{"id":11855,"date":"2020-05-05T14:45:46","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T21:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nebulous-oyster.flywheelsites.com\/?p=11855"},"modified":"2022-12-17T12:18:21","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T20:18:21","slug":"autism-specific-genes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/autism-specific-genes\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Unable to Find Autism-Specific Genes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ResearchersAutism-specific genes, do they exist or not?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is insufficient evidence for autism-specific genes. This is the conclusion of an international team of 13 scientists who have recently published a peer-reviewed scientific paper<\/a> on this topic.<\/p>\n

Writing in The American Journal of Human Genetics<\/em>, the scientists explain that there has been considerable interest in identifying genes that, when mutated, make children more at risk for autism spectrum disorder but that “there is currently insufficient evidence to establish meaningful Autism Spectrum Disorder specificity of any genes based on large-effect rare-variant data.”<\/p>\n

Just because there is “insufficient evidence,” does not mean that a genetic underlining for autism spectrum disorder does not exist. But what it does mean is that, so far, scientists have not been able to identify autism-specific genes.<\/p>\n

I’ve been researching and writing about health<\/a> for over 15 years. During that time I’ve interviewed at least a hundred parents, like this one<\/a> and this one<\/a>, whose lives have been upended by autism. “He wasn’t born with it,” and “My son was developing normally” are two of the most common observations these parents make. The vast majority of the families I have interviewed have no relatives with autism. And their children’s autism is not a benign form of neurodiversity<\/a>\u00a0that we should all be celebrating. These families will be the first to confirm what this team of researchers is arguing: Their children’s autism does not have genetic underpinnings.<\/p>\n

The sharp rise in autism spectrum disorder<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to the Autism Society, in 1965 the rate of autism was approximately 1 in 10,000.<\/p>\n

But by 2000 1 in 150 American children had autism (source<\/a>).<\/p>\n

And now, in 2020 at least 1 in 54 children has autism<\/a>. And some researchers believe that number is a gross underestimate. For instance, the Immunity Education Group estimates that 1 in 36 children has autism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In order to stop the sharp rise in autism and other forms of brain damage, we need to know what is causing it. And in order to figure out what’s causing autism, we need to be asking the right questions.<\/p>\n

The low life expectancy of people with autism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to a 2017 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, the life expectancy of people with autism in America is only 36 years old. People with autism are 40 times more likely to die from injury than people who don’t have autism (Read the study here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

An earlier study, published by Swedish researchers in 2016<\/a>, similarly found that people with autism tragically suffer from early (or what the researchers call “premature” death.<\/p>\n

If autism-specific genes aren’t causing autism, what is?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So if we are unable to identify autism-specific genes, then what is causing autism?<\/p>\n

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?<\/p>\n

It’s urgent that scientists begin doing well designed placebo-controlled research. We must figure out what toxic exposures in the environment are causing autism. Poisons in the environment<\/a> are responsible for brain and immune damage in our children. It’s time to figure this out. And stop it.<\/p>\n

Possible culprits that must be researched further include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ultrasound exposure during prenatal development<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Injected aluminum<\/a>,<\/strong> which babies are exposed to from the vitamin K shot and from aluminum-containing childhood vaccinations<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Acetaminophen,<\/strong>\u00a0which is the main ingredient in children’s Tylenol<\/a>. According to this outstanding scientific review<\/a> by a team of researchers from Duke and Harvard universities, acetaminophen seems to be a contributing factor in the autism epidemic<\/li>\n
  4. Glyphosate<\/a>, a ubiquitous and carcinogenic<\/a> herbicide<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This research<\/a> conducted by two scientists at MIT and a Texas-based medical doctor supports the hypothesis that both aluminum and acetaminophen are contributing to the autism epidemic.<\/p>\n

    So what is causing autism<\/a> if not autism-specific genes.<\/p>\n

    America is home to some of the most respected and best educated researchers and medical doctors in the world. We are collectively smart enough to identify the manmade environmental factors destroying our children’s brains.<\/p>\n

    Related posts:<\/strong>
    \n    Have You Ever Invited a Child With Autism to a Party?<\/a>
    \n    How This Mom Scored a Victory Over Autism<\/a>
    \n    The Possible Dangers of Obstetric Ultrasound<\/a><\/p>\n

    Published: May 5, 2020
    \nLast update: May 15, 2021<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Autism-specific genes, do they exist or not? There is insufficient evidence for autism-specific genes. This is the conclusion of an international team of 13 scientists who have recently published a peer-reviewed scientific paper on this topic. Writing in The American Journal of Human Genetics, the scientists explain that there has been considerable interest in identifying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[8349,8275,532],"tags":[11971,270,11972,11973],"yoast_head":"\nIf There's No Evidence of Autism-Specific Genes, What's Causing Autism?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An international team of 13 scientists have published a peer-reviewed scientific paper stating they were unable to find autism-specific genes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/autism-specific-genes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"If There's No Evidence of Autism-Specific Genes, What's Causing Autism?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An international team of 13 scientists have published a peer-reviewed scientific paper stating they were unable to find autism-specific genes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/autism-specific-genes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jennifer Margulis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-05T21:45:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-17T20:18:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/magic-cube-1976725_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"662\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JenniferMarguli\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@JenniferMarguli\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#\/schema\/person\/4f4b9f697431bff90dbf687b6ae55ccb\",\"name\":\"andrew.bolsinger@gmail.com\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/favicon.png\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"andrew.bolsinger@gmail.com\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#personlogo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/\",\"name\":\"Jennifer Margulis\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#\/schema\/person\/4f4b9f697431bff90dbf687b6ae55ccb\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/autism-specific-genes\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/magic-cube-1976725_1280.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":662,\"caption\":\"Researchers conclude that there is Insufficient Evidence for \\u2018\\u2018Autism-Specific\\u2019\\u2019 Genes. 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