New (questionable) claims for a cause of autism
The news media still largely fails autistic people, their families, and the general public in reporting on autism--most recently in a New York Times story linking autism and cancer.
Every so often a science news story comes along proclaiming that we are on the cusp of a revolutionary new understanding of autism spectrum disorders. In the past few years, research showing that genes, environmental factors, or some combination of the two cause or contribute to the development of autism have cycled through the media. Yet today we still know so frustratingly little about what causes autism and what the best treatments for it are. Never mind that we have a long way to go in providing consistent and first-rate services for all autistics (both children and adults at all points on the spectrum) and their families.
I don't want to sound too cynical, because there are many researchers hard at work making progress in these areas. But I will say that the media still largely fails autistic people, their families, and the general public in reporting on autism. And although scientists do have a responsibility for how their research is communicated to the public, the presentation of that research also requires a deft pen, computer, tablet, or whatever your writing instrument of choice is.
The bottom line, as Willingham points out, is that the Times article "will conflate autism and cancer yet again in people's minds and lead parents of autistic children to worry that now, they must also angst about a predisposition to cancer." She also scolds the paper for its "careless comparison of autism and a fatal disease." "Autistic people and their families deserve more care than this," Willingham concludes, "and readers of the New York Times deserve careful, accurate science writing placed in an appropriate context."
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