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Autism Vox

by Kristina Chew, PhD on February 25th, 2007

A short spoof from The Onion satirizes the theory that mercury, thimerasol, lead, who knows what chemical agent may be the cause of autism:

202 Chemicals Linked To ADHD, Autism (The Onion, February 23)

This is a joke, but it is a reminder that there is a lot of bad science out there about autism.

Harold L Doherty
Feb 25, 2007 at 9:41 am

It is a good reminder of bad science. I think it spoofs more than bad science though. It also spoofs some of the attitudes and disinterest in examining the causes of autism.
Junior
Feb 25, 2007 at 11:18 am

Funny, funny!
mcewen
Feb 25, 2007 at 12:11 pm

Oh yes, gotta love The Onion - cheers
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 25, 2007 at 1:37 pm

Humor is a great leaven!
Daisy
Feb 25, 2007 at 1:40 pm

My sense of humor is often the last barricade that saves me from depression. I love the Onion!
Morten
Jul 6, 2007 at 3:39 am

Hmm… to be honest I think endocrine disruptors are a good bet for a causative agent (if there really is an increase in autism and not simply an increase in diagnosis). Some sex hormones pass into the brain and are quite important for the modulation/development of neurons. And well… I think I counted 4 different endocrine disruptors the last time I read the label on my shampoo (yes, I’m changing labels when I run out). We’ll see what REACH (EU program to remove the most dangerous chemicals) makes of them.