Thomas Sowell: Real Autism (NOT LATE-TALKING CHILDREN!)

National Review Online ^ | July 16, 2008 | Thomas Sowell

[neverdem]

---

---

July 16, 2008, 0:00 a.m.

Real Autism
Parents need to be spared the emotional trauma of false diagnoses and children need to be spared stressful treatments that follow false diagnoses.

By Thomas Sowell

‘New Ways to Diagnose Autism Earlier” read a recent headline in the Wall Street Journal. There is no question that you can diagnose anything as early as you want. The real question is whether the diagnosis will turn out to be correct.

My own awareness of how easy it is to make false diagnoses of autism grew out of experiences with a group of parents of late-talking children that I formed back in 1993.

A number of those children were diagnosed as autistic. But the passing years have shown most of the diagnoses to have been false, as most of these children have not only begun talking but have developed socially.

Some parents have even said, “Now I wish he would shut up.”

I did absolutely nothing to produce these results. As a layman, I refused to diagnose these children, much less suggest any treatment, even though many parents wanted such advice.

As word of my group spread, various parents would write to ask if they could bring their child to me to seek my impression or advice. I declined every time.

Yet, if I had concocted some half-baked method of diagnosing and treating these children, I could now claim a high rate of success in “curing” autism, based on case studies. Perhaps my success rate would be as high as that claimed by various programs being touted in the media.

If a child is not autistic to begin with, almost anything will “cure” him with the passage of time.

My work brought me into contact with Professor Stephen Camarata of Vanderbilt University, who has specialized in the study of late-talking children — and who is qualified to diagnose autism.

Professor Camarata has organized his own group of parents of late-talking children, which has grown to hundreds, as compared to the several dozen children in my group. Yet the kinds of children and the kinds of families are remarkably similar in the two groups, in ways spelled out in my book The Einstein Syndrome.

The difference is that Professor Camarata is not a layman but a dedicated professional, with decades of experience — and he too has expressed dismay at the number of false diagnoses of autism that he has encountered.

What Camarata has also encountered is something that I encountered in my smaller group— parents who have been told to allow their child to be diagnosed as autistic, in order to become eligible for government money that is available, and can be used for speech therapy or whatever other treatment the child might need.

How much this may have contributed to the soaring statistics on the number of children diagnosed as autistic is something that nobody knows — and apparently not many people are talking about it.



Another factor in the great increase in the number of children diagnosed as autistic is a growing practice of referring to children as being on “the autistic spectrum.”

In other words, a child may not actually be autistic but has a number of characteristics common among autistic children. The problem with this approach is that lots of children who are not autistic have characteristics that are common among autistic children.

For example, a study of high-IQ children by Professor Ellen Winner of Boston College found these children to have “obsessive interests” and “often play alone and enjoy solitude,” as well as being children who “seem to march to their own drummer” and have “prodigious memories.” Many of the children in my group and in Professor Camarata’s group have these characteristics.

Those who diagnose children by running down a checklist of “symptoms” can find many apparently “autistic” children or children on “the autism spectrum.”

Parents need to be spared the emotional trauma of false diagnoses and children need to be spared stressful treatments that follow false diagnoses. Yet the “autism spectrum” concept provides lots of wiggle room for those who are making false diagnoses.

Real autism may not get as much money as it needs if much of that money is dissipated on children who are not in fact autistic. But money is money to those who are running research projects— and a gullible media helps them get that money.

— Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

© 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
—
COPYRIGHT 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

[autumnraine]

I think there is different kinds of intellegent. My late talker is the one who is extremely gifted musically and can remember lyrics to musicals so much that it’s uncanny. You should hear her sing every song to Cats and she is six. She is also reading music. But she struggles with reading words. Either that or she just isn’t interested.

Thank God there are different kinds of smart. We can’t all be the musicians, scientists, authors, etc... It takes all of us.

[redgolum]

Kids obsessed with dinosaurs, trains, horses? Kids who like to play alone? Childhood has become a disease, apparently.

Sounds like every classmate I had in Engineering at college.

[redgolum]

A friend of mine was like that. In grade school, all the teachers labeled him as dumb. Now he mangaged a plant that builds fire trucks that he designs.

What got him started was he fell in love with something (fire appratus) and tried to learn everything about them at his job. That drove him to over come his reading issues. Another good thing was I kept giving him fantasy novels. He loved the stories so much he forced himself to read them.

Now he is working with his kids to make sure they don’t get labeled as stupid for similar problems.

[Zevonismymuse]

Thank God there are different kinds of smart. We can’t all be the musicians, scientists, authors, etc... It takes all of us.

You are so right. It is funny how validated I feel when I talk to other parents of 'Late Talkers'. All the late talkers I am familiar with are quirky but super cool. All of my children amaze me and each one of them has their own idiosyncrasies. I have a Late Talker, a Slow Reader, and a Mustard Eater. The Mustard Eater is the girl. She spent her toddler years eating bowls of mustard and drinking vinegar. She used to ask for "Tobacco Sauce" to spice up her meal. I can't wait to have grandchildren. The kids were so darn great.

[Travis McGee]

Sometimes it is, no doubt.

[autumnraine]

Oh we have a butter eater. She would order waffles at restaurants to eat the little packets of butter that came with them. We didn’t figure that out for a while. Then I would catch her with a spoon full of butter. So weird what they like.

[autumnraine]

Got a grandbaby coming in August. Our youngest is six and it’s going to be like having another kid of our own I think.

[Myrddin]

The Mustard Eater is the girl. She spent her toddler years eating bowls of mustard and drinking vinegar.

I wonder if that behavior is an attempt to consume some vital, missing nutrient in her diet. One of the possible causes of autism is a genetically inherited "leaky gut". Children with a leaky gut can process in casein in cow's milk into peptides that mimic opium type substances. The peptides depress the brain AND cause a physical addition. The leaky gut can also pass other bovine proteins into the blood stream that trigger an immune response. That response often attacks the insulin producing cells and leaves the child a type 1 diabetic by around age 5. The narcotic suppression caused by the casein peptides can generally be reversed within 3 days of witholding any milk products. The individual will go through a withdrawal over the 3 day period, but then improves significantly. It's a simple, inexpensive option to try.

Some additional reading here on mustard as a stimulant of PLA2 enzymes. The article also promotes low carb diets to limit stimulation of insulin as it as stimulates PLA2.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Some teachers know everything.

This one did.

[Zevonismymuse]

I wonder if that behavior is an attempt to consume some vital, missing nutrient in her diet.

She is now a very healthy 21 year old. I am sure you are correct about our body telling us what we need. We just preferred to think of it as her quirky thing. She looks like a hippie but since she is conservative she prefers to call herself a "thinker". Here she is getting ready to send in her vote for Mitt on Super Tuesday.

[Myrddin]

I have 3 sons...21, 25 and 28. Kudos for successfully raising a fine young lady. Mustard on raisin toast with a slice of salami was always my favorite way to enjoy a fine mustard. Grilled kielbasa works too.

[Zevonismymuse]

Then I would catch her with a spoon full of butter. So weird what they like.

We all have our humanity in common but it is these butter eating little quirks that makes us as different as snowflakes. Congratulations on becoming a grandparent. I admit to being envious. Our middle child will be the first one to make it down the alter. He is getting married at a lifeguard station on the beach in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping they will have a child in the next year or two. He likes telling people, "We're weirdos; we're getting married, then having a baby."

[autumnraine]

That is sweet though! I wish our son had went about in that order. Actually, they were engaged and had the date for May of this year. She got pregnant in November, but kept the date for May since they didn’t find out until January. She had a little belly, but it’s ok. It’s not like he’s got a Baby Mama. Although I’m trying my best to get along with her. Really, I am. She could be worse I guess. At least she makes sure he’s in church every Sunday. That is a good thing!

Your grandbaby will be here soon, I’m sure. I don’t know how to love a grandbaby though. Doesn’t that sound crazy? On one hand I am loving her and buying everything in the book for her. I didn’t know how to love a baby until I had mine, but to love something so intensely as I hear others say, from someone else’s body. I’m sure it will all fall away once I lay eyes on her, but I am nervous to be honest. Is that wierd?

[Zevonismymuse]

It sounds like you will be a grandma in the next few weeks. How exciting. I wouldn't worry too much about loving the baby. I think it is going to hit you like a ton of bricks.

I am very lucky that my son is marrying a girl who I hit it off with right away. I can see why my son fell in love with her. Besides being beautiful and funny and interesting, she is very easy to talk to. I am also a person who is open so potential conflicts of interest are always addressed right away. I am also a firm believer that the wife takes precedence over the family of origin and I'll bet the soon to be wife appreciates that. I am sure you and your daughter-in-law will only get closer once the baby gets here and you have the love of your son and grandchild in common.

Here is my future daughter-in-law. My son is the guy in the hat on the right. They are both very tall, dark and handsome.