Comments on: A Physiological Marker for Autism?

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:11:07 +0000

I’ve not been comfortable with some of the media’s presentation of this study as “poor recognition of ’self’ found in high-functioning persons with autism.” Perhaps it is my philosophical self going into overdrive, but there’s an assumption, a presumption, about what “self” is. My own son would certainly struggle with this test—–but (I’m referring to what Clara Claiborne Parks said about her daughter, Jessie, in an Oliver Sacks “Nova” special of some years ago), “no one had more of a sense of a self than Jessie.”

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:13:04 +0000

I've cited them before about this genetic test.

By: Regan

Regan — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:43:07 +0000

Yep. It’s Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:34:03 +0000

Kristina, I’m guessing that’s not *really* Baylor University, which is a small, private, Baptist university in Waco, TX, but is instead Baylor College of Medicine, one of the premier medical research institutions in the country.

By: A Rubric for Genetic Diagnosis of Autism

A Rubric for Genetic Diagnosis of Autism — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:58:54 +0000

[...] previous post considered a physiological marker for autism that draws on research on the brain responses of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome playing an [...]

By: Joseph

Joseph — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:12:54 +0000

I don’t understand why a computer should be engaged in a game in a way that is different to enaging a human, except in the case you understand something about the game algorithm that might give you an advantage when playing against a computer.

By: Owl

Owl — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:11:19 +0000

Now if they could get a specific test that would be useful earlier in the timeline of development that might be something… This test is dependent on a level of development where you can understand the game being played. By the point you can figure out what is going on and have your interest held long enough to matter, other diagnostic tests could work just as well. Who knows maybe you can figure out a way to replicate the physiological effect of the test on a two year old by giving them cookies or something. I doubt it though.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:00:05 +0000

I’ll say that, being (ultimately) a humanist to the core, I can see how, in some ways, diagnosis might be more of an art than a science (if that’s not too much of a cliché).

By: Translating Autism

Translating Autism — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:51:35 +0000

Hi Kristina, as you can see I’m not jumping up and down about this finding, specially as it relates to a possible improvement of diagnostic tools, but I can give your the general motivation (at least in theory) behind the apparent drive to find a more precise diagnostic tool. This is not unique to autism. It is an issue affecting all medical disorders, from psychiatry, neurology, orthopedics, etc. Mostly researchers are interested in increasing specificity, due to an implicit assumption that if we have more precise diagnoses and people are more accurately categorized (think debate about high functioning vs Asperger’s) treatment interventions can be better tailored to such more precise profiles. Now that sounds very nice, but there is another reality. We feel more comfortable in the results from “objective” precise physiological measures than clinical impressions even when there is no evidence to suggest that such physiological measures are actually more effective, reliable, or accurate. Here is an example from the medical literature: studies comparing MRI results from clinical diagnosis (Drs decision) about the presence or absence of a meniscus injury show absolutely no difference. Orthopedic surgeons can tell if you have a torn meniscus as well as an MRI, yet they continue to request MRIs and patients continue to feel better looking at their MRIs pretty pictures.
Nestor.

Nestor L. Lopez-Duran PhD
Translating Autism

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:29:18 +0000

“rerouted brain synapses or lack of need for fear”—-I suspect these would appear in my son (and also fears about things that “most” people are not so fearful about).

What especially interests me about all this is why there is such interest for a more precise? “scientific”? physiological way to diagnose autism/autism spectrum disorders. Very interesting how factors—pragmatics—play a part in determining the use of such assessments.