More evidence that autism has a genetic cause....

[BaalChatzaf]

Please have a look at this article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/health/research/scientists-link-rare-gene-mutations-to-heightened-risk-of-autism.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120405

I think that might finally put a stake through the theory that autism is caused by vaccines.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[jts]

Please have a look at this article.

http://www.nytimes.c...dit_th_20120405

I think that might finally put a stake through the theory that autism is caused by vaccines.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Your reasoning seems to be:

1. It has a genetic cause.

2. Therefore it has no other cause.

I say #2 does not follow from #1.

Probably everything has a genetic component. Even lifestyle doctors (those who advocate health by healthful living) believe in the genetic component. Dr. Shelton even devoted a whole article to the genetic component, explaining why achieving and maintaining health is more difficult for some people than for others. Dr. Tilden (another lifestyle doctor) was a great believer in the genetic component as evidenced in his book "Cursed Before Birth". Anyone who studies causes of health problems knows that it is common for diseases to have multiple cause factors.

So to me, that autism has a genetic component is to be expected. Why does it need to be proved? I would be surprised if autism did not have a genetic component. So I don't know what the big deal is, a study proves that there is a genetic component.

Let's imagine that a study comes out that proves that strength of bones has a genetic component. Would this put a stake thru the theory that broken bones are caused by slipping on ice?

If the genetic component is the only cause factor of autism, then that would imply that the gene that causes it increased 78% in the last 10 years. Is that possible? Did people with autism produce 78% more children than average in 10 years?

78 percent increase in childhood autism rates over past decade

[BaalChatzaf]

Please have a look at this article.

http://www.nytimes.c...dit_th_20120405

I think that might finally put a stake through the theory that autism is caused by vaccines.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Your reasoning seems to be:

1. It has a genetic cause.

2. Therefore it has no other cause.

I say #2 does not follow from #1.

Probably everything has a genetic component. Even lifestyle doctors (those who advocate health by healthful living) believe in the genetic component. Dr. Shelton even devoted a whole article to the genetic component, explaining why achieving and maintaining health is more difficult for some people than for others. Dr. Tilden (another lifestyle doctor) was a great believer in the genetic component as evidenced in his book "Cursed Before Birth". Anyone who studies causes of health problems knows that it is common for diseases to have multiple cause factors.

So to me, that autism has a genetic component is to be expected. Why does it need to be proved? I would be surprised if autism did not have a genetic component. So I don't know what the big deal is, a study proves that there is a genetic component.

Let's imagine that a study comes out that proves that strength of bones has a genetic component. Would this put a stake thru the theory that broken bones are caused by slipping on ice?

If the genetic component is the only cause factor of autism, then that would imply that the gene that causes it increased 78% in the last 10 years. Is that possible? Did people with autism produce 78% more children than average in 10 years?

78 percent increase in childhood autism rates over past decade

You make a good point. I suspect part of the increase is due to assortive mating. Since Autistics are not likely to succeed in courting neurotypical types they are more likely to mate with other autistics. The other part is change of definition of the condition so that more people fit.

Since there is no clear marker for the condition the count will always be a bit dicey and sloppy.

Long before Herr Doktor Asperger gave the high functioning variety of Autism its name, Nerds have always been part a parcel of the human race. I suspect it was some Aspy Nerd who painted the animals on the cave walls in France 30,000 years ago. While his neuro typical tribal mates were busy chanting songs together the clan Nerd was back in the caves painting away. Think of this as the first time a Nerd has designed a CGI.

Archimedes was probably a Nerd. When a Roman soldier got in the way of his geometrical drawings he did the Nerd thing: He said get out of my light, I am proving a theorem. That cost him.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[caroljane]

Please have a look at this article.

http://www.nytimes.c...dit_th_20120405

I think that might finally put a stake through the theory that autism is caused by vaccines.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Your reasoning seems to be:

1. It has a genetic cause.

2. Therefore it has no other cause.

I say #2 does not follow from #1.

Probably everything has a genetic component. Even lifestyle doctors (those who advocate health by healthful living) believe in the genetic component. Dr. Shelton even devoted a whole article to the genetic component, explaining why achieving and maintaining health is more difficult for some people than for others. Dr. Tilden (another lifestyle doctor) was a great believer in the genetic component as evidenced in his book "Cursed Before Birth". Anyone who studies causes of health problems knows that it is common for diseases to have multiple cause factors.

So to me, that autism has a genetic component is to be expected. Why does it need to be proved? I would be surprised if autism did not have a genetic component. So I don't know what the big deal is, a study proves that there is a genetic component.

Let's imagine that a study comes out that proves that strength of bones has a genetic component. Would this put a stake thru the theory that broken bones are caused by slipping on ice?

If the genetic component is the only cause factor of autism, then that would imply that the gene that causes it increased 78% in the last 10 years. Is that possible? Did people with autism produce 78% more children than average in 10 years?

78 percent increase in childhood autism rates over past decade

You make a good point. I suspect part of the increase is due to assortive mating. Since Autistics are not likely to succeed in courting neurotypical types they are more likely to mate with other autistics. The other part is change of definition of the condition so that more people fit.

Since there is no clear marker for the condition the count will always be a bit dicey and sloppy.

Long before Herr Doktor Asperger gave the high functioning variety of Autism its name, Nerds have always been part a parcel of the human race. I suspect it was some Aspy Nerd who painted the animals on the cave walls in France 30,000 years ago. While his neuro typical tribal mates were busy chanting songs together the clan Nerd was back in the caves painting away. Think of this as the first time a Nerd has designed a CGI.

Archimedes was probably a Nerd. When a Roman soldier got in the way of his geometrical drawings he did the Nerd thing: He said get out of my light, I am proving a theorem. That cost him.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Totally right. We are all on the genetic spectrum and what wonders it has produced.

And you are one of them Baal though sometimes I wonder what on earth you are tallking about.

Carol

inherently physics and chess incapable

[Peter]

On 4/5/2012 at 9:04 AM, BaalChatzaf said:

I think that might finally put a stake through the theory that autism is caused by vaccines.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Interesting article. It was one of those articles you have to hit an arrow to go to the next person, so it was a bit tedious. I only copied the text for people who I am familiar with. Peter

Celebrities with autism who are changing our perceptions Story by Stars Insider •17h. Susan Boyle Boyle leapt to fame when she appeared on 'Britain's Got Talent' in 2009, singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' from 'Les Misérables.'.. Now working behind the scenes after years of mistreatment, including being called Simple Susie, Boyle is worth about US $40 million...

Dan Aykroyd was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was a 12-year-old, and was then diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in the early 1980s when he was already in his thirties. Aykroyd wrote and starred in 'Ghostbusters' and 'The Blues Brothers.'.. "One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement—I carry around a police badge with me, for example," Aykroyd told the Daily Mail...

Daryl Hannah  was diagnosed with autism when she was a child, but only opened up about it to the public in 2013...

Courtney Love described how she was diagnosed with autism when she was nine years old in her biography 'Courtney Love: The Real Story.'..

Tim Burton's partner at the time, Helena Bonham Carter, was studying autism traits for a TV show and said she believed Burton had the condition... The director has not publicly said if he's been diagnosed with autism, though he has reportedly been open about his Asperger's diagnosis.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Peter,

If genetics were the cause of Autism, they would also be the cure.

And nobody is coming up with a genetic cure.

Kinda "duh." 

I'm not going to reread that article from a decade ago just to make this point.

 

The big kerfuffle at the time was to protect Big Pharma with a lie so it could keep in place its liability immunity and, thus, ramp up production of it's massively lucrative vaccine products--ramp it up to the skies--without any risk to itself or its ill-gotten new money. What's more, Big Pharma increased its profits further by selling vaccines to the government, then getting the government to make them mandatory in the population.

Great business if you can get it.

Some vaccines are good, but what developed was a huge racket that maimed and killed a lot of people. But, man, did it make money--government money for the most part.

 

btw - As I have often said, I believe I am an undiagnosed Aspie (according to a YouTube channel I came across devoted to this idea--those videos are pure me for about 80% or so of the ones I saw).

But there is a good side and I know it from living it. Neuroplasticity exists. You can rewire your own brain in a large number of things with your mind. You do disciplined thinking and the rewiring happens. This doesn't make up for the damage done, but sure it does make things a lot better.

Added to this, imprinting happens, too, and it is a great rewiring mechanism with the mind. You can see imprinting happen with religious conversions of trashy people when they are sincere. I saw it countless times in my 12 step group meetings (I attended a lot of them). In fact, the 12 steppers (AA, NA and the like) often said the meeting room was often like a beauty salon. You would see dirty,, disheveled grungy people show up and after a while, they were clean, wearing better clothes, smiling and so on. I, myself saw a lot of that. Hell. No sense in denying it. I was that.  

The classic example of imprinting is when a human passes by a group of infant ducklings at the moment their brains are supposed to imprint their mother. The young ducklings start following the human all over the place. That human became their mother to them.  

That example is infant ducklings observing nature at a certain time of their growth, but humans have found a way to imprint mature human minds with the right stories. This rewires their brains--from nothing but the mind--and this gets reflected in their behavior.

 

These two ways, disciplined thinking and impactful stories, are not the only remedies for dealing with bad brain wiring in autism, but they work for a lot.

Michael