By Michael G. Chez MD; 221 pages. Subtitle: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
The idea of treating autism as a medical problem with a biological cause and solution, rather than a disorder diagnosed by observation and opinion, is an attractive one. Dr. Chez, a neurologist specializing in seizure disorders, has some interesting research to share, and holds out the promise that science will find definitive, tested, mainstream answers to the unique puzzles of autism in specific individuals. Unfortunately, in the meantime, medical management still involves a frustrating amount of guesswork.
- Text is relatively non-technical for a medical book written by a doctor
- Short chapters make for quick reading
- Gives overview of promising research on the medical aspects of autism
- Reviews medications currently being used to handle autistic behaviors
- Holds out the hope for a more accurate understanding and treatment of autism spectrum disorders
- Holds out hope, but not a lot of help just at the moment
- Considers parents to be easily duped by quacks
- Dismisses unproven alternative treatments while promoting unproven conventional treatments
- Suggests reliance on doctors while admitting a lot of them don't have appropriate expertise
- Not likely to convince anyone who's found success outside mainstream medicine
- Part 1: Autism Overview
1: What Is Normal Development? Does My Child Have Autism?
2: Understanding the Diagnosis of Autism - Part 2: Definitions, Diagnosis, and Other Clinical Aspects
3: Defining the Clinical Aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorders - 4: What Type of Autism Spectrum Disorder Does My Child Have?
5: Current Recommendations for Medical Evaluation - 6: The Role of Medical Laboratory Diagnosis Testing
7: Neuroanatomy and Neuroimaging
8: Electoencephalography
9: Genetics - Part 3: Theories on ASDs
10: Why Are ASDs Increasing?
11: Vaccinations, Mercury, and Autism
12: Immunology and Autoimmunity - 13: Theories on a Prenatal Cause
14: Common Alternative Medicine Theories
Part 4: Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders - 15: Overview of Treatment
16: Choosing a Physician
17: Non-Medically Sanctioned Alternative Approaches - 18: Overview of Medicines
Part 5: Neurologically Managing Clinical Aspects With Medication - 19: Medicine Prescribed for Behavioral Problems
20: Treating EEG Abnormalities and Epilepsy
21: Immunological Medical Therapy - 22: Gastrointestinal Issues
23: Medications for Core Symptoms
24: A Rational Approach to Medical Treatment
Early in Autism and Its Medical Management, Dr. Chez admits that the inability of mainstream medicine to take autism seriously and offer effective and respectful solutions to parents has led many of those moms and dads to pursue untested alternative treatments that promise progress and cure. His intent for this book is to put that right -- but in the end, it seems like more of the same. There's a lot of research described that's still too early on to do a lot of good, and the doctor describes parents who seek untested alternative therapies as dupes while recommending medication that is also unapproved for children and full of potentially dangerous side effects. He is sympathetic toward parents, but discounts out of hand any of their observations that don't match up with his.
As medical books go, this one is accessible to parents, easy to read and generally low on jargon. The doctor is clear that he's sharing his opinions based on years of experience working with children and his expertise as a specialist in seizure disorders. Much of the book reads like a long chat with a friendly expert, sharing his thoughts on promising avenues of research, treatments he's had success with, and quacks that frustrate him. If you have a similar faith in science and mainstream medicine, you'll probably appreciate his point of view.
One of the hot topics the book tackles is vaccines, and interestingly, while Dr. Chez feels that mercury in shots has been definitively disproven as a cause for autism, he's open to the possibility that the great increase in the number of vaccines given to younger babies might do damage to those genetically predisposed, and posits that vaccines may have allowed people with weak immune systems to live and reproduce, creating offspring with immune systems that malfunction. The idea of genetic predisposition creating causes from otherwise harmless sources, along with there being no cookie-cutter solution that explains and cures all autism, comes up often in the book. But though the author wants parents to believe that hard science will find the answers, it's clear that the truth is still a ways away. Snake-oil salesman still have a better pitch.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
