Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - (Page 30) Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential Searching for the Causes of Autism By Walter E. Kaufmann, M.D. and Wayne Silverman, Ph.D. This issue’s column begins with a few words in tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who passed away on August 11, 2009. She spent much of her long and rich life advocating tirelessly for people with disabilities, and while she will probably be best remembered for her leadership in the building of Special Olympics International, she was in so many additional ways a giant within our field. In one of his more famous speeches, her brother (RFK) once paraphrased George Bernard Shaw in saying, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” Time and time again, Eunice Kennedy Shriver transformed her dreams of things that never were into realities, ranging from the Special Olympics to a national research agenda focused on developmental disabilities. (In fact, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development now bears her name.) Thanks to her, our world is truly a better place, and she left a legacy that will continue to enrich the lives of millions. affected children often care far more about strategies for effective treatment and prevention, and this is where the discovery of the fundamental causes of ASD will have its most important impact. We know that ASDs are caused by atypical brain development, but the specific factors involved (more than one seems likely) remain unknown. As the term “spectrum” implies, symptoms can range considerably, but key diagnostic features include impairments in social interaction and communication, often with delays in language development. Regarding language, some people with an ASD can have profound impairments throughout their lives while others are virtually unaffected, as illustrated in the new movie, Adam. However, as this movie also illustrated, social interactions will be atypical for even the most capable of affected individuals. While many possible causes have been discussed, there are strong indications that genetics play an important role. This evidence includes the fact that the odds of being affected increase dramatically if a close relative has ASD and that certain known genetic disorders, like Fragile X syndrome, increase vulnerability. Fragile X syndrome is one of many possible causes of intellectual disability (ID), also caused by atypical brain development. Unlike ASD, ID is characterized by broadbased impairments in intellectual and cognitive capabilities and should only be diagnosed when a child truly has an IQ of 70 or below, combined with substantial funccontinued on page 32 March 16, 2009 New York Times headline read, “An Outbreak of Autism, or a Statistical Fluke?” While this article focused narrowly on Somali families relocated to the Minneapolis area, the headline applies equally well to the broader national picture of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and it represents a compelling illustration of the lack of knowledge about the cause(s) of autism that still persists today. Many people believe that we have been experiencing an “autism epidemic,” with around one in every 150 children currently diagnosed with ASD. There is certainly no debate about the fact that this is an enormous increase from historical experience, but the root causes of this increase remain a mystery. Some people firmly believe that increased exposures to environmental toxicants are responsible, others that genetics must be involved, and still others that a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors are at play. On another side of the debate, people have argued that any true autism epidemic should increase the overall prevalence of developmental disability, and because that does not seem to be happening there may be no ASD epidemic at all. We may just be calling more children with disabilities autistic because diagnostic practices have changed. Passionate people support all of these positions, generating quite a bit of controversy in both professional and public arenas, and there seems little hope of resolution until scientists discover why children have ASDs in the first place. Of course, parents of 30 February 2010 • EP MAGAZINE/www.eparent.com http://www.eparent.com Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Exceptional Parent - February 2010 Exceptional Parent - February 2010 Contents Ancora Imparo New Products Further Reading Movie Review Organizational Spotlight What's Happening Insight on Federal Policy. This Month's Focus: Section 504 Search & Respond The Feeding of Great Children: The Impact of Nutrition on Learning Jump with Jill - High-Energy "Rockstar Nutritionist" Jill Jayne Gets Kids Moving - And Eating Right From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential Talking Transition - An Interview with An Expert SpecialCare: Getting and Staying Organized - The Effort Pays Off in Many Ways What You Eat Can Make a Difference The Positive Impact of Specialized Diet Food Intervention: How Do I Get Started? American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) Who Gets to Be an Advocate? Special Needs Alliance Families Reaching Professionals Living With a Disability Exceptional Parent - February 2010 Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Exceptional Parent - February 2010 (Page Cover1) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Exceptional Parent - February 2010 (Page Cover2) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Exceptional Parent - February 2010 (Page 1) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Contents (Page 2) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Contents (Page 3) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Contents (Page 4) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Contents (Page 5) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Ancora Imparo (Page 6) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Ancora Imparo (Page 7) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - New Products (Page 8) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Further Reading (Page 9) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Movie Review (Page 10) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Organizational Spotlight (Page 11) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - What's Happening (Page 12) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - What's Happening (Page 13) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Insight on Federal Policy. This Month's Focus: Section 504 (Page 14) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Insight on Federal Policy. This Month's Focus: Section 504 (Page 15) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Search & Respond (Page 16) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Search & Respond (Page 17) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Search & Respond (Page 18) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Search & Respond (Page 19) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - The Feeding of Great Children: The Impact of Nutrition on Learning (Page 20) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - The Feeding of Great Children: The Impact of Nutrition on Learning (Page 21) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Jump with Jill - High-Energy "Rockstar Nutritionist" Jill Jayne Gets Kids Moving - And Eating Right (Page 22) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Jump with Jill - High-Energy "Rockstar Nutritionist" Jill Jayne Gets Kids Moving - And Eating Right (Page 23) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley (Page 24) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley (Page 25) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley (Page 26) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley (Page 27) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley (Page 28) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - From Diagnosis, to Life Saving Therapy, to Hollywood: The Journey of John Crowley (Page 29) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 30) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 31) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 32) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 33) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 34) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 35) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Research Frontiers: Understanding Science, Unlocking Potential (Page 36) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Talking Transition - An Interview with An Expert (Page 37) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Talking Transition - An Interview with An Expert (Page 38) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Talking Transition - An Interview with An Expert (Page 39) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - SpecialCare: Getting and Staying Organized - The Effort Pays Off in Many Ways (Page 40) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - SpecialCare: Getting and Staying Organized - The Effort Pays Off in Many Ways (Page 41) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - SpecialCare: Getting and Staying Organized - The Effort Pays Off in Many Ways (Page 42) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - SpecialCare: Getting and Staying Organized - The Effort Pays Off in Many Ways (Page 43) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - What You Eat Can Make a Difference (Page 44) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - What You Eat Can Make a Difference (Page 45) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - The Positive Impact of Specialized Diet (Page 46) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - The Positive Impact of Specialized Diet (Page 47) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - The Positive Impact of Specialized Diet (Page 48) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Food Intervention: How Do I Get Started? (Page 49) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Food Intervention: How Do I Get Started? (Page 50) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) (Page 51) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) (Page 52) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) (Page 53) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) (Page 54) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) (Page 55) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Who Gets to Be an Advocate? (Page 56) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Who Gets to Be an Advocate? (Page 57) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Special Needs Alliance (Page 58) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Special Needs Alliance (Page 59) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Special Needs Alliance (Page 60) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Special Needs Alliance (Page 61) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Families Reaching Professionals (Page 62) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Families Reaching Professionals (Page 63) Exceptional Parent - February 2010 - Living With a Disability (Page 64) http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201009 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201008 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201007 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201006 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201005 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201004 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201003 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201002 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/2010rg http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200912 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200911 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200910 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200909 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200908 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200907 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200906 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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