an overlap this may have implications for the way people on the spectrum perceive color - something about which not much is known.

Since there's apparently no response from the authors forthcoming, I might go back to the literature form which the concept is taken. I suspect - but am not sure - it's quite something else than Winnie Dunn's neurological threshold.

Thanks for the suggestion!   

Search for Paul Isaacs from the UK. He is an autistic with visual processing and light/color sensitivities who has done considerable research. Also, Fiona Randall in AU. She's doing her PhD research on photophobia and Irlen interventions.

Thank you for your opinion.

Theory of mind is affected in a range of conditions and I'm not sure that the fact that it is abnormal in people who are congenitally deaf really advances your argument. My experience of people with autism, and I've treated a lot of them, is that they are unusual in a broad variety of ways, many of which are hard to relate even indirectly to sensory pathology. Cognitive abnormalites such as weak central coherence are inexplicable in purely auditory-vestibular terms.

Autism research is littered with single aetiology theories, the most infamous of which was the now utterly discredited MMR theory. In the current state of knowledge we need to be circumspect in our evaluation of the aetiological evidence. My last word on the matter.

Great question! I am currently doing a phenomenological study into certain aspects of BDSM for my dissertation and I can say with great confidence that there is absolutely no academic research in the area of your question – not specifically detailing the effects of BDSM anyway. However, through my experiences and encounters within the BDSM community, I have seen and discussed some truly amazing effects of rope bondage on people with bipolar disorder, especially when in a hypermanic state. As you said, there is an almost immediate calming effect. Interestingly, I have not come across this topic on the numerous FetLife forums dedicated to members with bipolar. I am very excited at the thought of a phenomenological study of this question.

As a side note – you say “Thus a perceived and assumed ethical issue of "why would someone want to tie up another person?" tends to be the concern that escalates to writing the research project as a whole off in the public eye.” I find it very interesting that the opposite question is not more present in the research: “why would anyone WANT TO BE tied up?” Freud argued that there was no such thing as true masochism, only the opposite and submissive reaction to sadism. Is the desire to be tied up only in submission to those who might want to tie someone up? I think not! Your question opens up the field to explore this very question.                     

theres plenty of stuff showing its ability to enhance motivation to engage in social behaviour, but autism encompasses a vast range of deficits/abnormalities. oxytocin can't target them all, so its not "the" treatment. but it can point towards other related pathways e.g. dopamine signalling

What do you mean by "relevance of vaccines?  While it is unlikely that vaccines play any role in the development of ASD, many families because of worry have avoided vaccination or experience uncertainty about whether they should vaccinate their young children.  This has led to some children getting sick from the diseases that had been well controlled through vaccination.  So a study aimed at assessing vaccination knowledge, beliefs, decision making, etc. could be helpful in learning how to help parents navigate this difficult problem. 

I think for such children the teacher shoul dmotivate them by reading aloud short stories so as to create interest. in teh later stages the teacher should assign easier text i.e. text with very low difficultry level. _{It should be tried to inculcate interst in the children.}

It might be easier to view both as opposite ends of a continuum. If a person is under responsive, their sensitivity to sensory input is low and may not even be aware of it. In short, because they don’t sense what others do, this affects nervous system arousal. Sensation seeking can be viewed as the other end of the continuum. They are not only aware of sensory input, there is a desire for more, intense stimulation.

Dear Yasuko,

You will be more sucessful searching for "logorrhea" or "logorrhoea" which are common terms instead of "polyphrasia".

There is an older publication of case reports of logorrhea syndrome with or without hyperkinesia. [Arseni C, Dănăilă L. (1997). Logorrhea syndrome with hyperkinesia. Eur Neurol. 15(4): 183-187.]

Another publication outlines the conceps of catatonic speech disorders [Ungvari G S, White E, Pang A H. (1995), Psychopathology of catatonic speech disorders and the dilemma of catatonia: a selective review. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 29(4):653-60.] This publication you can request by the author at RG.

Hello Baguisari,

You may try looking up this recent review:

Anagnostou, E., Soorya, L., Brian, J., Dupuis, A., Mankad, D., Smile, S., & Jacob, S. (2014). Intranasal oxytocin in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders: A review of literature and early safety and efficacy data in youth. Brain research.

As to your request for a review of oxytocin in "autism" and not "ASD", you will have less luck in part because the DSM V recognizes "autism spectrum disorder" as a single diagnosis. In the DSM IV there were several subcategories under the "pervasive developmental disorder" umbrella, including autism, Asperger disorder, Rett's syndrome, CDD, and PDD-NOS. In practice, even before the DSM V most studies in the autism field reported on findings across the spectrum (in part because the distinction between autism/Asperger/PDD-NOS can be a difficult and fraught with issues of consistency and validity). I hope this helps!

the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) http://sfari.org/

and Autism speaks http://www.autismspeaks.org/

provide lots of useful information about recent researches in autism.

Both type 2 diabetes and autism spectrum disorders may be caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Those cases that are caused by CO are distinguished not by maternal inflammation, which CO and many other factors may cause, but by multi-sensory sensitivity [aka MUSES syndrome], which only CO exposure is known to cause.

MUSES is a consequence of the well-documented role played by endogenous CO as a neurotransmitter that modulates the nerve action firing potential of all mammalian sensory nerves. This system normally works fine in a quickly reversible fashion but it is easily overwhelmed by exogenous CO exposure, as any inhaled CO that remains free in plasma [unbound to Hb] readily diffuses through capillary beds into tissues until equilibrium is reached.

CO control over sensory signalling may be either enhanced or extinguished as a result of CO poisoning, leaving people either hypersensitive to all types of sensory stimuli after repeated low level exposures or literally senseless [as in a coma] after a very high level exposure. Sometimes only some senses are lost, like hearing or vision, and sometimes only for a few hours or days, while in other cases sensory changes may persist for years or decades, unless and until treated.

MUSES differs from sensory integration or sensory processing disorder [SID/SPD] in that it is defined as affecting 4 or 5 of the primary senses, while SID & SPD have fuzzier definitions that encompass any combination of one or more sensory hyper- and/or hypo-sensitivities. Sensory hyper and hypo sensitivities can be screened in adults just by asking them appropriate questions, but in non-verbal children, the diagnosis depends on detecting abnormal sensory-seeking and/or sensory -avoidance behaviors in response to various stimuli.

Conditions caused by CO poisoning are also objectively biomarked by abnormal arterial-venous gaps in COHb (A >> V during exposures, while V>A post exposure) and abnormally high CO in exhaled breath.

These A-V gaps return to normal and symptoms of tissue hypoxia such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia as well as multi-sensory sensitivity are all gradually reversed when these cases are treated like chronic CO poisoning with daily supplemental oxygen at normal pressure.

Hyperbaric oxygen is not necessary or recommended since it actually drives arterial CO deeper into tissues and increases the risk of delayed neurological sequellae.

My protocol for adults with MUSES syndrome whose biomarkers show elevated CO in tissues recommends 100% oxygen via cannula [or partial rebreather mask if tolerated] at 5 l/m, 2 hours/day for 4 months. This gradually flushes excess CO from tissues while restoring normal tissue levels of oxygen consumption.

Treatment takes 4 months to complete because this is the lifespan of most of the heme proteins to which CO binds. The CO held tightly by these proteins (Hb, Mb, Nb, Cb, etc) is not released until they are catabolized by heme-oxygenase 1, 2 or 3. Transfusions of COHb-free blood are ineffective since they only lower the level of CO in blood without affecting the level of CO that remains in tissues.

Note that oxygen treatment does not improve all cases of autism, type 2 diabetes, CFS, or FM, just those caused by some prior CO poisoning.

If my hypothesis wrt causation is correct, the lowest rates of autism should be found among children conceived and raised in all-electric homes [without any gas, oil, coal, or wood burning devices] that also do not have an attached garage used to store vehicles. And the highest rates should be in homes with multiple sources of CO exposure.

Unfortunately, I've not yet found any autism epi studies that report on these variables, and I've not yet been able to convince any autism researchers to look at either CO biomarkers or residential CO exposures.

Anyone?

Temple Grandin, one of the most powerful autists I have seen so far, seems to have regulated her emotions with a kind of "hugging machine". Might be interesting to investigate this. There is a movie about her called "Temple Grandin" worth for everybody to see.

There is no evidence in favour of this hypothesis, and a vast amount of evidence against it.

There are no reliable studies showing any significant differences in childhood experiences or family pathology regarding individuals with autism (about 40 years was wasted looking for these--if they existed, they would have been found).

Autism is not a result of psychological harm, it is an atypical form of neurological functioning.

People with autism can, of course, suffer psychological harm, and in the decades when their families were pathologised many did suffer such harm due to being taken from their families and institutionalised. Many still suffer it due to being misunderstood and badly treated, within and outside of families.

Short version of this answer: No. Absolutely not.

Hello Sandra,

It depends how you are defining language impairment in ASD. Structural language impairment (i.e., phonology, morphology, syntax) can occur in any individual with ASD, and in fact has primarily been studied in children/adolescents with high IQ. For example, Loucas et al. (2008) found that ~57% of such children with ASD have structural language impairment in an epidemiological sample. However, one weakness common to studies on structural language impairment in ASD is that they tend to focus on children with higher IQs, and thus this language impairment may differ qualitatively from language impairments in children with ASD with lower cognitive levels (reference Jill Boucher's work). There is a great review article from Psychological Bulletin in 2008 by Williams, Botting, and Boucher that would be a good place to start for your lit review. Otherwise, I recommend Dorothy Bishop's work on the subject (and her fantastic non-peer-reviewed blog, http://deevybee.blogspot.com/) that may tie together some of the issues you bring up related to social communication in ASD versus language impairment in ASD. Overall, as someone with a shared interest in joint attention in ASD, those specific behaviors seem to be less well studied in the research on language impairment in ASD, likely due to the lack of validated measures of joint attention in older children. I would also recommend you reference a chapter in the Handbook for Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders by Tager-Flusberg, Paul, and Lord titled "Language and Communication in Autism" (which I have attached a link to).

Manipulating the brain in adults can alter the interpretation of sensory input, but this is exactly the wrong model for developmental disorders, which are driven from the bottom-up. I do not know of any brain conditions in infancy which directly influence the information going up the optic or auditory nerves.The autistic brain needs to be reprogrammed, and it would help if we tried to find out how it got programmed in the first place.

To my understanding, the main reason for creating a general Autism spectrum disorder, and not keeping Asperger, Autism and PDD-NOS as seperate, is that the Task force feels that the scientific evidence is pointing in that direction. There are a several studies that shows that different clinicians will diagnose the same individual with different PDD diagnosis, e.g. one clinician will say autism with normal range IQ and the other will say Asperger syndrome.

From what I have read from the Task force, the SCD diagnosis is not to be considered to be related to ASD, and it's creation has nothing to do with the ASDs. Fransesca Happe, who is part of the Task force has said that some in the PDD-NOS group, might fall in to the SCD group though.

There has been a lot of complaints from researcher about this change and many feel that a lot of patients that today have a PDD diagnosis in DSM-IV will not have a ASD diagnosis in DSM 5. I have seen some studies showing that most (~90%) will stay in the autism spectrum, but I have also seen studies showing that below half in the PDD-NOS group will stay in the spectrum.

In many countries social benefits are related to having an autism spectrum diagnosis and they will probably lose these benfits if they no longer have an ASD diagnosis.