Wifi and Autism: A quick debunking

[antoniogaud]

From ArsTechnica. (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071123-wifi-and-autism-a-quick-debunking.html) As if this wasn't already painfully obvious to everyone with common sense and some knowledge of autism and the sad history of charlatans posing as scientists providing proof that X causes autism and - amazingly enough - requires the use of their business ventures to prevent.

Given the increasing prevalence of WiFi use, a clear link between this technology and autism should give many of us pause. But a closer examination of the press release should raise enough red flags that the announcement should be viewed with extreme skepticism.

The first issue comes from the journal in which the results are apparently published. The press release calls the source the Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine. As noted by a ZDNet columnist, however, that journal doesn't actually exist. The detailed reference refers to the "J.Aust.Coll.Nutr.& Env.Med," which translates to the Journal of the Australasian College of Nutrition & Environmental Medicine. This does exist, but the journal's web page is currently under construction. Information elsewhere on the site claims that it is peer reviewed, but it's not indexed by PubMed, meaning it's not on the radar screens of the vast majority of biomedical researchers.

The college behind the journal dates from the 1980s, but currently lists its mailing address as a PO box. It has affiliations with various other integrative and herbal medicine organizations in Australia. Overall, it appears to be an obscure organization that is operating near the fringes of mainstream medical practices. None of this actually impeaches the research itself (I've requested a copy of the paper, but have not yet received it), but results of this significance would be expected to appear in a higher-profile publication if the research were solid.

Other questions are raised by the two authors of the study itself. One of them, Dr. George Carlo, is based at what appears to be a Washington lobbying group. Carlo seems to believe that individuals sensitive to wireless signals exist, despite evidence to the contrary, and claims that there is a well-substantiated mechanism for explaining their existence. I've tracked the literature in this area, and I'm unaware of any such mechanism.

The second author is Tamara Jo Mariea, who has an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and several professional certificates in clinical nutrition. Neither appears to be associated with any academic medical facility, an appearance furthered by the fact that the contacts on the press release have AOL and Verizon e-mail addresses. Thus, there's no indication that either of the authors have the training, experience, or facilities to conduct a clinical research study.

The problems don't end there, however. The release makes clear that the study is based entirely on the hypothesis that autism is the product of heavy metal toxicity. This hypothesis is an outgrowth of the failed efforts to link autism rises to the use of mercury preservatives in vaccines. To the best of my knowledge, it has no experimental support, but it has led to a lucrative business for those who promise "cures" for autism through treatments that supposedly remove heavy metals from patients' blood via chelation. Notably, Mariea runs a clinic that offers these treatments, and would thus benefit from any aura of credibility chelation achieves.

So, we're several steps removed from credible science by the time we get to the actual central premise of the publication: that WiFi signals interfered with a heavy metal detoxification scheme performed in Mariea's clinic. It's impossible to judge this claim without a copy of the paper, and it may be difficult to evaluate even then, depending on the journal's standards for reporting experimental details. But, given the absence of any clear connection between heavy metals and autism, it doesn't actually matter—the paper is founded on unsubstantiated premises.

The key message here has nothing to do with either autism or WiFi radiation. Instead, the message is that sensational-sounding reports like this shouldn't be given any credibility without performing any Internet searchers on any of the principles involved. It's a message some of those who have simply relayed the press release would have done well to have heeded.

[DeadlyDonkey]

How does this have anything to do with gaming?

[Sazime]

Thank you for this. It's been all over the place lately and I was really wondering whether or not it could be true.

Spread the truth, true believers!

[Darkbase]

How does this have anything to do with gaming?

DS and PSP use Wi-Fi...

[Baron Samedi]

As does Wii. You can also purchase it for 360 and PS3.

[The Bashar]

Of course this is a bunch of crap. Autism is mostly a genetic disease! There is the rare occasion where some chemicals can cause defects at birth, but they are usually genetic defects (ie Mutation).

[TrackZero]

How does this have anything to do with gaming?

Welcome to Evil Avatar:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Avatar#News

[Frankenass]

Thanks for the info. as a father of 3 ages 2-7 years i know way too much about all the snake oil causes of autism. I have 2 sons and 1 daughter. Both of my boys are autistic and I am constantly questioned by others about what I think caused their autism. My answer? I have no idea. To one of the earlier posts that suggests a stictly hereditary cause well there was never a trace of autism anywhere in my family . The closest i got to autism in my life was watching the movie Rain Man. Now I've become an expert on the subject due to my sons conditions.
Is it caused by the Mercury in the Vaccines that kids get? still too many conficting reports. Did i eat too many Microwaved Hotdogs? Am i related to my wife as the cruel Jerks like to imply.Is it caused by Flouride in the water? I don't know. But thanks for telling it like it is and a great change of pace posting.

[Disgustipated]

How does this have anything to do with gaming?

Please shut the fuck up you ignorant asshole.

Thanks for the info. as a father of 3 ages 2-7 years i know way too much about all the snake oil causes of autism. I have 2 sons and 1 daughter. Both of my boys are autistic and I am constantly questioned by others about what I think caused their autism. My answer? I have no idea. To one of the earlier posts that suggests a stictly hereditary cause well there was never a trace of autism anywhere in my family . The closest i got to autism in my life was watching the movie Rain Man. Now I've become an expert on the subject due to my sons conditions.
Is it caused by the Mercury in the Vaccines that kids get? still too many conficting reports. Did i eat too many Microwaved Hotdogs? Am i related to my wife as the cruel Jerks like to imply.Is it caused by Flouride in the water? I don't know. But thanks for telling it like it is and a great change of pace posting.

I understand your pain. For the last 12 years I had lived with my brother, Elijah, who is autistic. He's a genius trapped in his own body, due to having communication impairment, which goes both ways (His ability to speak his feelings and understand others.) Otherwise he is extremely high functioning, with a genius+ level IQ.

Now, my family has a lot of the disorders related to autism (ADHD, bipolar, tourette's, seizure disorders). All of these are in the same general nervous system disorder family. So it was probably partially genetic. But my brother also had a seizure a few hours after getting a vaccine: one of the vaccines later found to have Mercury in it.

It will be a while before autism's cause is truly pinpointed (if ever, as I believe it's multiple causes), but the fact remains: cases of autism have skyrocketed in the last 50 years, and grows increasingly higher.

[Sazime]

Please shut the fuck up you ignorant asshole.
Um, to paraphrase my reaction, where the fuck did that come from?

[Disgustipated]

Um, to paraphrase my reaction, where the fuck did that come from?

Oops... I meant to click on DeadlyDonkey's post.

I just woke up, forgive me.

[Frankenass]

Hmmm a post about autism and now I notice a Chelation supplement advert on the page . what a strange coincedence. or is it?

[TrackZero]

Hmmm a post about autism and now I notice a Chelation supplement advert on the page . what a strange coincedence. or is it?

It's google ads. It associates the words from the article into possible advertising.

[Frankenass]

It's google ads. It associates the words from the article into possible advertising.
Ok thx for info . Still learning .

[Sazime]

Oops... I meant to click on DeadlyDonkey's post.

I just woke up, forgive me.
Ha, don't worry. I figured it couldn't have been directed at the same poster you identified with later. :)

[Johan]

But my brother also had a seizure a few hours after getting a vaccine: one of the vaccines later found to have Mercury in it.

As the OP should make clear, there are no causes for autism other than genetic. :rolleyes:

--which is a bunch of bullshit.--

From the OP's own quote:

None of this actually impeaches the research itself

So I guess the research is a bunch of shit and snake oil!!!

To the best of my knowledge, it has no experimental support

I could take this to uncomfortable places regarding the apparent limits of your knowledge, but I'll just leave instead with the happy knowledge that some on the boards here believe scientific research into diseases should apparently not involve examination of multiple possible sources/causes, but instead should focus purely on genetic correlations. There's several ways to describe people who don't believe in broad approaches to scientific research and open avenues of examination...none of them flattering.

The environment has nothing to do with it. Simple! Cause confirmed! Blame your damn parents...there's NOTHING else to bother researching.

BTW: A "quick debunking" of anything related to something as difficult as autism is hard to take seriously and is quite idiotic. You deserve a Nobel Prize for solving one of the riddles of the 21st century. Autism; it's your parents.

[Rone]

Why aren't the last 3 paragraphs inside the quote? They're from the original article. It currently looks like antoniogaud added them as his own analysis.

[Camel]

Johan...I really didn't get the impression from the OP that autism is a 100% genetic disease, just that heavy metals don't seem to be a cause.

Also, the point was to quickly debunk this particular study, and based on what was said in the OP (questionable journal, questionable researches, can't get a copy of the paper, etc), the concerns raised certainly seem valid. I am all for taking many different approaches to scientific research and looking for multiple causes of scientific phenomena (ESPECIALLY things as complicated as medical disorders), but if researchers aren't going to go through the right channels to properly present their findings, I don't see why they should be taken seriously.

[claws]

I have little knowledge and no opinion about autism or the causes of it. However, it's a bit much claiming to have 'debunked' something and then come clean to not having read the paper. He admits the lack of credentials don't invalidate the research, and then about ten words later implies it would probably be in a proper journal if it were true. Bah. Ok, it's pedantic, but it annoys me.

[boratika]

You should always be sceptical of something with the words "Australasian College" in it. All too often (but not always, mind) it means it's a front for an American organisation. And it might just be me, but American organisations pretending to be Australasian ones to Americans always makes me a little suspicious.

[antoniogaud]

I fixed the quoted text. I didn't see that mistake before.

The claim that wifi causes autism isn't easy to debunk from this study, but what is VERY easy to debunk are the people making the claims. I never claimed, nor do I believe, that disqualifying the person automatically disqualifies the claim, but in this case it is apparent that their claims are dubious and self-serving.

A rational examination of the 'spread' of autism shows that it is due in great part to the expansion of the behaviors that qualify as autism and the fact that people are now looking for it whereas in the past they did not. There is no evidence, despite the public's belief, that the actual rate of autism has increased substantially (or at all) from 50 or 100 years ago.

What has changed is the rate that autism is diagnosed. However autism is often a subjective diagnosis and the 'spectrum' of its behaviors has expanded substantially over the years. There is no physical test that can diagnose autism.

The WiFi claim is transparent. These 'scientists' are just trying to cash in by making a claim that requires their services to 'cure'. (http://www.internalbalance.com/)

This is shameless, evil and sadly, nothing new to the world of autism.

How does this have anything to do with gaming?

Every current gaming machine uses WiFi (X360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, etc...)

[Johan]

The WiFi claim is transparent. These 'scientists' are just trying to cash in by making a claim that requires their services to 'cure'. (http://www.internalbalance.com/)

Strangely enough, pharmaceutical companies perform/subsidize research into disease with profitable intentions as well. I suppose we need to stop popping pills researched by evil corporations out to make money on the treatments developed out of such research.

Here's what autism really needs: Research funding. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/19/politics/main2281401.shtml) NOT idiotic forum debates over varying hypotheses, but actual RESEARCH into a multitude of hypotheses related to the underlying cause(s) and trigger(s) of the disease.

The autism bill increases federal funding by 50 percent for the disorder, which afflicts 1.5 million people in the United States.

Congress voted on Dec. 7 to significantly increase federal funding to identify the cause of autism, now diagnosed in one in 166 children.

Anyone who thinks that there will be one identifiable cause of autism is, in my opinion, either an idiot or high.

Anyone who discounts possible environmental causes/triggers is also, in my opinion, either an idiot or high.

Genetics can identify risk factors for disease, but your genetic inheritance does NOT correlate perfectly to potential disease development in all cases (though some diseases do have a very high rate of transference). There are also many studies which have identified environmental sources of genetic damage. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=environmental+sources+of+genetic+damage+%2B+JAMA&btnG=Search)

So...blame your parents. Or pollutants in the air. Or chemicals in the water/food you consume. Or toxins in your home. Or chemicals in vaccinations. Or wi-fi. Or some other environmental source; many of which can actually damage you at the genetic level.

Or, better yet...let's have more funding, more studies, and let's figure this out, rather than closing it off to "your parents genes sucked, man...you're screwed." :rolleyes:

[rpgedgar]

Just do what my parents had me do, wear a tin foil hat. I turned out just fine.

[antoniogaud]

Johan, I agree with some of what you are saying, but you are discounting the many studies that have already been conducted disproving (as yet) all non-genetic causes. That doesn't mean that perhaps an environmental cause won't be found, but right now there aren't any probable leads that haven't been refuted.

Also, the diagnosis of 1 in 166 is extremely misleading. The disorder is over-diagnosed as it is, and the spectrum of its disorders are wide. I know 2 kids diagnosed with autism that seem 100% normal except for some social shyness. I know one who is extremely withdrawn and oblivious to the outside world. These two widely varying behaviors should not be grouped together.

That being said, can we at least agree that the WiFi claim is as yet baseless? Did you see the link I submitted to the 'researchers' website promoting BS cures and self-proclaimed certifications in pseudo-science?

[antoniogaud]

I just wanted to add the following from a MorningCall article (http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_autism.6123622nov04,0,6601893.story?coll=all_ta b01_layout) posted on the Centers for Disease Control website:

Autism 'epidemic' fueled by funding, shift in diagnosing
By Mike Stobbe | Of The Associated Press

A few decades ago, people probably would have said children like Ryan Massey and Eddie Scheuplein were just odd. Or difficult.

Both boys are bright. But Ryan, 11, is hyper and prone to angry outbursts, sometimes trying to strangle another child in his class who annoys him. Eddie, 7, has a strange habit of sticking his shirt in his mouth and sucking on it.

Both were diagnosed with a form of autism. And it's partly because of children like them that autism appears to be skyrocketing: In the latest estimate, as many as one in 150 children have some form of this disorder. Groups advocating more research money call autism ''the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States.''

Indeed, doctors are concerned there are even more cases out there, unrecognized: The American Academy of Pediatrics last week stressed the importance of screening every child -- twice -- for autism by age 2.

But many experts believe these unsociable behaviors were just about as common 30 or 40 years ago. The recent explosion of cases appears to be mostly caused by a surge in special education services for autistic children, and by a corresponding shift in what doctors call autism.

Autism has always been diagnosed by making judgments about a child's behavior; there are no blood or biologic tests. For decades, the diagnosis was given only to children with severe language and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors.

Many children with severe autism hit themselves or others, don't speak and don't make eye contact.

In the 1990s, the autism umbrella expanded, and autism is now shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions, known as ''autism spectrum disorders.''

My point is, an 'autism epidemic' is not as clear cut as some would have us believe.

[Johan]

My point is, an 'autism epidemic' is not as clear cut as some would have us believe.

This does not matter to the families of those with autistic kids who need the help that more research could provide. It's a serious issue, regardless of whether it's 1 in 166, or 1 in 250.

[antoniogaud]

I don't disagree, but pointing them in the wrong direction (i.e. the Wifi claim) is counter-productive to say the least.

[jpublic]

Johan, no one is denying that. People are saying that in order for us to put that money to work in an efficient manner, it's necessary to get a control and a definition of what is actual autism. In other words, we need a way to definitely diagnose it, that doesn't rely on fuzzy behavioral criteria, which vary wildly from patient to patient with the same condition.

The fact that autism is now a 'spectrum' of behaviors is troubling. It smacks of the same overdiagnosis problems that now plague us with ADD and ADHD - the belief that if the child isn't nice, sociable and easily controlled, there must be something to be fixed - preferably with a pill.

[boratika]

Here's what autism really needs: Research funding. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/19/politics/main2281401.shtml) NOT idiotic forum debates over varying hypotheses, but actual RESEARCH into a multitude of hypotheses related to the underlying cause(s) and trigger(s) of the disease.

That's why we're all so down on this fake research about WiFi. Seriously Johan we're all on the same side here, the people in this thread are angry about a snake oil salesman obscuring actual knowledge of autism.

I'm in the Autistic Spectrum (much less so than I used to be) and I know how difficult that has made things for me and it the difficulties it caused my parents and realise how much worse it must be for others more afflicted, so it really nadgers my moolies when disingenuous profiteers create false research just to steer people in the direction of their product. Scavengers of human misery I believe is the term I'm looking for.

The radiation caught from Wifi isn't a patch on that from mobile phones (even if you don't personally use one, but just are exposed to them in an urban environment). It's a bit like worrying about the affect of pollution on ones health yet smoking two packs a day.

[antoniogaud]

I agree. Its hard to find the cause to autism when - thanks to over-diagnosis - we don't really even know how to quantify what it is anymore.

[Frankenass]

Did someone say researching causes of autism was a negative? Whats Johan raving about? Sure find what causes autism. keep doing the research . But stop bombarding me with potential causes and cures . Hey Johan you wanna help Autistic families ? Get Over here and wipe my 7 year olds ass for me and then hold him down while he's having a violent fit so I don't have to for one Day in my life.