Research into
the causes, the diagnosis, and the treatment of autism
spectrum disorders has advanced in tandem. With new
well-researched standardized diagnostic tools, ASD can be
diagnosed at an early age. And with early diagnosis, the
treatments found to be beneficial in recent years can be
used to help the child with ASD develop to his or her
greatest potential.
In the past few years, there has been public interest in a
theory that suggested a link between the use of thimerosal,
a mercury-based preservative used in the
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, and autism. Although
mercury is no longer found in childhood vaccines in the
United States, some parents still have concerns about
vaccinations. Many well-done, large-scale studies have now
been done that have failed to show a link between thimerosal
and autism. A panel from the Institute of Medicine is now
examining these studies, including a large Danish study that
concluded that there was no causal relationship between
childhood vaccination using thimerosal-containing vaccines
and the development of an autism spectrum disorder, 27 and a
U.S. study looking at exposure to mercury, lead, and other
heavy metals. |
