Great news from the world of medicine

[velvetpage]

Genetic link to autism

I wonder if this will have any impact on the people who believe vaccines caused their child's autism?

Comments

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Autism IS a PDD. PDD-NOS, however, is on the autism spectrum.

And yes, there's a lot to go on, they're questioning environmental factors with my son, but they admit in his case they can never really know (9/11 related environmental factors).

But the genetic stuff has been talked about for a bit and the vax stuff (which my kid didnt really get because of $ reasons, not until after DX) has pretty much been disproven.

So really, I'm still stuck with no hope. Maybe for my grandkids, if I have any. But every bit helps.

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

I know autism is a PDD, the whole autism spectrum classifies under PDD by it's very definition.

I don't think environmental factors need to be discounted even if autism is shown to be 100% in the genes. One theory holds that some children's genes leave them susceptible to developing autism if exposed to certain environmental factors, situations, etc. I don't think they have any evidence for this yet, but the field is so huge, I can't even be sure of that.

I'm willing to bet though, that if this research accurately narrows down the field of possibilities, then research is going to make faster strides as everyone concentrates in the right places.

Dr Szatmari told me last year that there were big breakthroughs coming in the next year, as researchers worldwide were pooling their data. Boy, he was right. I'd love for him and his colleagues to put my entire department out of work someday, and this discovery puts us another step closer to that.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

As down as I seem sometimes, I am AMAZED at how the OT we are doing is helping my son. All these sensory things, his sensory diet, how it's changing things, what a turnaround it's been.

I still think WE ARE GETTING NOWHERE because he is nothing like how a 5 year old should be, but compared to last year, he's come so far.

How they even came up with this stuff that we are doing, I don't know. I kind of WISH they were studying my son because I can't believe the difference it makes. (And we aren't doing ABA, FWIW.)

And I got nitpicky because people used to do it to me I guess. I'm passing the torch or whatever. I should really STOP that. (And actually I do in public if anyone asks about him, I say he has 'something like autism' and leave it at that.)