Research - or lack there of

I taught math for twelve years before moving into administration.  I have been a public school administrator for almost ten years.  As a former math teacher and an administrator, I review research on a regular basis.  Educational research is used extensively as a means to improve the educational experience.

When Preston was diagnosed with Autism the first thing my wife did (the old chemistry teacher) was get on the internet and start reading anything and everything related to autism.  I did not spend near as much time reading as she did.  We would talk about what she read - and I kept hearing about various theories, but a lack of research to prove or disprove the theories.

In science classes the concept of proving something scientifically better known as the scientific method is taught extensively.  The steps are pretty simple.   Develop a theory.  Develop an experiment to prove the theory.  Conduct the experiment. Finally, review the data from experiment to determine if the theory is true or false.

It seems to me that there is a lack of good solid research on Autism.  Here is a list of theories.  I have yet to find definitive research that either proves or disproves any of them.

• Nutritional issues
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Organic vs non-organic
• GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms)
• Preservatives
• Additives
• Pesticides
• Vaccines
• Genetics

Here is my overall theory - it is not supported by research.  I am not a doctor.  I do not have a medical background.  What I do have is a background in making observations and using the observations to make determinations.  I really feel that autism is a symptom.  It is the brains response to adverse conditions in the chemistry of the body.  If the body is unable to dump toxins and other by-products, over time those compounds build up in the body to the point that the brain reacts in a negative manner.  Autism is a symptom that something is not working right in the body.  The problem is once that damage is done, it appears difficult to reverse the injury to the brain.  Hence the need for intervention as early as possible.  We have done that with Preston and we have seen good results.  Candace has used all of scientific ability to attack the problem head-on.  There was no accepting there was nothing we could do.

To this day we are not convinced that there are not still various toxins in Preston that his body can not get rid off for whatever reason.  With the use of supplements, B-12 shots, and probiotics we hope we are giving Preston's body a chance to clear out the toxins that are adversely effecting his brain.  We have reworked what he consumes in a hope that his body will be better able to dump toxins.

So what I really am trying to say is that it is time we stop guessing why autism occurs, but rather we need to study correlations between the having Autism and consuming some of the various products listed above,

The number people with the autism diagnosis is ever increasing.  The number of people with Autistic characteristics is increasing every year. I would like to see research that looks at why the numbers are increasing.  Before the autism rate increases any more, maybe it is time research all aspects and try to determine what really causes it.  Determining the cause is the first step in developing a cure.