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An article in the July 31st American Journal of Human Genetics suggests that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are “common in the general population.” According to the study, one in 200 people has a DNA mutation that could potentially cause a mitochondrial disease in them or in their offspring. Mitochondrial disease is (according to the United […]
According to the claim that vaccines or something in vaccines can be linked to autism—the source of much discussion and dissent for most of my son’s life—-autistic persons are “damaged” and “injured”; they were once “normal,” “typical” and “ok.” The notion that vaccines or mercury poisoning are the cause of autism not only poses some […]
Yes, I do think that the hypothetical “vaccine-autism” link distracts us from the key issues of education, services, and understanding about autism. Nonetheless, vaccines were the topic of some of last week’s top posts:
Musings on Camp and Independence
Should I be sending Charlie to camp?
The Dangers of DIY Doctoring
Doctors and patients at odds, and […]
Over at Primary Source in an August 1st post, Sharyl Attkisson discusses the case of Hannah Poling and says that “it’s the first time we know of that the government has ‘conceded’ an autism case in vaccine court.” Attkisson then writes:
But CBS News has learned the government has previously been court-ordered to pay on other […]
This week my summer school class on Psychology and Literature read Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. On Thursday morning the students had a quiz in which they had to “diagnose” Christopher, the novel’s main character, with autism or Asperger Syndrome, based on the DSM criteria. We also talked about […]
Ever since March when the government conceded that vaccines had “aggravated” a pre-existing mitochondrial disorder and led to symptoms of autism in a 9-year-old girl, Hannah Poling, whether there’s any link between mitonchondrial disorders and autism has been under questions. Is there a “subpopulation of mitochondrial autism“?, Hannah Poling’s father, Dr. Jon Poling has asked. […]
Autism Awareness Month 2008 ended Wednesday; here in my state of New Jersey, Senator Robert Menendez marked the closing of the month by unveiling the Helpings HANDS for Autism Act. The act calls for the creation of “autism navigators” to assist families in figuring out services; training for law enforcement and other primary responders; and […]
From an op-ed in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution by neurologist Jon S. Poling, the father of Hannah Poling, with a proposal for more research in the “mitochondrial autism”:
Emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may not be rare at all among children with autism. In the only population-based study of its kind, Portuguese researchers confirmed that at […]
Autism mother gets on her soapbox.
Written by Kristina Chew, PhD [email] for b5media.
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