The complexities of autism are innumerable
by Margaret Behr, Opinions Editor
April is autism awareness month. Somehow I feel like a bit of a failure for not knowing this until now, but it is important nonetheless. Autism is complicated, to put it simply. It is not basic, nor is it easily understood. However, that is not to say it should not be discussed. One of the hardest things regarding autism as of right now is the inconsistency with which it arises and the questions it provokes but does not answer.
Michelle Cedillo is a 13-year-old girl with autism. Her name is popping up in newspapers, magazines and online sources rapidly because her parents are suing the government through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. When she was 15 months old, Cedillo received a vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). According to her parents, Cedillo changed for the worse after getting the vaccination. The MMR vaccine had traces of a mercury-containing preservative, thimerosal, that may have hindered her development as a child and could possibly have caused autism. While Cedillo's case is controversial, it is by no means unique. Her case is one of 4,900 similar cases in the specially named "vaccine court," which is part of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. From here, the argument gets tricky. According to www.cnn.com, "Families need to show a plausible biological mechanism for vaccines to cause autism." This makes the situation more complicated, as it is yet unknown whether Cedillo's autism was caused by the vaccine, the combination of the vaccine and thimerosal or thimerosal alone, or none of the above.
The outcome of Cedillo's case will have a ripple effect regardless of whether or not her family wins. Autism has grown increasingly common in children, yet our knowledge of it seems to be lacking. While the Autism Society of America places its prevalence at one in every 150 children, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates it affects three children in every 1,000. Autism is typically discovered and diagnosed during childhood because children tend to exhibit abnormal behaviors. Some of the signs thought to perhaps signify autism are a delay of spoken language, little or no eye contact and fixation on certain objects. While it is important to watch for these signs, I think that it is equally important not to jump the gun and diagnose a child if unnecessary.
My 25-year-old sister Katy has autism. While I can attest to these signs, I think it is far too easy to diagnose a child based on simple characteristics such as these. In Katy's case, she did have a delay of spoken language and she certainly gets fixated on objects. However, that is not to say the diagnosis of autism is set in stone. Autism is an umbrella term - it is used to diagnose other diseases and mental illnesses because it has characteristics that can be found in other diseases and mental illnesses.
Since autism is a seemingly generic term, it becomes much more difficult to explain. Autism is incredibly dependent on the individual, which is why it cannot be summed up in 20 words or less. Katy can talk perfectly well but is not a highly functioning savant (Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" is a common example of a savant). Katy cannot complete an IQ test on her own, but she is able to eat, walk dogs and go to church among other things. Thus, she is highly functioning in some areas while not in others. The cause of autism is not yet known, which is why it is a difficult disorder in many ways.
Katy was diagnosed with autism when she was two years old. The diagnosis came after others, which included her being blind and supposedly deaf. Granted this was over 20 years ago, but I still find it frustrating that my parents had to continually question what was wrong with their daughter. Katy's autism could very well be genetic. On the other hand, it could be due to something else entirely or it could be something other than autism. The same confusion or undefined areas are present in Michelle Cedillo's case. The vaccine could be to blame, but perhaps her autism is genetic. Perhaps she does not suffer from autism at all. The underlying message is that more research needs to be done in this area - if autism is truly affecting nearly one in 150 kids, we need to know more. Questions need to be asked, and answers sought. It is my hope that the Cedillo case will raise awareness, which will be exponentially beneficial in the future. Regardless of whether or not it is autism awareness month, we should be conscious of this issue.
Volume: 128
Issue: 14
Section: Opinions
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