Comments on: Can Brain Scans Diagnose Autism?

By: David

David — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:52:42 +0000

As we don’t really know what autism is, and it may be a common behavioural end point with many different causes – I’d rather see such scans linked to treatment outcomes rather than diagnosis. Used to guide treatment they would be an asset.

By: JWS

JWS — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:15:47 +0000

Another good reference site on this area of Autism
http://www.talkaboutautism.org.uk/forums/general-forums/introductions

By: custom wheels

custom wheels — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 06:08:25 +0000

Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!

By: Another Michelle

Another Michelle — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 06:36:59 +0000

Day Brown: Too broad a theory. Asperger’s runs in my own Ozark family farm lineage, and appears in folks raised on organic homegrown garden veggies too. It can’t be only the combinations you mention. Of course, this in turn begs the question of whether there’s only one kind of autism on one narrow spectrum, which I don’t think is the case, IMO.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:59:06 +0000

Day Brown:
Perhaps there isn’t a curious absence as much as a lack of diagnosis? People who don’t go to the doctor or can’t afford to are not necessarily healthier because they aren’t diagnosed.

By: Day Brown

Day Brown — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:52:52 +0000

There’s a curious absence of autism in my neck of Ozark woods, which is still family farms cause the land is too steep for agribusiness. Similarly, the Amish rate is 1:15,000; which begs the question of whether there is a genetic endowment in family farm lineages, or whether the lower rates of contagious exposure, lower rates of exposure to chemical contamination in the food, air, water, and indoor environment, and/or whether kids raised on organic homegrown garden veggies do better.

By: Jay Fox

Jay Fox — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:01:46 +0000

It sounds like it is much too early for this. Keep studying it, though, and build up a much larger database. Include in that all those “healthy” kids, too. You need a better understanding of “normal” before you can point to specific areas of concern and say there’s a problem.

Pie-in-the-sky healthcare: Scan every kid entering preschool. It would be hideously expensive, but imagine what could be learned?

By: Pippa

Pippa — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:14:54 +0000

What matters is the clinical picture, in order to ensure that children get treatment for challenging behaviours and communication deficits. There is always the risk that such a test will be used to deny treatment, which is expensive, to some children. As we don’t really know what autism is, and it may be a common behavioural end point with many different causes – I’d rather see such scans linked to treatment outcomes rather than diagnosis. Used to guide treatment they would be an asset.

By: Amos Zeeberg (Discover Web Editor)

Amos Zeeberg (Discover Web Editor) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:24:39 +0000

This post was edited (June 17) to give clearer credit to Virginia Hughes for her exclusive reporting.