This, “causes of autism” meme makes me smile.
Every parent with a child who has Autism (and likely many parents of children who have other diagnoses as well) are inundated with people asking if they have heard that new research has found that “X” is one of the causes of Autism. Or that “Y” is a foolproof way to cure your child. Now I appreciate these people. They are very well-meaning, but very often their “information” is a bit ridiculous.
Even information from scientific sources can be suspect.
In the beginning, the “professionals” thought the cause of Autism was from frigid mothers who didn’t show their children enough affection when they were infants. One “cure” for autism that was floating around the internet recently had something to do with ingesting bleach. Scary right?
Even if your information isn’t suspect or ridiculous, I can pretty much guarantee that we’ve seen the information. We carry so much guilt, heartache, and desire to help our children. Did something we do cause it? Is there something we could have done to prevent it? How can we make their life better in spite of the challenges they are facing? There is a common meme in the Autism parental community, that “No one does more or better research than an Autism Mom”.
I’m not asking you not to send that vital piece of research you’ve found. But rather, take a second.
Think, is this going to help, or hurt? Will it change anything? Will it give me the information I really need?
Don’t be offended if we don’t jump all over the information. We are here. We are human, and we really appreciate you caring enough to think about us.
Autism is a complicated medical issue. There are MANY factors that cause it and many things that can help the symptoms. Not every person with autism has all the symptoms. What works for some doesn’t mean it is going to work for everyone with autism due to the complex nature of this issue. For some, a gluten and casein free diet works wonders. At our home, it does nothing. For some, it is caused by genetic predispositions, for others, environmental issues are the cause, and for many, it’s a combination of both.
But apparently, for today, the cause is ridiculously good-looking parents!
My heart breaks for you. I know you must get so many of these comments, but what is worse is that people judge you. They think that you must have vaccinated or you feed your kids junk. In reality, you’ve probably already tried the GAPS diet for autism, speech therapy, the ABA therapy, etc and are doing the best you can with the resources you have. Love the blog and wish you the best!