Recently, I was dismayed when I read an article that made claims that environmental and lifestyle factors are a key contributor to the rise in autism in recent years. The article, which was written by someone in the field of pediatrics with a gravitation toward holistic medicine, goes so far as to make the claim that with lifestyle modification strategies, including changing the diets of children with autism, these children may lose their autism diagnosis entirely.  

While I understand the importance of a well-balanced diet, exercise, and an appropriate sleep schedule as part of a healthy lifestyle, this claim is quite unsettling in that it gives false hope to those families seeking a cure for autism while also going against research within the medical community that supports autism is a complex genetic disorder. Lifestyle changes, while beneficial and necessary at times, will not cure autism.  

The fact is that there is an increase in the number of articles being published by people purporting to have expertise in the study of autism who are making baseless claims surrounding the cause, management, and cure for autism. For example, many people have been frightened into thinking that vaccines cause autism, resulting in many parents taking the extreme and dangerous measure of not vaccinating their children. This undoubtedly has increased the risk of children developing life-threatening diseases while having no relevant impact on the mitigation of autism.  

We all have a vested interest in better understanding the causes of autism and the appropriate treatment once diagnosed, but it’s imperative that information about the factors contributing to autism is shared responsibly so as not to mislead people and portray a false narrative that contradicts well-trusted research.  

As a parent of a child, now an adult with autism, at the time of his diagnosis, I, too investigated the best treatment approaches supported by research. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) was the recommended approach and continues to be 28 years later. Ryan still has autism, but I believe that because of ABA treatment, he is a highly successful person. Ryan’s dreams have come true and so have mine!