Australian scientists develop genetic test to predict autism
That's kinda surprising because I actually am the healthiest person in my immediate family, I rarely get sick.
The problem with your assumptions (and I'm sorry for your loss) is that government run health care would be okay with trying to save your child, got news for you, because of the diagnosis (unelected officials making judgements as to whether or not people are worth giving medical care to), you probably wouldn't have received any assistance from insurance, in fact it is more likely that they would have pressured you into pulling the plug.
Tell that to the millions of Down Syndrome children, oh yeah that's right most of them were killed before they were born due to abortions...
If this was something about trying to correct the serious health threatening genetic problems and potentially help ensure that the child would be on the higher end of the spectrum, then I wouldn't have that much of an issue. Getting rid of a genetic heart defect for instance.
However, the point of this test is to try to detect autism in-utero in order to abort babies that are on the spectrum, which I would argue is genocide.
Well, I've actually been doing some reading on the subject concerning our problems. Since many of us have sensory issues (myself included), yet my mom was a Speech Pathologist, and I wasn't diagnosed with being on the spectrum until college (she recognized the sensory issues and that I had some other motor planning issues, but I just didn't fit the definition for Autism at the time). Based on what I've read, a lot of our problems could be due to our sensory issues and then many people on the spectrum may have missed key moments of their development in early childhood due to those sensory issues, moments that some of us didn't miss and thus we're able to function independently rather well.
I didn't visit the doctor for 23 years, so I was pretty lucky in that respect too, but unfortunately not all on the spectrum are that fortunate.
There is no evidence that health care reform is going to provide any reduction of medical services for children that need healthcare. Obama has already greatly increased those services through his administration's passage of the $1 federal excise tax on cigarettes that went into effect in 2010 that expanded a nation wide federal program to insure more children have access to needed medical services, including immigrant children, and pregnant immigrants that need prenatal care to better insure they have healthy pregnancies.
Yes, sensory issues could be related to problems associated with development, however that is only one factor of potentially thousands of others, some of which may work together, underlying what is commonly defined and described by organizations that are responsible for and have the copyright to per their agreed upon criteria describing observable behavioral impairments that per the DSM5 organization through the American Psychological Association, are soon to be labeled as one autism spectrum disorder.
One of the most recent findings specific to Aspergers syndrome is an association of gender neutral structural similarities in the brains of tested males and females with Aspergers as opposed to what is described as sexual dimorphic traits in individuals studied in a control group off the spectrum. And, there is other research that provides an association with androgynous physical features both in males and females diagnosed with Aspergers as compared to those whom are not diagnosed, in describing Aspergers as a potential "gender defiant disorder".
If hormonal based developmental issues associated with these characteristics underlie much of what is described and defined as Aspergers syndrome, it's not likely those hormonal developmental issues are going to be caught with a genetic prenatal test for autism, anymore than identification of any other fetus that is destined to become an individual with gender neutral structural characteristics identified in the brain or physical androgynous features, as in these cases the hormones impacting development as a result of factors in the prenatal and postnatal environment might be stronger factors than genetic ones.
But, on the other hand, if the hormonal differences are ever specifically measured and defined there could be prenatal tests for that as well, but they would likely require invasive procedures providing a greater risk of miscarriage.
It's not likely that a prenatal test for autism is going to be widely used, unless there is a insurance covered non-invasive blood test developed to screen for factors indicating a requirement for a more invasive risky amniocentesis procedure like there currently is for Down's syndrome. And, the insurance covered non-invasive blood test for Autism looks to be nowhere close on the horizon to provide screening information for more invasive prenatal testing involving amniocentesis.
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aghogday-
As a father myself, I can't imagine the loss of my child. I am very, very sorry for your loss.
Inuyasha -
Have you ever considered how many people have been deserted by their private insurance policies when they need them the most? How many children have died because parents couldn't come up with medical coverage that was either denied them due to a preexisting condition, or life time caps, or because the insurance company chose to screw them over? And people on the right (not all, mind you) have heartlessly defended the actions of the insurance companies.
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer
Kraichgauer
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http://news.yahoo.com/australian-scientists-develops-genetic-test-predict-autism-084625097.html
If there is not now any really good empirically sound way of determining who has Asperger's (as opposed to who is just plain weird) how can this new test be independently vetted?
I suspect Bayesian analysis complete with assumed prior probabilities will have to be invoked. And on what basis will these prior probabilities be established?
ruveyn
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There is nothing wrong with aborting babies. This way, it will allow people to not be stuck with someone they will have to care for, for possibly the rest of thier lives.
I don't think someone should have a child if they are not prepared for that possibility.
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Yes 'early intervention' like what? 'your child might have autism to protect you and the child from difficulties we would like to recommend you have an abortion.'?
That said I am not exactly an anti-abortionist as I think if one is raped or becomes pregnant accidently and has no way to care for a child and does not want to have that responsibility its fine. But I'd also stress within the very beginning of the pregnancy not two months before the babies born...but rater within a month of conception or whatever when its hardly even developed into anything. I do not like the idea of people who want a child aborting it over the chance it might have autism or downs syndrome, but since abortion is legal I don't know there is an legal way to bar people from aborting for that reason.
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That said I am not exactly an anti-abortionist as I think if one is raped or becomes pregnant accidently and has no way to care for a child and does not want to have that responsibility its fine. But I'd also stress within the very beginning of the pregnancy not two months before the babies born...but rater within a month of conception or whatever when its hardly even developed into anything. I do not like the idea of people who want a child aborting it over the chance it might have autism or downs syndrome, but since abortion is legal I don't know there is an legal way to bar people from aborting for that reason.
Early intervention means providing therapies at the earliest age possible to provide the most effective results. It can't happen without effective screening. The topic test provides effective postnatal screening.
If it is eventually used as a prenatal test, it will not come as part of the purpose of the original development of the test as one for postnatal screening. The only reason for prenatal testing for intervention, would be prenatal intervention, of which their are no currently no effective prenatal interventions.
A potential eventual prenatal intervention might be altering the prenatal hormonal environment, which is not has not yet been identified as a definitive causal factor yet, other than issues with general language development problems in children, in other research that has been done in Australia, the current leading country in research associated with genetic screening tests for Autism.
http://news.yahoo.com/australian-scientists-develops-genetic-test-predict-autism-084625097.html
If there is not now any really good empirically sound way of determining who has Asperger's (as opposed to who is just plain weird) how can this new test be independently vetted?
I suspect Bayesian analysis complete with assumed prior probabilities will have to be invoked. And on what basis will these prior probabilities be established?
ruveyn
The article describes the full range of the spectrum, but it does not indicate the effectiveness of the test in determining risk for Aspergers vs other diagnosed disorders on the spectrum. As far as I know the full research is not available for view for free, but when it is those details may be made available in the full research.
The test is based on probabilities of genetics and preventive factors associated with people whom are already diagnosed. It may be that the thirty percent that are not effectively screened with the test lie greater within the realm of those with symptoms similar to Aspergers, but again, the full research may answer more of those questions. I suspect this may be the case, as some cases of Aspergers could result largely from postnatal cultural/environmental factors, not associated with any of the factors the test screens for, per the power of neuroplasticity.
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