Interesting Autism Study

I read in Autism Bay Area Magazine's latest issue that a recent study by Stanford School of Medicine (July 2011) found that environmental factors may play a larger role than genetic factors in determining the risk for autism (www.autismbayarea.com, September-October 2012 issue, pages 26-27).  

As someone who has worked with children who have autism for many years, I have often wondered about the importance of environmental factors.  It seemed to be just too easy to say it must be due to the genes contributed by the parents than to look at the whole picture.  This study, done with 192 pairs of twins in California, seems to have a diverse enough study population to give us some real insight as to what combination of factors might contribute to this disorder.

And then there are the other variables: are we diagnosing more cases because we know more about the symptoms and how to help these children develop?  Were there children who now would get the diagnosis but years ago were just considered odd?

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend several months ago.  She was commenting on the rise in the number of diagnosed cases of autism spectrum disorder as compared to when we were growing up.  "When I was little, my dad used to go out into the back yard and spray DDT to kill the weeds, while smoking a cigarette and complaining about the air pollution, and I turned out fine" she said.  And, while that was certainly true, did the exposure to toxins such as DDT affected the genes in her family, turning some on and/or off, which would have carried over into subsequent generations?  The environment that our grandmothers and grandfathers lived in does effects us in this way.  And I reminded her that she had just said  that several of her friends have children who have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.  What did not show up as often in our generation may have carried over into our children and/or grandchildren.

At this point, we don't have definitive answers.  After years of hearing it was the parents'/families' fault (does anyone remember the "Refrigerator Mother" label?) it is heartening to see the research that is looking at the whole picture.

The Inner Child

My son once asked me what it was like to be old.  My immediate reaction was to burst out laughing (I had recently turned 30 at the time, hardly ancient in my book), much to his chagrin.  

But it made me think.  What is it like to be old?  Years ago, I had the privilege of working with seniors as an occupational therapist.  My clients were recovering from a variety of conditions: strokes, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries.  Some clients just found themselves increasingly unable to do simple activities of daily living.  After we got to know one another, I told them of the question my son had asked me years before.  

What is it like to be old?  Surprisingly, no-one was offended by this question, although many people did laugh, just as I had.  In a variety of ways, they all said essentially the same thing.  

That who you are when you are younger is who you are when you are older, only with more life experience. Someone who is outgoing, exuberant and lively will continue to be so even in an aging body.  Someone who is more cautious and observant will still have those characteristics.

This is not to say that we aren't changed by our life experiences, we absolutely are.  Our families, the social climate, technology, all of that has an impact.  Most importantly, the relationships we have with people we are close to play an enormous role in shaping who we are.  

So essentially we are every age we have ever been, all at the same time.  

So how is this relevant to the children in our lives?  By letting our playful side come out, we set an example of how to use the lessons of childhood throughout our lives.  By tapping into our inner toddler who is learning how to explore.  By calling on our inner 9 year old who is discovering the wonder of science.  Our inner teenager reminds us of the importance of friendship.  

In doing so, we rediscover the joy of life, and encourage our children to do the same.  

All Aboard!

Quite by accident my husband and I discovered a wonderful little park in Jamestown, up in Gold Country.  It's definitely a weekend and not a day trip, but well worth it, especially if you know someone who likes trains.  And who doesn't?

It's called Railroad 1897 Park, and there are several trains that are around 100 years old.  Some are fully restored and were in movies, some are being restored, all are amazing machines that must be seen to be believed.

Here is a link to their website:  http://www.railtown1897.org/railtown/default.asp 

There are tours (free) and a train ride (not so free), and it's a lot of fun!