By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
Profound autism, a term formally recognized by The Lancet Commission, describes a subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who require 24-hour support and assistance due to significant intellectual disability and limited to no language skills. This term aims to better address the specific needs of this highly vulnerable population within the broader autism spectrum.
Clarke et al from UCLA as summarized this severe childhood neuropsychiatric disorder rising at alarming rates:
New prevalence estimates from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that over a quarter, 26.7%, of children with autism in the United States meet criteria for profound autism (26), suggesting that in the United States, a substantial minority of children with autism may be at increased risk of experiencing stigma due to the nature and intensity of their autism symptoms. Additional work is needed to further understand the prevalence of profound autism, particularly in clinical and community-based samples, so we can better understand what proportion of autistic individuals and their families may experience stigma related to profound autism. Such information is also critical to improving service planning for this population, as most profoundly autistic individuals cannot speak for themselves and are likely to need intensive support services for much or all their lives.
The lack of concern over the etiology of profound autism is my greatest worry. The CDC message is to simply get ready for more support and care services for the tidal wave of toddlers with profound autism in the next few years. Without efforts to identify modifiable risk factors, (eg combination early childhood vaccination, febrile seizures of any cause, environmental toxins) our public health agencies and special interest groups are walking us into an existential societal disaster under the monikers of of “neurodiversity” and “neurodivergence.”
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Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
President, McCullough Foundation
Lord, Catherine et al. “The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 399,10321 (2022): 271-334. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01541-5
IPAK-EDU is grateful to FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse) as this piece was originally published there and is included in this news feed with mutual agreement. Read More
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