Dr. Oz and his experts do the best they can to answer the question: What causes autism? There still is no definitive answer, but hypotheses can be broken down into three (3) possible causes. All three are highly debated by doctors and parents alike.
1. Vaccines
The one thing every parent knows they are suppose to do for their child is what they fear most: vaccinate their baby to prevent the child from getting deadly diseases. Over 1/2 the parents who have newborns fear that vaccines will cause autism in their child. In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield published an explosive article in The Lancelot, a prestigious medical journal, linking the shot, MMR (the vaccine for measels, mumps and rubella) to autism. Parents began to fear that mercury-based vaccines such as Thimerosal were also linked to autism. Thimerosal was then removed from childhood vaccines; however, the number of children being diagnosed with autism continued to rise. Just last year, Dr. Wakefield's article was considered not just fraud, but fraudulent and was retracted.
Where do we stand now? Although it is still being debated by parents and doctors, the majority of doctors stated that vaccines do not cause autism and parents should get their children vaccinated to help children from getting very ill or even dying from preventable diseases.
2. Environmental Factors
Environmental factors include chemicals in the environment, diet, medications and anything that isn't genetic. Again, it is very difficult to tie autism to any specific environmental issue.
3. Age of Parents
There was huge debate as to whether or not parental age is a risk factor for children being born with autism. One doctor stated that a medical study reported that YES, older women and men have a higher risk of having a child that falls on the autism disorder spectrum. For every 10 year increase in the mother's age, her risk of having a child with autism is 30% higher than a younger mom. For every 10 year increase in the father's age, the risk of having a child with autism is 20% greater. The reason is unknown, but could be linked to horomones or age related materials of the genetic material in the egg or sperm.
As stated in part one of Dr. Oz's debate on autism, much more research needs to be done in order to get more conclusive answers as to what causes autism. In the meantime, the key is early detection to help the child overcome or cope with some of the symptoms of autism.
Click here to read about the autism debate: PART one of two.
If you found this article informative and would like email notifications of other posts by this National Mind and Body Examiner, please subscribe above. Thank you!
Comments
Seems like all of the 3 above possible reasons are all not confirmed are true. So we all still wonder what causes autism. It is very scary for parents - especially older ones like me. An amniocentesis doesn't test for it so we all wonder and worry and don't know how to protect against it.
Until further research is done, we'll never know. It is indeed VERY scary for parents.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!