Jaundice And Autism

Correlation or causation?

A Danish study simply links the two. See PhysOrg: Newborns with jaundice more likely to develop autism: study

My first reaction is that this is an example of correlation and there's nothing here to indicate a shared causal agent in autism and jaundice.

Except for this part: "the risk of autism was higher... if the child was born between October and March."

Is this another argument for Vitamin D? Research is indicating this vitamin is a super-agent for health. Hopefully further studies of the jaundice-autism link will be forthcoming.

Autism - Fever - Stress

PhysOrg: Scientists propose new theory of autism

Evidence that autism is a chemical problem rather than a physical one includes:

The new theory stems from decades of anecdotal observations that some autistic children seem to improve when they have a fever, only to regress when the fever ebbs. A 2007 study in the journal Pediatrics took a more rigorous look at fever and autism, observing autistic children during and after fever episodes and comparing their behavior with autistic children who didn't have fevers. This study documented that autistic children experience behavior changes during fever.

...a 2008 study, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, that found a higher incidence of autism among children whose mothers had been exposed to hurricanes and tropical storms during pregnancy. Maternal exposure to severe storms at mid-gestation resulted in the highest prevalence of autism.

And the idea of fever as therapy reminded me of how fever was used as a cancer treatment at one time.

Autism And Vaccines Are Not Correlated

MSNBC: Court says vaccine not to blame for autism

TimesOnline: MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism

Vaccine For Autism Related Disorders Being Tested

See TechReview: Drug Trials for Autism

Three drugs will be tested in humans to treat rare, inherited conditions that are often linked to autism: Rett syndrome, fragile X, and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Scientists hope that the new drugs, if successful in the current trials, will eventually help treat more common forms of autism, which affects about 1 in 166 children in the United States. Existing drugs are used to treat symptoms of autism, such as digestive problems and psychosis, rather than the root of the disease.

Autistic Kids And Service Dogs

I remember being blown away the first time I saw a story on how a dog can impact a child with autism. Seeing how helpful a service dog can be to a child you have to wonder why this would be prohibited? The NYT has a story on a problem a family had getting approval for a service dog - Dogs and Autism.

And they provide links to organizations helping match service dogs to autistic children:

Autism Service Dogs Of America

4 Paws for Ability Assistance Dogs