For several years, physicians and researchers from around the world have suspected a link between autoimmune disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders. This potential link has come primarily from observations of treating sources who have worked with the families of Autistics. These possible relationships are finally being addressed and research is going on today into them.

According to Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at John's Hopkins School of Medicine, "...there are differences in the immune systems of children with autism and those without." These differences make the individual more susceptible to infection and, "Scientists haven't ruled out whether a direct or indirect infection of the brain may cause autism." Some of the suspected infections being researched are congenital rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex, as well as other viruses may also be involved.

If an autoimmune disorder is at least partially the cause of autism, and rubella is one of the possible infectious agents, then it might be possible that the introduction of measles vaccine into the already compromised immune system of an infant or toddler could provide the key to the relationship between autism and vaccines. No one knows for sure, but the link is being studied at length.

One researcher, Dr. R.P. Warren, has proposed a pathogen-autoimmune hypothesis for autism, which links a genetic deficiency in the autoimmune system to autism. According to his research, "The pathogen-autoimmune mechanism would occur during the second trimester or within a year or two after birth and may be operative in 50% or more of all autistic cases." Furthermore, his findings indicate that once the initial pathogenesis, it would not be necessary for the pathogen to remain in the body. This again, could offer a possible explanation as to why many autistics show now signs of an infection. By the time testing is done, the pathogen has already left their bodies and is not able to be identified. Since in most autoimmune disorders the genetic defect is found in multiple genes, it is possible that autism may follow this same pattern and not be isolated to a single gene.

Research also indicates that autoimmune disorders in the parent are more frequent in autistics than in non-autistics. According to studies by Dr. Anne M. Comi of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, parents with autoimmune disorders are twice as likely to have autistic children than those who do not. The researchers also state that having a mother with some form of autoimmune disease increased the likelihood for autism nearly 9-fold. "The autoimmune illnesses most often associated with raised risks for autism include: type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, and lupus."

Dr. Comi's research, published in the Journal of Child Neurology, June 1999, indicated that," Defects in 'major histocompatibility' (MHC) genes -- which play a role in determining 'self' from 'nonself' or foreign proteins -- are common in individuals with either rheumatoid arthritis or autism." They speculate that these defects, "could result in autism in some individuals and rheumatoid arthritis in others."

For years, various groups within the autism community have been speculating that this factor or that is the "cause" of autism. Sadly, in many instances, groups have aligned themselves on the side of one particular theory to the exclusion of others, and some have even attempted to degrade the findings of others who do not share their views. Wouldn't it be ironic if in the end, all of them are right and all are wrong. That autism is does not have a single causative factor, and that it is a complex interaction of factors which work together to cause a multitude of illnesses, including autism. From the findings of the research reported on in this article, that seems to be a definite possibility.

Part 2 of this article will look at the conclusions of the National Institutes of Health regarding the links between autoimmune dysfunction and autism.