Autism is a medical condition frequently in the news today. The media attention that this neurological disability is receiving is fueled by questions and speculation that a preservative used in common childhood vaccines may cause autism, a theory supported by celebrity parents including Jenny McCartney.
According to the National Association of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, experts say three to six children in every 1,000 will have autism.
Q: What is autism?
A: Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors. It is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders called autism spectrum disorders that affect individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism.
Q: What are the characteristics of autism?
A: The characteristics vary from person to person, and some cases of autism are more severe than others. Some people with mild autism may exhibit only slight delays in language and may have difficulty in social situations, such as initiating and/or maintaining a conversation, while others may exhibit aggressive or self-destructive behavior. Another telltale sign is repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests.
Other documented traits of autism include resistance to change; difficulty in expressing needs; using gestures or pointing instead of words; laughing and/or crying for no apparent reason; showing distress for reasons not apparent to others; little or no eye contact; sustained odd play; apparent oversensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain; and uneven gross/fine motor skills, among others.
Q: I’ve heard that a mercury-containing preservative used in vaccines causes autism. Is this true? Is it safe to have my child vaccinated?
A: Many studies have examined the possible link between childhood vaccinations and autism, but to date, none have found that the two are associated. One possible reason for this theory, however, is that autism symptoms tend to become apparent around the same time that children are scheduled to get routine vaccines.
In 1999, the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics supported a directive from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to remove mercury from all vaccines. Since 2001, no regular childhood vaccines have contained mercury-based preservatives, but autism has continued to increase despite this precaution. If mercury were part of the cause of autism, we should have seen a drop in the incidence once it was removed.
While everything we do in medicine has risks, study after study confirms the safety, and personal and public health value, of vaccines. Vaccines protect children against a wide range of diseases, many of which are life threatening. It is very important to vaccinate your child to avoid serious, preventable disease.
Q: Is there a test for autism? How is someone diagnosed with autism?
A: There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observation of the individual’s communication, behavior and developmental levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared by other disorders, various medical tests may be ordered to rule out or identify other possible causes of the symptoms.
Q: Is there a cure for autism?
A: There is no cure for autism, but early intervention (from birth to age 3) can have a significant impact on reducing the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, as the youngest brains are the most adaptable. Treatments include education and behavioral interventions, medications and alternative therapies.
Ross DeHovitz, M.D., is a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Clinic of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
