Lathe on what mothers can do to avoid autism
August 28, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Autism, according to Richard Lathe in Autism, Brain and Environment, is caused by “a combination of environmental toxins, exacerbated by physiological dysregulation and genetic predisposition” (p. 210). These toxins “act on the susceptible brain to produce ASD” (p. 211): Autism, Lathe argues, is a disorder of the limbic brain (pp. 84-86).
In discussing biomedical therapies for autism, mothers—and what they eat or do not during pregnancy—are specifically mentioned by Lathe, as if to suggest that, if an expectant mother consumes seafood and does not take calcium supplements, she has played a part in causing her child to become autistic.
As with spina bifida, where deformities can be prevented by supplementation of the maternal diet with folic acid during early pregnancy, it seems likely (though not proven) that many cases of ASD may be prevented by removal of toxic hazards and dietary deficiencies in the mother. [emphasis added] An important preliminary report has described how, in pregnant rats treated with the anti-epileptic valproic acid (a model for autism associated with fetal anticonvulsant syndrome), supplementation with folic acid reduced, and perhaps eliminated, the adverse effects of prenatal valproic acid in the pups. If confirmed this would argue that some cases of ASD in offspring may be avoided by modification and supplementation of the maternal diet. (p. 194)
Lathe also notes that “prenatal exposure to metal released from maternal dental amalgams” is a “major source” of mercury exposure (p. 208): Is an expectant mother at fault for not having her dental amalgams removed? Could she have “avoided” her child (her “offspring”) becoming autistic by changing her diet?
Autism, Brain and Environment clearly argues that autism is caused by environmental toxins and states that “therapy of autism and related disorders should focus on biomedical rectification of environmental toxicity and physiological problems” (p. 19). Nonetheless, Lathe’s specific mention of preventive measures (p. 196)that expectant mothers should take—or could have taken—yet again indicts mothers as causing their child to become autistic, however unknowingly.
First we were “refrigerator moms”. Now we’re to blame for some lack of something during our pregnancies. What an awful thought — that I, personally, could be to “blame” for his condition! Frankly, I prefer the pediatric neurologist’s suggestion that this might be genetic. (as if I had a choice)
I’m all right with a genetic basis for autism—I only enountered those passages after getting through the whole book.
Kevin Leitch looks closely at Lathe’s “new phase autism on his blog.
This is nothing new…yawn. This environment only gets worse. I’ll have to check out that blog.
What I find interesting is how much many parents welcome the opportunity to blame themselves.
I overheard one woman at a recent conference talking about how sure she was that the dental fillings she’d had during her pregnancy had caused her son’s autism.
It brought her a sense of certainty — literally, it gave her someone to blame. And she clearly found some comfort in that. For some people, it seems, it’s better than no answers at all.
The “blame theme” never seems to go away….. Was this mother using a lot of biomedical treatments?
I can’t remember, but I know she was absolutely convinced about mercury. And nothing that the highly-qualified leading scientist speaking at the conference could say would convince her otherwise.
Did she have the filling removed? (I know a parent whot did this.)
as a HFA reading this topic on avoiding us? i ask why not just throw the kid in the dumpster if you dont want a autisic instead of thining our numbers with numbers to prevent us from happening where mistakes and trash then just have us and throw us away i think useing methods to prevent us is just immoral as prom knight dumpster babys