No single autism cause likely exists, UW center director says

Published 1:30 am Sunday, April 23, 2017

SEATTLE — There’s a reason scientists have searched for years trying to unlock the mystery of what causes autism.

The problem is there likely will be no one single answer, said Annette Estes, director of the University of Washington Autism Center.

“It would be a lot easier to communicate if it was one cause,” she said.

Technology has allowed scientists to find some small and some large genetic changes that lead to autism.

“Unfortunately each of those types of genetic causes tends to affect a small group of people,” Estes said. “There’s not a silver bullet.”

Researchers at the UW and elsewhere are now exploring how these genetic factors may interact with environmental pollutants to affect children’s development.

If certain brain systems are affected, it can result in problems with children’s ability to communicate and learn, Estes said.

The search for autism’s cause has led some, including Robert Kennedy Jr., to blame the developmental disorder on vaccines — a theory which has been widely investigated by many independent groups. “There is no link there,” Estes said.

Nevertheless, President Donald Trump appointed Kennedy to lead a commission on vaccine safety.

The Autism Center, now in its 17th year, provides services to about 600 patients annually. Eighty percent are children.

It is part of the university’s Center on Human Development and Disability, which brings together research and clinical services. It is one of 15 designated Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual &Developmental Disabilities Research Centers, based at universities and children’s hospitals around the nation.

The Autism Center has used a variety of approaches in its research, including having parents take video of their children. Specialists can see how parents are applying techniques learned at the autism center “and which interventions work best for kids,” Estes said.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.