Autism is a Whole Body Condition
Friday, July 14, 2006

Leading Pediatric Neurologist Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., Argues for Paradigm Shift in Autism Research at ASA's 37th Annual Conference

Providence, RI -- Addressing hundreds of parents, individuals and professionals in the autism community at the ASA National Conference today, ASA’s keynote speaker Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., discussed the new paradigm in autism research that could ultimately open up options for treatment and improve the quality of life for individuals with autism. This new paradigm recommends that researchers shift from the current thinking of autism research as a genetically determined brain disorder to a genetically influenced, environmentally triggered disorder that affects the brain.

The question to consider, remarked Herbert, is whether autism is dictated by genes or tipped off by the environment into a genetic systems change in an individual. The increased incidence of chemicals in newborn cord blood, the evidence of postnatal regression in children with autism, along with groundbreaking studies into the development of the brains of individuals with autism indicate more research should look into the affects of environmental factors on autism.

Herbert recommended that researchers look in detail at the mechanisms that occur from the gene to the brain to come up with treatment targets. “We are not 100 percent sure of any of this, but enough arrows are pointing in the same direction that we should consider a role for environmental factors,” said Herbert. “We should thus research not just on cause, but also the effects of autism on the body and resulting treatment.”

“Dr. Herbert presents revolutionary ideas that could advance both the understanding of, and treatment for, individuals on the spectrum,” commented Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., chair of the ASA Board of Directors.

“ASA is excited to be working with Dr. Herbert to further develop our understanding of the new medical paradigm of autism research and to derive more effective treatments and services to improve the lives of all those working with autism,” said ASA President and CEO Lee Grossman.

Herbert is an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, a pediatric neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and at Cambridge Hospital and a member of the Harvard-MIT-MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Kate Ranta at kranta@autism-society.org.