Autistic Daily

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A study published online in the journal of Pediatrics reveals a family history of autoimmune disease may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders and infantile autism in children.

The autoimmune diseases included Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Celiac disease.

With Celiac disease, a person cannot tolerate gluten and eating foods containing such protein causes damage to the intestines. Therefore, Celiacs follow gluten-free diets.

Ironically, gluten-free diets have been shown to produce some improvements in symptoms when followed by children with autism.

Could research to eliminate or lessen the severity of this autoimmune disease lead to a lower incidence of or less severe forms of autism?

“The observed associations between familial autoimmunity and autism spectrum disorders/infantile autism are probably attributable to a combination of a common genetic background and a possible prenatal antibody exposure or alteration in fetal environment during pregnancy,” the authors concluded.

via modernmedicine.com

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Most issues in health and medical science aren’t black and white.

Everything from hair color to disease is determined by multiple genes and the environment and after hundreds of years of science and research, it’s still hard to pinpoint a single cause for most ailments.

Maybe that’s why Lisa Jo Rudy is neither blaming nor praising vaccines. She’s choosing to be a moderate.

“On the one hand, I acknowledge readily that the vast preponderance of science-based evidence makes it highly unlikely that there is a consistent, large-scale direct connection between vaccines and autism.”

“On the other hand… knowing that there are risks and benefits related all medical treatments, and knowing that there are children who are badly injured by vaccines overall, I believe that a very small number of autism-related claims of vaccine injury are probably for real. I suspect it is possible to create safer vaccines, to revisit the vaccine schedule with potential injuries in mind, and to discuss vaccinations intelligently with concerned parents.”

What vaccine political party do you side with?

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Famed autism researcher and professor Simon Baron-Cohen is speaking out more on the plight to prevent hacker Gary McKinnon from being extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges that could land him in prison for the rest of his life.

McKinnon is like a child, Baron-Cohen insists, and should be treated as one.

“It is important to recognise that his emotional age or social intelligence is at the level of a child, even if his intelligence is systemising at an advanced level,” he was quoted as saying, according to the UK Daily Mail.

Gary scored 43 out of 50 points on the Autism Spectrum Quotient, which is considered considerably high, making him extremely affected by the syndrome.

“As an adult, he is unaware of his socially inappropriate actions (eg he sat using the computer during Christmas lunch), his inadvertent faux pas (eg he told a woman she had gained weight, which was true, forgetting to mention she looked better for it), and he frequently loses jobs through not having the social skills to resolve interpersonal issues,” Baron-Cohen said.

“I also confirmed the presence of unusually strong, narrow interests, and extreme repetitive behaviour.”

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