Is Your Child Autistic -- Or Could He Have This Syndrome?
Tuesday July 14, 2009
An intriguing article in today's edition of Newswise seems to open up a whole new way of thinking about autism.
Here's why: Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientist and pediatric emergency medicine physician, Claudia Morris, MD says she has identified a syndrome which combines apraxia (a speech disorder) with symptoms often associated with autism. Many of these symptoms are precisely the ones that are pointed to by those whose children appear to benefit from biomedical treatments -- specifically Gluten and Casein-free diets and vitamin supplements.
What this means is that children who "recover" from autism as a result of dietary intervention may actually be diagnosable with a syndrome that is NOT really autism at all. According to the article
The data clearly demonstrated a common cluster of allergy, apraxia and malabsorption, along with low muscle tone, poor coordination and sensory integration abnormalities. In addition, Dr. Morris was able to gather laboratory analyses in 26 of the children, which revealed low carnitine levels, abnormal celiac panels, gluten sensitivity, and vitamin D deficiency among others. All children genetically screened carried an HLA gene associated with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.The article goes on to note that many of the symptoms described as part of the new syndrome are treatable with vitamin E and omega fatty acids:
Most significantly, the data indicate that the neurologic dysfunction represented in the syndrome overlaps the symptoms of vitamin E deficiency. While low vitamin E bioavailability may occur due to a variety of different causes, neurological consequences are similar, regardless of the initiating trigger. The study suggests that vitamin E could be used as a safe nutritional intervention that may benefit some children. Growing evidence support the benefits of omega 3 fatty acid supplementation in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders.Like all preliminary studies, this one is... preliminary. In other words, it has not been replicated, and the findings may turn out to be misleading. Meanwhile, though, it seems to me that we may be onto something. At last -- a start on the long path toward separating out the strands of symptoms that are now the tangled knot of autism spectrum disorders!
Comments
Lisa Jo
Maybe you missed this study, http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/03/we-need-to-learb-where-toxins-impact-gene-expressions-to-find-the-cause-of-autism.html
By David Kirby
[A new study written up in Science Daily (Mar. 2, 2009) and elsewhere says that researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) and Vanderbilt University have “identified a specific gene variant that links increased genetic risk for autism with gastrointestinal (GI) conditions.”
So far, reporting on the study, to be published in Pediatrics, has suggested that a polymorphism in the Met gene has been identified which, by itself, may explain both brain abnormalities and GI disturbances in children with autism spectrum disorder.]
If a child shows the functional systems of autism based on the diagnostic criteria than they have autism. Maybe this study has actually come upon the “root causes” of autism in some children.
The fact that a gene was discovered, the fact that it’s affects were treatable does not mean the child did not have autism. Seems to me this study supports that some children with autism have this genetic abnormality and with treatment they loose their autistic traits, i.e. they “recover” from autism.
It seems that the conclusion that the children did not actually have autism and therefore they did not recover is yours, Lisa Jo…not the studies.
What’s actually happening in science is that we are discovering underlying medical conditions in autism and that autism is treatable.
Pamela – not only did I NOT miss that story, I both blogged about (http://autism.about.com/b/2009/03/02/new-study-links-genetics-autism-and-gi-issues.htm) it AND wrote an article about it (http://autism.about.com/od/autismgiissues/a/METgene.htm).
What that finding tells us is that SOME kids with autistic symptoms do have GI and related allergic symptoms which are genetic in nature, while others don’t.
It seems to me that separating those people who DO have GI/allergic symptoms from those who don’t and treating them appropriately makes incredibly good sense.
Autism itself does NOT include gluten sensitivity, etc., and this new syndrome does. So to me it makes absolute sense to note that perhaps the autistic symptoms related to gluten/allergic are curable BECAUSE they are part of a syndrome that includes those sensitivities.
Lisa (autism guide)
Thank you Lisa Jo for pointing this out. I’m sorry I missed it initially because they may for interesting comparison.
In your post regarding the Venderbilt study you validate that the study might explain that there may be subsets of children who have autism with under lying medical etiologies, when you say “This finding is an exciting step forward in what I believe to be a critical issue in autism research: the definition of sub-groups with varying symptoms and etiologies.”
But in today’s article, finding underlying medical etiologies that can be treated and alleviate or eliminate the symptoms of autism must mean the child never had autism.
Hey, Pamela.
Here’s my take on this: autism is a disorder which is diagnosed on the basis of symptoms — there’s no “definitive” medical test available.
When you look at people who have those symptoms, you see some who have similar co-morbid problems (GI symptoms, in particular). You also see subsets who have other issues — major mood disorders, serious sensory problems, etc.
My guess is that in the long run we will separate out several different “syndromes” that have some symptoms in common. We may call these “autism spectrum syndromes” or not.
The key outcome I’m hoping for is that we’ll discover the causes and appropriate treatments for at least some of those syndromes. In that way, we’ll be able to say “Joey has ABC syndrome, so we need to take him off wheat and dairy, but Sammy has XYZ syndrome and so ABA is the best course of treatment.”
Lisa
It’s that celiac finding from a study about 2 weeks ago. They’re finding more have celiac than a few decades ago, undiagnosed. This could account for that GF diet and why many improve, however most parents do not test for celiac (we did when my son was 3). When people have celiac untreated by diet, they can not aborb food nutrients and more or less are starving the body and brain as well as GI issues.
My guess in the long run, is this will be a sub set of autism-like symptoms, but not really autism at all.
Lisa Jo
I agree 110% with everything you said in your 7/14 6:20 comment.
It’s this statement in the post that I take issue with, “What this means is that children who “recover” from autism as a result of dietary intervention may actually be diagnosable with a syndrome that is NOT really autism at all”
Maybe what you mean by this is that such reserch may lead to a change in the definition of autism but by today’s diagnostic criteria in the DSM V, if these children exhibit behaviours of autism they have autism beacuse today it is a behavioural diagnosis.
This disticntion is important because many in the main stream establishment are claiming that if a child recovers from autism..well they never had autism. Whether that is your intention you are feeding into their claim.
As I said before, based on today’s definition of autism, many children who have it are recovering from exactly the types of treatments outlined in this study and autism, as we know it today, for many is treatable.
Pamela, you’re absolutely right. Gotta think about this one…
Lisa