Update (July 17, 2008 7:10am):  Here is a link to the full article.

In reference to an article in the Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2008

Is there a way to detect and treat autism early? Can early intervention make a difference in the overall outcome for the child and his/her parents?
A group from Yale University is using eye-tracking technology to study the patterns in the visual behavior of children ages three months to three years. Additionally, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab are developing specialized software and in-home recording devices to analyze the habits of newborns. These new research efforts are being conducted in hopes of teasing out the most subtle signs of early autism. These studies and others show that early intervention does lead to improved outcome.
Autism is a multi-factorial disease with many causes that can vary from child to child. The causes are subtle and often interact with each other, making diagnosis and treatment especially challenging. This can be frustrating for the parents and difficult for the physician, somewhat similar to trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack. Because symptoms cross multiple organ systems, including behavioral, neurologic, biochemical and gastrointestinal, treatment can be compared to a smorgasbord. There is also so much variability from patient to patient, that one treatment that helps one individual makes another patient worse.
While these research efforts by Yale and MIT are laudable and will be very helpful in identifying the end manifestation of autism, the emphasis appears to be on the behavioral manifestation in the children, rather than the causal conditions. As my grandmother used to say, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Far better to determine and avoid causal conditions that are known triggers for autism in the first place, so that we can save the child before birth. A child’s worth is beyond price.
Further research into the causation of this debilitating challenge is necessary to prevent this disorder from happening. There is strong research that genetic abnormalities are part of the problem, specifically with methylation (a biochemical term involving transfer of chemicals from one substance to another so it can function better). Mercury exposure before and/or after delivery may be the neurotoxin that triggers manifestation of symptoms. There are probably multiple other unidentified factors.
While detection is obviously an important part of the treatment process, autism also has complex biochemical and immunity issues. Some autistic children have little “glitches” in the wiring that governs their biochemistry. With today’s vaccine-happy policies, tiny infants whose immune systems are especially vulnerable are being given toxic vaccines at birth—and the long-term effects of those vaccines have not been adequately tested. What we do know about the effects of the vaccines does not lead me to be optimistic about their long-term effects.
We know that some of the children who manifest autistic tendencies are especially sensitive to environmental toxins. Fumes, gases, microwaves, toxic cleaners and harmful foods brought into the mother’s body during gestation can affect the child’s development in the womb.
In addition to resulting neurological and behavioral disorders, gastro-intestinal issues are often part of the syndrome in autistic children.
Early intervention has clearly helped autistic children. If it can make a difference for the children and their parents to connect with each other, and make it possible for the children to learn how to connect with their world, this research is undeniably useful. But let’s not get the cart before the horse. An ounce of prevention is immeasurably more important in the long run than the pound of cure.
Prevention must include the reduction of mercury exposure, both in the womb and in the early exposure to vaccinations. Physicians and parents also must address biochemical issues. A complex disorder like autism does not fit into the traditional research model of Koch’s postulates, and definitely does not fit into the cookie-cutter approach for treatment. There needs to be close communication between physician, parents and child for the best possible outcome.
Let’s spend more research time and money on understanding and ridding the world of the causes of autism than on learning how to cope with it once it is an established fact.
I’ll be writing a more complete look at the broader range of treatments in future posts.