Cause Célèbre

Browsing RSS feeds from CNN.com yesterday I stumbled onto a fascinating Op-Ed piece regarding the causes of autism and a new hope for the recovery of those children afflicted. The authors of the article are the parents of a 5-year old autistic child, Evan, who they claim has made a full recovery from the disorder in little more than a year thanks to their strict dietary control and medical regimen:

We believe what helped Evan recover was starting a gluten-free, casein-free diet, vitamin supplementation, detox of metals, and anti-fungals for yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines. Once Evan’s neurological function was recovered through these medical treatments, speech therapy and applied behavior analysis helped him quickly learn the skills he could not learn while he was frozen in autism. After we implemented these therapies for one year, the state re-evaluated Evan for further services. They spent five minutes with Evan and said, ‘What happened? We’ve never seen a recovery like this.’

On the evidence given these results seem miraculous. However, subsequent to this visit, the authors claim that no follow-ups with the child were conducted. If these state health officials were so truly astounded by the progress young Evan had made — if they had honestly “never seen a recovery like this” — they would certainly be remiss in their duties if they failed to investigate this potential cure further. Yet Evan’s parents claim that no additional action was taken and they have not, as of the article’s posting, been contacted by any state, federal, or world health agencies to conduct a follow up examination.

Have these health authorities dropped the ball? The authors certainly seem to think so, and are consequently incredulous at the lack of attention their case has received from the CDC and other world health authorities. Unfortunately, the truth is far more muddled than these concerned parents would have you believe.

For starters, the parents in question may have a slightly skewed perspective on the situation and the attention that their case is due, given that they happen to be Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey. That the respective stars of Witless Protection and The Number 23 are devoting so much of their time to autism advocacy is a wonderful thing (not least of all for the movie-going public), but their son’s case is not as unique as they might think. Furthermore the myriad alternative treatments undergone by Evan have a demonstrated success rate in autism recovery that is questionable at best.

Autism is a genetic disorder. Scientific research suggests that environmental factors can play a role in its development, but thee is no consensus on which factors may have an impact. For instance, while there are signs that dietary restrictions like those placed on Evan can be of some benefit, especially with regards to the GI problems which plague a large percentage of autistic youth, scientific studies have yielded a dearth of empirical evidence that gluten-free, casein-free diets have a significant developmental impact on patients.

On the other hand, the anti-fungal and metal detoxification treatments employed by McCarthy and Carrey may play a role in reducing or reversing autism-like symptoms which can be incurred by either candidiasis — a thrush-like fungal infection which can affect the brain — or high mercury levels. The problem is that even though these conditions are characterized by symptoms similar to those of autism, they are probably not autism in the truest sense and no direct link with autism has been established thus far. This means that these alternative treatments have been roundly rejected by most medical professionals. The treatments may be effective, but probably only in the resolution of unrelated conditions which outwardly mirror autism.

It is entirely possible that the dramatic rise in autism in recent years is due to an increase in fungal or metal toxicity. There is evidence of a correlation in the rise of reported cases of autism and the increased use of the mercury-based preservative Thimerosal in children’s vaccines; McCarthy and Carrey themselves claim that their son exhibited no signs of the disorder until receiving his MMR vaccine at 15 months. The most likely scenario is that children who are genetically predisposed towards autism and exposed to mercury poisoning are being misdiagnosed en masse as autistic. This could mean that there is hope for a significant percentage of children currently regarded as autistic to regain functionality through metal detoxification and therapy — heartening news indeed. As of now, however, there is no indication that a full recovery from autism is a realistic possiblity.

The McCarthy/Carrey Op-Ed is unintentionally misleading. Considering the amount of time, money, and energy that has been invested into autism research in recent decades it is relatively unlikely that the methods prescribed for Evan represent a viable treatment plan. Evan’s improvement may be remarkable, but given his access to treatment options which would prove prohibitively expensive for a large percentage of afflicted children and the employment of top-level speech and developmental therapy during his formative years, it is hardly miraculous.

By their own admission McCarthy and Carrey have been informed by numerous specialists that their son’s “autism” was simply a misdiagnosis. Naturally, given what they have endured in the past few years, they are reticent to accept this judgment. However, it appears to be the correct one.

It is a sad commentary on the state of America and the power of celebrity in today’s culture that the medical advice of two actors will likely be accepted at face-value by a majority of those privy to it. McCarthy and Carrey are careful not to refer to their son as “cured” — only “recovered” — but their lack of zeal in this respect will only serve to lend additional credence to a theory which deserves little. They may do some good in their efforts to limit children’s exposure to potentially harmful vaccines, but there is a grave risk of misleading parents who take their opinions on faith.

Given their first-hand knowledge of the pain and stress that accompany having an autistic child, McCarthy and Carrey should consider whether it is wise to continue their crusade in this manner. While their commitment to autism advocacy is noble, if they continue to wage their war on a platform of misinformation and half-truths they may wind up doing more harm than good — providing other parents with false hope for their own child’s “recovery” from autism.