Current State of Autism Research

This talk will focus on research results that relate to both the causes of autism and how to treat it biomedically. Autism is due to a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors, some of which are known, and there is some intriguing new research on specific abnormalities in mothers that can vastly increase their risk of having a child with autism. Autism involves many complex biomedical abnormalities, and treatments now exist for most of those, although the efficacy of many treatments needs more investigation, and better treatments are needed in some cases. Finally, this talk will briefly discuss future research that is needed so that we can learn how to both prevent autism and help heal those who have autism.

James B. Adams, PhD is a professor at Arizona State University, where he researches the biomedical causes of autism and how to treat it, with a focus on nutritional abnormalities/treatments and toxic metals/chelation. He also serves as the Science Director for the Autism Research Institute and Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!). Prof. Adams is the proud father of a teenage girl with autism.