FOLLOW THE MONEY (via Tom Corcoran):

The Politics of Autism: Lawsuits and emotion vs. science and childhood vaccines. (Wall Street Journal, December 29, 2003)

None of this is to deny that the incidence of autism may be rising, though there is a dispute about why. The definition of the disease has broadened in recent years, encompassing even mild learning disabilities, and doctors have become better at diagnosing it. Some statistics show that as autism diagnoses rise, those for mental retardation fall--suggesting children were previously misdiagnosed. Parents are also more keen to have a proper diagnosis, because many schools now offer more extensive educational services for autism than they do for other disorders.

The good news is that research is beginning to reveal autism's causes and signs, in particular evidence of a genetic link. Studies have found that if one identical twin has autism the other has a very high chance of having severe social impairment. Scientists are already focusing on a handful of genes that may play a role.

In a important study this year, researchers found that a small head circumference at birth, followed by a sudden growth spurt of the head before the end of the first year, is a reliable early warning sign. (Brain growth that early can't be triggered by vaccines.)

Finding a genetic link would be helpful because one suspects the growing number of diagnoses (especially of the related ADHD and Asperger's syndrome) are more a social/political matter than a medical one.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 29, 2003 5:34 PM