Even though more than 20% of people with autism have little or no language, research into ways to help this group have really been lacking. Several efforts to not just understand the abilities and disabilities of this group started a few years ago and we are just starting to hear about what works and what doesn’t work to improve communication in those with little or no language. This podcast summarizes the evidence, which points to combinations of things, rather than things in isolation, and peeks in on ways in which interventions can be better directed and made more effective. Scientists at Rutgers University—Newark, UCLA, and Boston University contributed to the research discussed this week by Dr. Alycia Halladay.
Podcast: New science for those with little or no language
Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who is revered for his contributions to justice, tolerance, equality and service. In this week’s podcast, Dr. Alycia Halladay highlights a Supreme Court case which affects how those with special needs are fighting for justice and equality. Also, over the holidays, Dr. Connor Kerns from Drexel University published how a new tool to diagnose anxiety in those with autism was validated, setting the stage for its use by physicians and clinicians who don’t have a lot of experience with autism to help better understand the symptoms of their patients. Click here to listen.
Today, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – who has continued to publicly promote the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism — met with President-Elect Donald Trump in New York City and afterward stated that Mr. Trump has asked him to lead a new commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity. Autism Science Foundation President Alison Singer released the following statement in reaction to Mr. Kennedy’s comments:
STATEMENT FROM ALISON SINGER, PRESIDENT, AUTISM SCIENCE FOUNDATION:
“The scientific research has been done and the results are clear – vaccines do not cause autism. Some people may choose not to believe the facts, but perpetuating a myth from the very highest levels poses a dangerous threat to public health. Creating a commission makes it look like scientists have not already studied this issue for many years, and it may lead people to think this is still an open question. It is not.
It’s imperative that parents make health decisions for their children based on scientific evidence, in consultation with their pediatrician. I fear that parents will think we don’t have the data that we do – from dozens of studies — and will withhold lifesaving vaccines from their children. Withholding vaccines will do nothing to reduce the chance that a child is diagnosed with autism, but will absolutely increase the chance that a child could contract and die from a vaccine-preventable disease. Vaccines save lives, period.”
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Over the holiday break, the largest study so far including the most number of countries analyzed the risk of having a Caesarean section and autism. They found a consistent increased risk that wasn’t due to cause of the C-section or the age of the infant (preemie or term). So what is going on? This week’s podcast with Dr. Alycia Halladay warns against the unintended consequences of linking C-sections to autism and offers an explanation of the findings in addition to what the study authors provide. Click here to listen.