Dr. Insel on “Autism: What do we know? What do we need?”
May 28, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Autism Organizations, Diagnosis, Science, Treatment, Vaccines
Dr. Thomas Insel is to deliver Keynote Address #1 for the 5th Annual Meeting of the International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR) from June 1-3 in Montreal. Dr. Insel’s June 1st Keynote Address is entitled “Autism: What do we know? What do we need?”. An excerpt from the summary in the IMFAR abstract book:
………Autism is a developmental brain disease, but we do not know what the ‘lesion’ looks like. Autism is a genetic disorder, but we have not identified genes of major effect nor have we found many of the associated alleles. Recent reports document increased prevalence (not incidence) for autism, but we have yet to identify a single environmental risk factor to explain this increase. And finally, autism is considered by many experts to be a cluster of disorders, but we have no consistent approach for sub-typing the various ‘autisms’ into valid syndromes. [emphasis added]
…………. In spite of flat budgets at NIH, the research community will need (a) to expand to include developmental neurobiologists and others who can bring powerful new tools to autism research, (b) to build cooperative research networks that can share protocols and data across labs via a common database, and (c) to partner with advocacy groups and families to ensure that research is relevant and results are disseminated. ……..There is also an urgent need for studies to delineate the biological and behavioral subtypes of this complicated disorder so that we can identify the genetic, environmental, and interactive etiologies of autism, and develop new treatments and preventive strategies. [emphasis added]
I am curious to know what kind of “preventive strategies” Dr. Insel wishes to see developed.
Dr. Stephen Walker’s study on an MMR/autism connection will be presented as a poster presentation.
Jeff Stimpson
Jill Cornfield
Do you think autism is the new cash cow for medicine? All kinds of people could make a living trying to rid the world of autism!
I have a lot to learn, but I am growing by leaps and bounds since being introduced to autism-hub.
In refusing to see autism as a seperate entity imposed on my child, I see it as a way of being.
I hope one day we will spend as much money doing for our children, as we are in attempting to get rid of autism.
I hope it comes soon.
It does seem that most of the research funding that is being raised is going towards science and esp. medical science—-even while there are so many kids here and now who are getting older, and who need the best education they can get.
Autism has become a cash cow for “treatments” of all sorts.
The guy is a biomedical nark
one of the idiot persuasion who supposes you can develop a magic bullet single hit for everything without “collateral damage”
increased prevelence indeed.
There is I believe a constant amount of autism as much as there is a constant amount of background radiation, however what you see of it depends upon the instruments you use to detect it.
Patient to Dr “I am cured of my blindness yet I still see men as trees walking”
Dr “take this pill and they will look normal to you”
“Insel” is German for island—Dr “talking to himself,” perhaps.
Do you think autism is the new cash cow for medicine?
Some “scientists” (I won’t mention names, but they patent dubious and dangerous “treatments”) seem to see autism as a potential cash cow. They don’t realize there are people in the autism community who don’t appreciate this and are watching very closely.
…Autism is a developmental brain disease
That might be why they can’t figure it out. Some thinking outside the box is needed. (Perhaps hire some autistic scientists like Michelle Dawson to figure it out