Matching Pathology with Behaviours in Autism
I think the wrong people are in charge of autism research; forensic scientists or even air-crash investigators might do much better. We have seen in this blog that many drugs have a positive effect in specific types of autism. In many, but not all cases, the mechanism of that drug and its effect on the pathology of autism is understood. If you have followed an ABA programme, you will know that an experienced autism therapist would very easily be able to give a long list of behavioral issues that occur in varying combinations among her clients. From reading the research, it is clear that the people who understand the biology, often do not understand the psychology and the behavioral issues they are trying to treat - but perhaps they should. Only then can you target treatments for specific problems. There can be no single drug for autism, but there can be a drug for obsessive behaviours, and another for self-injury. You cannot say a low do...