In 2007 the UN designated April 2 as Autism Awareness Day, and the entire month as Autism Awareness Month. This was reaffirmed yesterday by a proclamation signed by President Trump.
I strongly support this awareness activity but am grieved that one area of important research into the cause and treatment of autism is being ignored—possibly the most important line of research: neuroimmunologic causes of autism.
Several decades ago, I ran research and clinical programs at the University of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, and then at the University of Illinois’ Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. These focused on immunological abnormalities in children with autism.
Approximately one third of children with autism, suffer “autistic regression”. They are developmentally normal until they start to lose language and social skills. This typically takes place around 18 months of age (range from 16 to 30 months of age). This regression can take place over several days, weeks or months. Usually, it leaves the children severely developmentally delayed, severely autistic.
It is very likely that many, if not all of these cases are due to an autoimmune, anti-central nervous system disease process. If so, appropriate treatments can be found and used.
This possibility led me to study a treatment program of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in ten autistic children with demonstrable immunologic abnormalities on blood tests. With this treatment program one child, a 5-year-old boy who had suffered autistic regression between 16 and 18 months of age, returned to normal neurologic and developmental functioning. His autism was cured.
I published my results in the Journal of Child Neurology in 1998. This article, and all of my autism-related research results can be accessed here. I gave a one-hour interview about this topic on Komentaras TV which can be accessed here (in Lithuanian). Aspects of this work is continuing in the clinical and research activities of Lithuania based LukoLab.
The incidence of autism is increasing dramatically. The most likely explanation is that environmental factors are triggering more anti-central nervous system immunologic attacks.
It is truly regrettable that a treatment program that can cure autism has been neglected since 1998—27 years of lost opportunity, and counting.
Hopefully the new US Secretary of HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will live up to the president’s proclamation.
Below is an excerpt from my article detailing the clinical response in the child who responded to IVIG.
But then, a most unfortunate accident happened:
