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what kind of autism research would you do?

qwerty
over 5 years ago

Suppose you have the funding and technical skills to carry out autism research (e.g., questionnaires, qualitative interviews, MRI, EEG, behavioural experiments, virtual reality, etc). What kind of research question would you like to ask? What autism question do you think is still not well known, and what would be your solution to solving it, or extend current knowledge?

Parents
  • over 5 years ago

    I'd be interested in the genetics of autism and following it through family trees. 

    Especially when autistic people are less likely to be in relationships so less likely to pass their genes on.

    Is it just the high-functioning auties passing on the baton?

  • over 5 years ago in reply to Plastic

    The last big announcement of genetic research found there are many different unrelated genes and their interactions and genes that cause mutations that can or cannot result in some genes to cause or not to cause autism and basically they found dozens  more questions and haven't answered any of the one's they asked.. basically it's so complex even scientists aren't sure what to make of their findings Nerd. I obviously don't understand a thing

    There is a lot of genetical research going on and autistic activists and autistic scientists argue that it is disproportionate and potentially unethical. What would be the practical application of genetic research? What would be the effect on human diversity and general pull of talents and abilities if autism was genetically cleaned out?

  • over 5 years ago in reply to Tinyexplorer

    If I were doing research into the genetics of autism, I think my main interest would be for the pursuit and advancement in scientific knowledge. I also think it will help with early diagnosis and identification. I've struggled a lot because of a late diagnosis, and if a genetic tests were available, I might have been able to access support sooner. 

    I don't think it will likely be studied with eugenics in mind, as it's a relatively rare condition, compared to others where the diagnostic rate is higher. It would be more appealing to get rid of asthma, dementia, allergies, depression than autism - if anyone is doing eugenics. 

    The thing about insurance companies is really unfair. People don't chose what conditions they are born with, but charing people with a higher rate because of an innate condition is really unfair. I really do not hope that the advancement of genetic knowledge will be used in insurance companies to discriminate people.

Reply
  • over 5 years ago in reply to Tinyexplorer

    If I were doing research into the genetics of autism, I think my main interest would be for the pursuit and advancement in scientific knowledge. I also think it will help with early diagnosis and identification. I've struggled a lot because of a late diagnosis, and if a genetic tests were available, I might have been able to access support sooner. 

    I don't think it will likely be studied with eugenics in mind, as it's a relatively rare condition, compared to others where the diagnostic rate is higher. It would be more appealing to get rid of asthma, dementia, allergies, depression than autism - if anyone is doing eugenics. 

    The thing about insurance companies is really unfair. People don't chose what conditions they are born with, but charing people with a higher rate because of an innate condition is really unfair. I really do not hope that the advancement of genetic knowledge will be used in insurance companies to discriminate people.

Children
  • over 5 years ago in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    I have a couple of health conditions that render me uninsurable.  Way too risky.  I have to take all the risk on myself if I'm travelling.

  • over 5 years ago in reply to qwerty

    Yes, i've encountered this unfairness with respect to another genetic condition.  Rather than pay over three times the usual premium I've decided to simply put an equivalent amount into savings each month, in the hope that this will help to guard against unforseen eventualities.  Not perfect, i know, but more affordable and makes me feel I'm doing what I can to deal with risks.