Science and Subtypes in Autism

By Lisa Ackerman

There is some incredible new research on autism and treatable, co-morbid conditions being released on a regular basis. This week, a new study has demonstrated strong results in emerging autism subtypes.

I love seeing this new research! It gives me great comfort to know that more research on autism treatments has been done since 2005 than all previous years combined (1.) That opens the door for treatments that can greatly improve the lives of individuals living with autism.

A new study on Mitochondrial Dysfunction & Autism was just released: Neurobiological Subtype of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from Brain Imaging. Here is the link:

http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleID=1859135

Add this great study to the Dec 2013 study below and now we are starting to see distinct subgroups:
Co-morbidity Clusters in Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Electronic Health Record Time–Series Analysis http://m.pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/133/1/e54.short

These will hopefully help families understand the many medical issues their children may face. After almost 14 years helping families, we know that many children diagnosed with autism face many health challenges (2.) We know that when these issues are addressed and treated children can recover and many improve dramatically (3.)

Thankfully, answers from great new research continue to come in. Autism is treatable through therapies and medical interventions unique to each individual’s need (4.) There are some great tools that can help guide families going through this journey (5.) Studies like these will make that path much easier for families to follow.