A Sweet Way to Raise Funds for Autism Research

Here at the Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, we’re about (a) having fun with our families (b) evidence-based approaches to autism (d) innovative fund-raising and (c) social media. So naturally we are participating in The Autism Science Foundation’s campaign, Recipe4Hope. There are a lot of needs in the autism community, but we believe that funding sound autism research comes high on the list. So won’t you join us? Every dollar donated to the Autism Science Foundation from now through December 31 will go directly autism research. This video (1 min 13 seconds) explains the campaign. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Autism Science Foundation, here’s a short statement of its goals: The Autism Science Foundation funds scientific research to find the causes of autism and to develop treatments that will make a difference in the lives of children, teens and adults. This holiday season, outstanding research is…

When Couples Disagree Over Biomedical Approaches for Autism

Lynn Hudoba www.autismarmymom.com We are grateful to Lynn for publishing this essay — hers is a difficult position, and she is brave to share her experiences so that others can learn from them. A reminder: while The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism commenting policy encourages civil disagreement, personal attacks will be deleted.  -Editors If you’ve ever considered pursuing biomedical interventions or “biomed” for your child with autism, you are probably aware that these approaches — which include special diets, dietary supplements, off-label prescription drugs, and heavy metals detoxification — are controversial. Biomed proponents believe their approach can “recover” children with autism, and reduce or eliminate autism symptoms. The mainstream medical community considers many biomed interventions unproven and untested, and some, such as heavy metals chelation, potentially harmful. It is not surprising that attitudes towards biomed approaches get polarized. Still, every family I know has consensus about biomedical approaches. Not mine.…