As one of the co-authors of The Official Autism 101 Manual, I do my best to keep up with autism, it’s possible causes and search for cures.

Recently, I was reading an article in USA Today and found some new information that may help parents who are concerned about their child, autism and learning.

According to Nancy Shute, writing for the US News blog, researchers at Harvard University say we’re on the right track looking at genetics.

In the article, it says that “Daniel Geschwind, a professor of neurology at the University of California-Los Angeles who studies the genetic basis of autism, says he’s most intrigued by the indication that genes that at first glance appear to have nothing in common might actually be linked by the fact that they are vital to brain development and are turned on and off by the brain’s response to experience.

It makes sense, since symptoms of autism emerge in early childhood, when the brain is feverishly forming new connections.

If the genes are turned off, maybe those connections don’t form. It’s also when children are learning speech and social interaction, two key abilities often impaired by autism.

This may explain why using behavioral therapies as early as possible, in which children practice social interaction and communication, are the best treatment so far for autism.”

There’s a lot more in this article about the affect of chelation therapy following vaccines containing mercury, as wells as the link to learning, and you can find out more here: 

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-parenting/2008/7/11/autism-and-a-link-to-brain-development.html

Remember, every child is smart!

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

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