Autism - the Canary in the Mine?

Morgan Autism Center has successfully put our 9th Annual Autism Conference to rest, but so many thought provoking presentations have kept my mind spinning. Most significantly was Dr. Martha Herbert's presentation. Dr. Herbert has re-framed autism to think of it not as a genetically determined hard-wired disorder, but more in terms of it being a chronic condition with the possibility of altering its course. Her title was "Autism: a brain disorder or a disorder that affects the brain?" Dr. Herbert presented autism as a systems disorder, where genetics and environment play intricately together and which view allows for more investigation into the many physiological problems people with autism have. Most importantly, it may indicate that some features of this systems dysfunction may be treatable, which is certainly promising.

At the same time, Dr. Herbert noted the phenomenal increase in toxins in our environment and the concurrent rise in other health issues, such as asthma or diabetes. On Monday, on a plane to Boston, I sat next to a toxicologist whose own 11 year old son has severe allergies, another increasingly common ailment these days. And his reaction is life threatening if he is exposed or touches a myriad of things to which he is allergic - wheat, soy, casein and all nuts. When I was growing up, peanut better sandwiches were an everyday staple for most school kids. Not any more.

Dr. Herbert's presentation was encouraging and frightening - and profound. When was the last time you saw a speaker at a conference given a standing ovation? Her clarity and deep understanding of what we are all facing with our exposure to so many elements was breath-taking. As she said, perhaps the greater numbers of children with autism are like the canary in the coal mine - a harbinger of what will befall all of us if we don't wake up and do something about the environment.