This Week's Topic:

Autism

There's no question autism rates are up and concern is high but with the prevailing study linking autism and vaccines discredited, why is there still a level of concern about vaccines?   Are autism rates really up or is there better diagnosis now?  Is there over-diagnosis?   The best writers in science weigh in.
Why Including Self-Advocating Autistic People In Research Is Key To Effective Autism Treatments: A Look At Applied Behavior

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior...

On The Distinct Possibility Of Being Slightly Autistic Part 2

Enter the concept of slight autism. We can define slight autism as a state of autistic perception...

On The Distinct Possibility Of Being Slightly Autistic Part 1

Psychology studies the individual, and sociology studies the group. Social psychology studies...

When The Clintons’ Doctor Embraces Pseudoscience

Pudgy and recovering from heart surgery, Bill Clinton needed someone to optimize his health. Hillary...

Asperger Love: Loveless Or Unloved Lovers

In time for Autistic Pride Day 18 June:     Why do people congratulate somebody...

Battle-Weary and Worn: Huffington Post Capitalizing on Autism and Wakefield

Wakefield and the vaccine wars suck up the air. So much attention on one man. On hammering away...

The New Mito-Autism Study In JAMA

A new study was released today in JAMA which looked at, in part, mitochondrial DNA overreplication...

Wherein Lies Value? Perspective Is Everything

Over at the Autism Blogs Directory, we have over 400 blogs and websites representing a diversity...

Why CNVs Explain My Kid's Grades

'Copy Number Variants' (CNVs) are hot. A CNV is a sizeable chunk of DNA that's either missing from...

The Aliens Among Us Are Friends

We all avoid different things. I avoid polyester clothing. They avoid talking about death. ...

Monkeys and Mice: A Literature Review the Anti-Vaccine Folks Should Embrace But Won't

Aschner and Ceccatelli (2010) review the relevant data for thimerosal as a cause of autism. They...

Once More into the Breach of Autism and Intellectual Disability

“An overall cognitive deficit is not a defining feature of autism. “ –Amiet et al...

Autism- A Matter Of The Brain’s Connections

Mental retardation in autism is known to arise from a plethora of rare de novo mutations of key...

Autistic Regression, Cognitive Impairment And Severity Of Impairment: Real Numbers

There's a tremendous amount of research literature that does not make it into public consumption...

Participatory And Emancipatory Autism Research: What’s The Problem?

Today I am including a guest paper on this blog, from my academic supervisor, Dr Mitzi Waltz.  The...

Movies With Sensory Reduction

"What is autism" is a medical science question.  "How can people with autism adapt to society"...