ASD & Environment

Autism Canada believes our environment may play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorders. This belief is a result of two facts:

Identical twins having the same genetic makeup don't necessary both have an ASD when presented in one of the twins and to date after multiple genome studies we have not found a specific "autism gene" or set of genes

The prevalence of autism is increasing according to the CDC and other regional surveillance being done in Canada.

In October of 2007, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released an online prepublication of a workshop that took place April 18-19, 2007 called Autism and the Environment. The presentations at the workshop emphasized the urgent need to combat the growing national health crisis of autism, and focused on the mechanisms by which environmental factors such as chemicals, infectious agents, or physiological or psychological stress can affect the neurodevelopment of children. The summary listed numerous items for further research, which our federal government needs to be examining.

In 2006 the Autism Society of America (ASA) produced a special edition of Autism Advocate exploring the critical effect of environmental toxins on the incidence and treatment of individuals with autism. If you are interested in reading the entire issue of this Special Edition please click here.