The Data Fake That Set the World Afire
If it is actually the case that Andrew Wakefield faked, fudged, or whatever you want to call "making up" one's data, in his original studies regarding the effects of vaccines on children who later came to have autism, as reported in the UK's Times Online, then his research misconduct didn't just set back scientific research 10 years--it set back an entire generation of children, their families, and a society grappling with autism, and that will do so for decades to come.
As Bad Astronomy's post predicts, Wakefield's outing--if it happens--may result in some losses from the antivaccination community, but it is unlikely that parents of children with autism are going to cease to cling to that explanation in the absence of an alternative one.
The bottom line is that it appears that Wakefield faked his data, and even though most of the other researchers had already backed away from the idea that MMR vaccination caused autism and in fact retracted the conclusion section of their paper in the Lancet in 2004, Wakefield has not. Even if he did, the damage has been done. A decade's worth of children with antivaccination parents have avoided shots that may have been perfectly safe for them while measles cases have been on the rise. Plus, with all the focus on vaccines as the problem, other causes for autism have likely gone overlooked.
The damage done by the Wakefield fake is inestimable to the research community, to families, and most importantly to the children suffering from autism. Yet, parents, clinicians and caregivers will still likely cling to a theory that will be shown to have had NO scientific merit from the beginning--because without some explanation and something to blame, it is very hard to move on.
Summer Johnson, PhD
contribute a comment
Your contributions to the conversation are very much appreciated. We do have a few simple guidelines, though. Be civil. Stay on topic. We reserve the right to remove comments that violate the aforementioned guidelines. One more thing: comments are moderated, so it may take a little while for your comment to be posted. Thanks.
comments
I'm glad you posted this blog. I'm trying to figure out how to post it to my Facebook profile... if I'm unable, I will probably just post the link. Thanks!
- by Misti Royal on Feb 14, 2009 at 11:28 PM | link
Thoughts Regarding Autism Spectrum Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Of these rare neurological disorders, Autism is the most common. The autism spectrum reflects the broad range of symptoms in which the names of these autism disorders have been given their own name for their disorder.
Autism is a disability that is suspected to be caused possibly by a brain development disorder of unknown etiology. Others suspect the cause is some sort of neurological dysfunction- possibly with a genetic predisposition. Autism is about 3 times more common in males than females as well, and it is unclear as to why this occurs.
Usually, symptoms of the disease present themselves before the toddler reaches the age of three. Before Autism was more understood, others inaccurately labeled autistic people as childhood schizophrenia or as having a psychosis or mental retardation.
Symptoms of the autistic patient included limited or dysfunctional social and personal or intimate relationships with others, their intelligence is affected, and the autistic person typically is adverse to change. Also, the autistic person tends to be compulsive and prefers to be alone. They lack eye contact as much as physical contact with other people.
Out of over two dozen diagnostic criteria utilized for these disorders, eight must be present to be considered autistic, according to the DSM. As with all passive developmental disorders, the person expresses language, social, and behavioral difficulties.
Treatment includes what are called psychotropic medications that delay the progression of the disorder, as well as relieve some of the symptoms of one who is autistic. Behavioral therapy is common as a treatment regimen as well. Boys get Autism much more than girls.
Then there is the controversy between many who claim that thimerosal- a preservative containing mercury, which is a neurotoxin that was used in vaccines until 2001, was the catalyst for autism in children.
Over 5000 lawsuits have been filed because of this belief, and some have been successful for the plaintiff. Yet most agree the correlation between thimersal and autism is void of scientific merit. Furthermore, the cases of autism have not decreased since the preservative was discontinued in 2001.
Aside from Autism, the other four passive developmental disorders are known as autism spectrum disorders.
Asperger’s Syndrome is more common than autism, and the symptoms are milder, as there is minimal delay in language abilities, if at all. What is expressed with Asperger’s syndrome is mild autistic symptoms. In time, the patient may express atypical personality disorders, though.
While intelligence is within normal limits with the Asperger’s patient, social interactions and abilities preset difficulty for such a patient. As with Autism, medications and behavioral therapy are treatment regimens with one with this syndrome
Rett’s Syndrome or disorder presents with not only atypical behavior, but also suffers from restricted physical growth and movement. There is cognitive and social impairment as well. The disorder affects mostly girls, and the cause is due to a gene mutation.
Childhood Disintegrative disorder is rare, and is 10 times less common than autism. The disorder has a late onset with mild autistic symptoms. The disorder affects mostly boys, and regression is sudden and possible with this disorder. Skills lost with this disorder may be language, social, self-care, as well as play or motor skills. Decreased function or impairment with this disorder may include social skills and behavioral flaws. Central Nervous System pathology is a suspected cause of this disorder.
Finally, there are passive development disorders that are not otherwise specified. This may include atypical autism, for example. Yet as with the rest of types of these disorders, the symptoms vary in their frequency and intensity, as well as the range of abilities of these developmental disorders vary widely as well.
Medicinal treatment is believed to be not necessary for the management of all of those who may have autistic spectrum disorders. Depending on the patient’s health care provider, medications may be prescribed by their doctor to manage any affective disorders autistics may present in an acute or chronic nature. However, cognitive and behavioral therapy prove to be most beneficial for all the different types of Passive Development Disorders that exist for reasons yet to be defined.
www.autism-society.org
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139183.php
Dan Abshear
- by Dan on Mar 7, 2009 at 5:19 PM | link