I am passing along this email from Maggie Hoffman.
Marsha made some interesting points, which many of us have been speaking about for years:
Marsha made some interesting points, which many of us have been speaking about for years:
Now we have three studies reporting that both common and rare genes have been identified as putting people at risk for autism spectrum disorders. The genes contribute to both forming and maintaining brain cell connections. Additionally, the reports state that genetic and environmental factors come into play in creating this risk.
This was not a day that the earth stood still. Haven't 'we' always thought ASDs had both genetic and environmental causes? If there were prenatal tests for autism spectrum disorder risk, would expectant mothers be offered probability statistics, or a referral for termination?
Marsha commented that soon there will be no unborn child perfect enough to be born.
In preschool faculty meetings and in school bus stop gatherings folks casually comment, "Well his dad is kind of socially challenged" or "His mom isn't good with facial recognition", or even, charitably, "That little guy has quite the memory, just like his older brother". Have we really learned anything more from the research, and more importantly, what can we do with it?
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