This will be a quick diary since it seems the findings haven't been formally presented yet, but I'm so frickin' excited about this I just wanted to share quickly.
First of all, may I say (and I know you scientists out there will roll your eyes at me)
I KNEW IT!! All they had to do is call me up and say, "So, Coquiero, what are your thoughts about autism these days?"
I would have told them, "Well, it's pretty obvious to me and anyone else who knows lots of autistic kids that there are clear subsets of autism, and that needs to be worked out."
First, the link:
US researchers' discovery promises answers on autism
Now, this study was conducted by the MIND Institute in Sacramento, California, which is affiliated with UC Davis. It's a top notch outfit, not some Huffington Post set of doctors. The into is being presented at a conference in Perth, Austrailia today, which is why I'm having a hard time getting a ton of info. They're comparing this discovery with a similar one in the 1950's where researchers discovered that there were different kinds of cancers. Different cancers, different treatments, more success. The same can apply with autism, which is why this discovery is such big news.
Here's the money paragraph:
Researchers from the University of California Davis's MIND Institute in Sacramento began the Autism Phenome Project in 2006. They have been studying the brain growth, environmental exposure and genetic make-up of 350 children aged between 2 and 3 1/2 years, and have so far found two biologically distinct subtypes of autistic brain development.
Personally, I think it's going to break down to many more sub-types, but two is a start. I'm kind of in a whirl, because I don't see my daughter in these two broad categories they're laying out:
One group of children - all boys - had enlarged brains and most had regressed into autism after 18 months of age; another group appeared to have immune systems that were not functioning properly.
My girl didn't regress (and I find it curious to find that regression is a key subtype here as my kid's neurologist insisted that regression was a myth.) and obviously isn't a boy, but she's been seen by more than a few doctors and I haven't heard anything about immune dysfunction.
You may point out correctly that my taking credit for this discovery could be a bit of an over-reach. I could have pointed them in the correct direction had they called me for a bit of advice, but I guess all that science-y stuff had to be left to the professionals.
Any way you slice it, this is big news and I am so excited that I'm shaking right now. I know this doesn't mean my girl is "cured" (whatever that means), nor do I want her to be, but I want to know MORE about what is going on in her brain and body, and I feel like researchers are getting there!!
One final strange note; the only place I could find this article was on Fox News site! What's up with that???
An additional comment:
I'm curious--this diary is getting a lot of looks, but almost no comments, and some of you have indicated that you're dubious in the poll.
I'd like to hear why people are dubious and/or not commenting. Is this not an issue of interest? (Obviously it will be most interesting to those raising kids with autism). Does the science seem suspicious? Does it just not seem like that big a deal? Is the diary poorly written?
You won't hurt my feelings, unless you call me an idiot or something. But other than that, feel free to share your thoughts here.