The 12 questions that can detect autism in your child

[Thom Little]

Is your child autistic? The question strikes fear into the hearts of parents but scientists have now developed a screening test for autism which they say could detect the condition.

The 12-point questionnaire was more than 90 per cent accurate in identifying children who had been independently diagnosed with autism and could help identify other children with "functional impairment," researchers said.

The test could also be used to detect the condition in dysfunctional professors, train-spotters and others with eccentric habits who are popularly thought to share autistic traits.

.......

The questionnaire was developed by Professor David Skuse and colleagues at the Institute of Child Health, London, and the findings are published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Professor Skuse said there was disagreement among scientists about whether autism was a distinct abnormal condition or one end of the normal spectrum of behaviour. The test could help settle that dispute.


http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article330448.ece

[Ilsa]

1. Thanks. Good article. Iwish there was

more detail in it about the traits.

[Orrex]

2. Agreed--why not include the 12 questions in the article? (n/t)

[TallahasseeGrannie]

3. Where were the 12 questions?

I couldn't find them.

[ET Awful]

4. I think this link has the questions

http://groups.msn.com/TheAutismHomePage/autismquestionnaire.msnw

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Wow, an excellent resource

Thanks for the link!

[FormerDittoHead]

5. thanks above for the link - the article doesn't list a single question...

[Danmel]

7. I have a question for anyone who has an autistic child

A friend of mine's nephew has a daughter who was diagnosed with autism. There apparently was no family history of any neurological conditions on either side. They had another child, who at 9 months old, hadn't hit certain milestones- sitting up, rolling over.

As part of the evaluation, they did some blood work and found out the child (also a girl) had an astronomical level of mercury in her blood. They then evaluated the older girl's blood- she too had a sky high reading. They called in the health department which checked the level of mercury in the house and found it very elevated. Then their neighbor told them the family that lived there 2 occupants ago also had an autistic kid!

They cannot live there, they cannot sell the house, they have two seriously compromised kids. The whole thing is just so totally tragic- they will go bankrupt because they can't live there, pay the mortgage and live elsewhere or sell the home and the kids have lots of special needs.

Here is my question to people who have had personal experience with autism- Is it standard practice to test children for mercury when a autism diagnosis is made? Because if so, the pediatrician should have tested the older girl and they would have found out about it before the younger girl was affected. T

[Ilsa]

8. No,it is not standard practice.

There are no specific protocols for blood/urine/fecal/etc lab work for autism dx, just as there is no prenatal genetic test for it yet.

Not all autism is environmentally induced. My theory is that some people are genetically inclined to not be able to screen out contaminants or their immune system may be involved.

You have to understand: these children are frequently bright. A few (very few) of them are savants in an unusual and unusable aspect (my autistic son seems to have a built-in GPS). Some are functionally retarded because their learning disabilities make them unable to totally care for themselves.

[Danmel]

9. Thanks for the info

I know that not all autism is environmentally induced and that is a broad range of variability in functioning- I know someone whose kid has Asperger's Syndrome- he is a very bright kid- his are of "expertise" is blood diseases! Seriously- the kid is 11 and he can discuss this stuff with alarming detail.

My first cousin has a son who is autistic (he is 18) and is barely functional at all- he cannot converse or interact at all.

I was just wondering if any toxicology tests are done routinely when a diagnosis of an autism related disorder is diagnosed.

I feel really badly for them- they have their hands full and it appears that their kids problems might have been avoidable.

[Orrex]

10. A clarification must be made here!

You wrote: Not all autism is environmentally induced. My theory is that some people are genetically inclined to not be able to screen out contaminants or their immune system may be involved.

In fact, there is NO clear documentation that environmental factors cause autism. At best, we have a large number of people who sincerely believe that autism results from environmental mercury or other contaminants, but the data so far do not support this claim.

It is therefore, at best, irresponsible to assert an evironmental cause. It is the fallacy of wishful thinking, and it's a dangerous obstacle to serious scientific inquiry.

Incidentally, the hypothesis of a genetic inclination to "environmental succeptibility" is commonly put forth but is simply begging the question: one assumes that some environmental contaminant causes the disorder, but if the data don't bear this out, then one instead assumes that children are vulnerable to these environmental contaminants without ever having proven that the contaminants are at fault in the first place! Sorry, but that doesn't actually advance the understanding of the disorder.

Regardless, I commend you for your strength in raising an autistic child--the mere prospect of it is daunting beyond my ability to imagine.

[FormerDittoHead]

11. Please clear something up...

>They called in the health department which checked the level of mercury in the house

Where would there be mercury in a house?

Why can't they sell the house?