Does anyone know of a website or resource where you can find out what chemicals are known to cause autism?

Question

My 3 year old son may be diagnosed with a mild form of autism soon (we were warned today that that's what the signs point to). There is also groundwater contamination in our neighborhood of chemicals known to rise through the ground and get trapped in the house. Does anyone know where I can find more information? I've researched the specific chemical (and those resources don't seem to say anything about autism), so I was hoping to research the autism end instead.

Answer 1

You should start at the largest organization for autism's website. http://www.autism-society.org/ From here, you could find local support groups for autism and many of them have forums on the web...you should pose your question to them also.
I've never heard anything about chemicals causing autism, but I have heard that lead can cause autism-like symptoms. Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

Currently, a cause for autism has not been determined. There has been some buzz about mercury causing autism, but this has not currently been demonstrated by scientific research. Be careful of anyone promoting "cures" or "treatments" for autism; they may be trying to sell you something not research-based.

Here are some additional autism resources. I hope this helps!

Websites:

"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm - http://www.southflorida.com/sfparenting/sfe-sfp-autism,0,6196233.story

Website of Paula Kluth, Ph.D. - http://www.paulakluth.com/autism.html

Positively Autism (free online magazine, includes free resources/activities) - http://www.positivelyautism.com

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism by Temple Grandin, Ph.D. - http://www.autism.org/temple/tips.html


Books:

"Your Life is Not a Label: A Guide to Living Fully with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome" by Jerry Newport

"You're Going to Love This Kid!: Teaching Students With Autism in the Inclusive Classroom" By Paula Kluth

"Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism" By Paul Collins

Any book by Temple Grandin

Answer 3

Feature articles on autism:
Children conceived with help of infertility treatments more likely to suffer from autism
(NewsTarget) A University of California study suggests that children of couples with fertility problems have an increased risk of serious birth defects, and while the researchers found that fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) might also increase the risk, they maintain the increase...

Autism rates surge, say UK researchers
(NewsTarget) -- A recent study by UK researchers reveals that autism may affect one in every 100 children in Britain, a substantial increase over previous numbers. Researchers from Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital in London examined 57,000 nine- and 10-year-olds in 2001, and found that 116 out of...

Air pollution boosts autism risk by 50 percent in newborns
(NewsTarget) A recent study by the California Department of Health Services indicates that industrial air pollutants may increase the risk of autism by 50 percent in young children and unborn babies. The report was published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Researchers compared...

The great thimerosal cover-up: Mercury, vaccines, autism and your child's health
You have probably seen your nurse insert a syringe into a large vial, extract some liquid, and then leave a substantial amount of vaccine in the original container. If you've witnessed this seemingly benign procedure, you've seen how vaccine manufacturers are saving money at the expense of public health...

Dr. Mary Ann Block teaches alternatives to mainstream ADHD treatments for children and adults
Imagine a woman who went to medical school at age 39 to save her daughter from drugs wrongly prescribed for bladder infections. Imagine a woman who, armed with her new medical degree, decided to challenge decades of mainstream medical views on attention deficit disorder, autism and ear and respiratory...