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News new families can use, thank you to the BSRC

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This week an important study was released that provides information that parents can use – particularly parents with a child with autism and another on the way or who is an infant.  This of course comes from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium and makes particular observations about families with 2 or more affected children vs 1 affected child.  They have different rates of autism outcomes and trajectories of behaviors that parents and doctors should be aware of.  In addition a new meta analysis of vitamin supplementation shows that while moderate doses of vitamins may not be harmful, they may not also be helpful.  In other words, talk to your doctor about a nutritional plan and assessment, and save your money for things that are known to work.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31589284

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31586029

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That new study on mortality in people with autism…..

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…..may be overestimating the risk of drowning and suffocation in those with ASD.  The study claims a higher rate of drowning and other accidental deaths in people with autism, which is true, but the magnitude of the effect they found was astronomical and misleading given the methodology.  They counted people with autism off of information on their death certificate.  Not everyone with autism has this code listed on their death certificate – so likely this number is underestimated and the risk of drowning overestimated.  The shocking results call for things like swimming lessons in those with autism and other drastic safety measures.  People with autism ARE at a higher risk of drowning and we should all pay attention.   Ways to prevent accidental death in people with autism are needed and the overall message should be the same.  But the numbers themselves are probably a little off.