Is autism genetic?

I was at Barney Rubble (Barnes and Noble) the other day [a couple of friends and I got into the habit of renaming things in college, like our hangouts--Paragon was "pair of thongs" and the cantina was "the can of tuna"--you get the picture] and I stumbled upon a very disturbing book. It was written by an M.D. who set out to prove that every treatment for autism was ridiculous, too labor intensive, and non-efficacious. Instead of going over case histories of children, their treatments, and whether or not they worked, the author stuck to speaking theoretically of science and scientific studies.

One mother quoted in the book stated that she wants to appreciate the benefits of autism (such as rare savant-like behavior) rather than try to treat the negative symptoms. She even goes so far as to say that autistics are valuable because some of them can do mathematical equations as quick as calculators! She likens autistic children to Down Syndrome or other genetic "differences", syndromes in which I can understand this idea of acceptance. One website I viewed likened autism to lefthandedness--a difference that was "treated" previous to the 1960s. However, I never knew a lefthanded person to qualify for disability, need a special high school, or cause disruption or harm to their families. My daughter's best friend in preschool, the daughter of a friend of mine, is autistic. One day they when they were four years old, they were playing together when all of a sudden, my friend's daughter stabbed my daughter with a fire poker! Thank goodness my daughter was OK, but you will never convince me that autism should just be accepted as a personality difference.

While I feel for the mom in the previous paragraph and understand her desire to just accept instead of do the hard work of years of diet change, supplementation, and behavioral therapy, I have to disagree with the similarity to Down syndrome and the idea that nothing can change. Down syndrome is a genetic alteration with specific consequences (or results) which are clearly defined and cannot be changed. Autism, however, is not clearly defined, the genetic markers are still being determined, and the pathology or symptomatology can change with treatment. Furthermore, genetic markers that have been suspected are functional, meaning the expression of these genes can change according to environment (ranging anywhere from "silent" to creating frank symptoms).

There is little doubt now that autism has a genetic component. They say look into the family tree of an autistic person and you'll find an engineer. Through the generations you'll find the trend going from awkward people to slightly strange and "different" people to Asperger's and OCD tendencies to autistic offspring. The genetics remain the same, so why the worsening of symptoms? The clue is in the genes.

Autistic people have been found to have altered genes of detoxification, mainly methylation and sulfation pathways. As the environmental assaults on humans increased dramatically during the 1900s (especially through vaccination) people with poor detoxification could no longer maintain normal levels of cellular metabolism. The result: accumulation of cellular waste, inflammation of the digestive system, decreased absorption of nutrients, deregulation of the immune system, and neurological changes. This results in children with the inability to communicate well, who cannot control their impulses, and who find processing information difficult.

The good news is that all of this is treatable. Detoxification of heavy metals can be aided by supplementation or IV therapy. Methylation pathways can be aided by B12 shots, inflammation of the gut and neurological consequences of food can be changed by diet, and neurological hard wiring can be changed through therapy. Reread the last sentence of the previous paragraph. Doesn't that sound like an awful prison to be in? We need to set these kids free. I don't think "autistic" is just another way of being, just as I don't think "deaf" is just another way of being if you have the possibility of cochlear implants. A parent would never think of not treating their cystic fibrosis child, yet this is a genetic problem. What about diabetes, or a child born with a heart defect. Does anyone NOT treat these children?

I don't want to minimize the struggle parents of autistic children go through--first to parent and bond with their child, then to deal with isolation and judgment because of extreme behavior, then to get a diagnosis, and then to wade throught the educational system as well as the myriad of treatments suggested. It is not easy.

That is why you need a good doctor who understands the genetics of autism and uses a variety of treatments to address all the factors causing neurological change. Not only will your child's life become open, easier, and more fulfilling, your job as a parent will become open, easier, and more fulfilling. It's always hard to make the first step on a path that seems daunting, but I'm sure any parent will be proud of themselves and their child when they see the improvements that can happen with treatment of autism.

Stay tuned for information for autism retreat in Oregon next June. There families with autistic children will be able to come relax, learn, and take time out to be a family on vacation in a fun and supportive environment.