The Wanderer
Molecular network identified underlying autism spectrum disorders
: "A molecular network that comprises many of the genes previously shown to contribute to autism spectrum disorders has been identified by researchers. The findings provide a map of some of the crucial protein interactions that contribute to autism and will help uncover novel candidate genes for the disease."
a collection of small trees
A bunch of articles are coming out about what's been discovered recently involving genes.
What I'd really like to know is what they're going to do to help autistics now.
I have seen some interesting things. A year back, I read an article about so-called "autism balm" ("NOXO sensory balm"), that supposedly reduces sensory issues. Its limited review was one mom of an autistic child.
Autistics themselves expressed skepticism that this could help.
But wait....damn you autism, damn you cynical, anxious nature. Damn you all to hell. I must know. What are the wondrous natural ingredients of NOXO? Where is the science and the studies behind it all. Surely they exist!
I love how the ingredients don't tell you what's actually in it, other than "A special proprietary formulation of Phytonutrients and Phytochemicals taken from plants, flowers, roots and seeds. All ingredients are in a medical grade Petrolatum base that is FDA approved."
I imagine there are a lot of scams out there...
edited 4th Jan '15 11:12:06 AM by BonsaiForest
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Who Am I?
So it's herbal vaseline?
"We learn from history that we do not learn from history."
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
On the plus side, it isn't homeopathy. 
Seems more like a Snake Oil Recipe to me.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Nah, really effective muti uses Human Resources, not reptiles, only. Everybody knows that... ;P
Seriously, though... you should see the snake oil I've had to wade through over the years with my CFS/ME. <_< Happened with smallpox. Happens now. Penis extensions: Older Than Dirt. <shrugs>
edited 4th Jan '15 12:33:53 PM by Euodiachloris
a collection of small trees
And then you occasionally discover something that works really well. For some people.
There are many parents who swear the gluten-free/dairy-free/soy-free diet helped their autistic kids a hell of a lot, to the point where it's obvious when they accidentally consume gluten/milk/soy by their behavior changes. But it apparently does nothing for the majority. Thus it's easy to dismiss as useless.
Temple Grandin had an editorial where she said that scientists often claim that weighted vests do nothing for people with autism, whereas she's seen them work again and again and again. She came to a similar conclusion to the one I did; that something that works tremendously for a small percentage of people but doesn't do jack for the majority will often be dismissed out of hand as being useless overall. It doesn't help that autism is actually numerous related conditions instead of just one; or to put it another way, it has many variations.
Who knows. Maybe this "autism balm" stuff really is super effective for 1% of autistics or less, but does nothing for the overwhelming majority. Or maybe it's just a scam.
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Yeah, medicine that has to be personalized that much is useless. Especially since you can only test it on a trial-and-error basis, which greatly increases the chance of sideeffects.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
V
@ Bonsai: Dylan Thomas? 
A procrastination in of itself
Thing is that unless the issue is specifically tied to autism you're not actually fixing anything to do with the autism, you're fixing a secondary issue that exacerbates the autism. My ADD makes me worse and the medication for it likely also helps with my ASD, but that medication isn't fixing my ASD, it's fixing my ADD and removing a factor that makes my ASD worse.
The problem seems to be that once someone is diagnosed as autistic every other issue they have is assumed to be part of their autism, when it may well be a separate issue that simply has a knock on effect (as most issues do). Scientists may well dismiss such aids because they aren't actually fixing anything related to the autism.
Say I had a broken rib for some reason, this would have a knock on effect and probably maker me act out a lot more as I'd have this constant pain. Now if we fix my broken rib then I will also act out less, because that pain is gone, but you'd be a fool to say that rib repair surgery helps deal with autism. What helps deal with autism (and pretty much any issue you care to name) is dealing with other problems your body and/or mind may be having.
Now in some cases you may well have things that are connected to a person's autism, in those cases you're looking at subsets as opposed to separate issues, but you need that link.
edited 4th Jan '15 1:57:30 PM by SilasW
"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
a collection of small trees
Yes, it gets complicated. I understand that conditions tend to come in clusters. If you have one medical or mental issue, there's a good chance you'll have others.
One thing a person said that stuck out to me was "I wonder how many of the symptoms we associate with autism are actually caused by autism, and how many are instead the result of depression or anxiety caused by a lifetime of social rejection and mistreatment?" Which makes perfect sense.
Like, with the kids whose symptoms intensify when they eat gluten, or who become "normal" when off of gluten (I've heard a few anecdotes about that), does that mean gluten is causing something else that worsens their autism symptoms, or that it's affecting autism directly?
Gluten intolerance is allegedly (way more research needs to be done) associated with autism. I have gluten intolerance. My symptoms occur within minutes of eating it. And they are... not autism symptoms. Instead they're things like becoming incredibly weak, totally spaced out and unable to think about anything, slowing to a crawl, becoming ravenously hungry, getting a horrific headache, and more. It was really fucking up my work - I could barely get anything done when I was experiencing them. The symptoms started about 6 years ago, so it's not like I've had them my entire life or anything like that. Avoiding all gluten, milk and soy protein stops the symptoms, but does NOTHING for my autism.
Now, is there a form of autism which relates to gluten in some way, in which eating gluten intensifies the autism and avoiding it reduces the severity of its symptoms specifically? Is gluten intolerance just something extra that these individuals have, and its symptoms are being mistaken for, or worsening, autism? I don't know. Right now there is a ton of research on autism and it seems like new things are being discovered several times a month, so maybe we will find out in the next few years.
edited 4th Jan '15 4:12:24 PM by BonsaiForest
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You have to be careful with saying "science says this doesn't work" and someone pointing where it does.
Like with the weighted vests.
Science is right. That does absolutely nothing to help treat autism. It is not an effective occupational therapy aid. There is not a single study that says it has merit.
That's not the same as saying some kids may like it.
I had kids like that. They liked the weighted blanket. That's it. Just like if they liked cars or pizza, or didn't like certain other things.
Did they calm down if you gave them the blanket? Sure. sometimes. But that's not any different than giving a kid their stuffed animal or playing their certain music when they're having a tantrum.
The problem is parents hear this and think "THIS IS FIXING THEM!" when no, it's a toy, and could actually be detracting from the positive impact of their therapy, not helping.
"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur
a collection of small trees
Yes, it's tricky. It could be benefiting an issue that's caused by the autism, rather than the autism itself. Which technically can be said to be something that helps an autistic.
It's like, if many autistics suffer from anxiety, then treating their anxiety helps them. It's treating a symptom (and a symptom caused by something indirectly related to the core issue) rather than a cause.
Meanwhile, here is an article I'm very skeptical of. It's called "The Cause of Autism May Not Be Unknown", and it blames mothers for it. The "Refrigerator Mother" concept returns!
The increasing number of such studies seems to indicate that there is a relationship between a mother’s depression (and hence neglect) and a child’s subsequent development. The developmental defects brought about by postpartum depression are similar to those of autism. It therefore seems to follow that there is a relation between postpartum depression and autism.
"Very like the symptoms of autism"? Could it go into more detail please? (It doesn't)
My parents tell me I started out developing normally, then suddenly regressed. And from what I've read about family members of autistics showing mild forms of autism symptoms themselves (and there are studies on this; not gonna link them now), I've come to suspect that if autism has a major genetic component, then my dad may be where I got it from, but that's another story.
This could be true, but I'd like more information. By "environment" it could mean lots of things. Living environment? Exposure to pollutants? The way they're raised by parents? More information needed.
Anyway, this article does not convince me one bit.
edited 4th Jan '15 4:38:00 PM by BonsaiForest
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More like giant cherries
Speaking of gluten intolerance, my aunt told me about an interesting theory that most cases of gluten sensitivity are actually sensitivity to the pesticides in wheat. Eating organic wheat products often provides the same relief as gluten free foods.
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
You have to be careful with saying "science says this doesn't work" and someone pointing where it does.
This practice is also known as "cherry-picking" or "disregarding statistical relevance/significance".
The people peddling the "refrigerator mother" concept would have some more backing if they had a bit more evidence than one questionable-sounding (46%, what is the percentage for non-autistic children?) study as evidence.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
A nice butterfly
Guys.
Clearly vaccines and not enough hugs from Mommy cause autism.
If only The Man was not into profiting so much, we could use our tantric herbs and homeopathy to cure it altogether. Wake up, sheeple!
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
a collection of small trees
Cherry picking, and disregarding statistical significance, yes. And I also understand and largely agree with the argument that medicine that has to be super-tailored to a condition is useless.
Largely, but not 100% agree with it. Of course, it's a perfectly valid argument. Let's say someone has a condition, and there's something out there that cures this condition completely... for 3% of those who have it. Depending on the cost (in terms of convenience, time and money) of trying this cure, it might not be worth it, or it might be worth it, even if there's a 97% chance of failure.
Either way, the large scale studies currently being done on the genes of autism and the many forms of it may help us discover the many different forms of it, and help us to realize that certain genes indicate a form of autism that can be helped with a gluten-free diet, certain genes indicate a form of autism that can be helped with something else, certain genes indicate a form of autism with severely oversensitive sensory issues, certain genes indicate the form of autism where the person has high pain tolerance (I used to have high pain tolerance when I was a kid, but have since lost it), etc.
Once all this is discovered, that tiny percentage of people that would be helped tremendously with a certain treatment might be able to be detected, and there might be tests that tell them "you have the form of autism that benefits from _____", and they have their answer.
Until we get there, though, the truly desperate will try all sorts of things. And depending on how bad their problems are, I could hardly say I blame them.
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a collection of small trees
Is the NHS failing women with autism?
“He had to look in a book to check what Asperger syndrome was, and, after glancing down at the page of traits, decided that I was just a nervous person who was afraid of doctors,” she remembers.
Three years after first seeking an assessment, Mina, now 24, finally got an official diagnosis. Had her AS been recognised in childhood, during the “utter hell” of school and constant bullying, life might have been very different, she thinks.
“I wouldn’t have gone through so much pain and confusion and may not have gone on to develop depression and anxiety. I would have learned that I was missing out on all the unwritten rules, and been able to learn them to keep myself safe.”
Autism, characterised in the past as a result of an “extreme male brain”, is far more prevalent in women than previously thought but is still often untreated because the stereotype focuses on male behaviour; women, it is commonly believed, mask their symptoms by learning to imitate the behaviour of non-autistic people. But without a diagnosis, experts say, their difficulties with social interaction and attachment to routine are misunderstood at school and then work, leaving them at increased risk of mental health problems including depression, eating disorders and self harm. Often naive and fearful of displeasing people, autistic women are also vulnerable to abuse.
And yet a recently published draft of new guidance, designed to improve the care and support NHS organisations and local authorities give to adults with autism, made no mention of women’s differing needs.
(...)
The struggle to get a diagnosis came up again and again. If a GP refuses to refer someone for assessment, the only option is to go private, at a cost of between £300 and £1,500. Among the 62% of women in AWM’s survey who had been formally diagnosed, almost a third (29%) had done just that.
Social workers misinterpreting the actions of autistic mothers with autistic children was another problem. Women upset by disruption to family routine caused by a professional, for example, might mistakenly be perceived as being obstructive, says Blakemore. That can be disastrous in a system where cooperation with social services is crucial.
At the NAS’s Lorna Wing Centre for Autism, director Dr. Judith Gould says she sees women in their 30s, 40s and even older, who have never had a diagnosis. The majority have been in abusive relationships.
Traditionally, autism is estimated to be four or five times more common in males than females; Gould, a consultant clinical psychologist, is reluctant to put a figure on what that ratio may realistically be, and simply says there are “far more girls than has ever been thought”. The centre gets calls from two or three women, or parents ringing about daughters, every week. But if a GP isn’t supportive, “you’re stuck,” she says. Gould is now reworking the questions asked of female patients in one of the main diagnostic tools, DISCO (Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders), used in the UK by doctors.
(...)
Claire Burke was only diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 36. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, her mother had been brushed off by health professionals as she repeatedly sought an explanation for her daughter’s behaviour – which included repetitive twirling and, when young, refusing to eat anything but dry chicken, bacon and eggs cut into star shapes.
In her late 20s, she was misdiagnosed with depression and OCD, while her real condition caused havoc in her personal and professional life. At work, she would have “meltdowns” if asked to do something outside her usual remit. “I would be shouting at my boss, yelling at the top of my voice, throwing things,” she remembers. “I didn’t know what was going on. It was horrendous.”
(...)
“It’s sad, because even now there must be lots of girls undiagnosed and going into adulthood with this. That’s a sorry state of affairs.”
V
When it comes to the NHS, Autism is just part of a wider problem — Mental Health in general has been neglected over the until the last year or two.
a collection of small trees
Yeah, if they ignore problems now, then they tend to grow and become bigger problems later. Wish politicians and the public would realize that.
edited 5th Jan '15 5:10:34 PM by BonsaiForest
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A procrastination in of itself
The abusive relationships thing makes me wonder, are autistics in general more likely to end up in abusive relationships? I guess it's hard to tell though, with a largely male sample size combined with how rare it is for men to admit to suffering abuse leaves very little data.
"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
Visiting from the Hoag Galaxy
The marriage rate is way lower for those on the spectrum, which implies that the number of romantic relationships is pretty low too. It might just be people not getting the deal about marriage though.
Not Three Laws compliant.
a collection of small trees
A relationship doesn't have to be marriage. It could be boyfriend/girlfriend.
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Deranged X-Mas Figure
I don't know about marriage, but I have never been in a romantic relationship. It's not that I'm not sexually attracted to others; I am, very much so. (The opposite sex, to be specific.) It's just that I've never had any real interest in 'getting jiggy with it', so to speak. I'm not saying a romantic relationship isn't a possibility at some point down the road, but I'm just not interested in actively pursuing one either, at least at this point.
edited 5th Jan '15 9:24:59 PM by kkhohoho
Doctor Who — Long Way Around: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13536044/1/Doctor-Who-Long-Way-Around
Now, what do you guys think of this video?
I'd say this tells you plenty about autism, but really reaches to connect it to Smash Bros.
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