Re: Dr Gillian Baird - Guildford meeting last night

[Guest guest]

Bizzare indeed.

I will have to quiz my sources on how they could have possibly got it

all so badly wrong! I hope my originial post (below) didn't mislead

anyone. I was seriously hopeful for a moment that we were seeing

some kind of a mainstream breakthrough - an acceptace that autism

presents is a medical condition and should therefore be amenable to

treatment.

From what you say it doesn't sound like that was her opinion at

all.

Sharon

>

> How bizarre! We have just come back from our appointment with

Gillian Baird

> in London and it was a complete waste of time. She was pro-ABA or

> pro-education, as she put it, which is a damn sight better than our

> paediatrician. As soon as we started talking diet and bio-medical

she said

> there was no proof and no proper studies for any of that, she poo

pooed DAN!

> and Shattock. She said it was neurological and genetic - end

of story!

> When we saw she had made up her mind not to help us we didn't argue

too

> vociferously (but we did argue)

> She talked a lot about pruning and head size and measured all our

big heads

> but of course, offered no help.

> She said it is DEFINITELY NOT a medical or gut condition and the

fact that

> loads of autistic kids have gut conditions - coincidence of course!

> Sara

>

> Dr Gillian Baird - Guildford

meeting

> last night

>

> Since we've been discussing the paediatrican Dr Gillian Baird on

this

> list recently, I thought some of you might like to hear what she

was

> talking about at a Surrey NAS meeting last night. WARNING - my

> information is SECOND HAND as I wasn't able to get to the meeting

> myself, but have heavily quizzed two mums at gym just now who did

> attend. If anyone else on this list was actually there please chip

> in!!

>

> Dr Gillian Baird came over to my friends as an open minded and

caring

> paediatrican who seemed to really know what she was talking about.

>

> According to my sources, Dr Baird said in the meeting that autism

is

> definately a real medical condition, a neurological condition.

There

> are marked differences in the brains of autistic vs non-autistic

> children. She talked about pruning of the brain cells being

faulty.

> I'm told she presented lots of research studies and graphs to back

up

> her arguments (my sources couldn't follow these). It is good

though

> to hear someone as well respected as her in the mainstream say that

> autism is a medical condition out loud at an NAS meeting. I hope

> they were taking notes!

>

> Dr Baird also said very clearly that autism is definately rising

very

> rapidly over recent years and that the rise can NOT be put down to

> better diagnosis alone (she is one of the UK's formost diagnostic

> experts herself so coming from her this is very good). The big

rise

> in autism is in the sub-set of regressive, late onset autism.

>

> Why the rise in autism? Something triggering it at around 1.5-

> 2years. But this doesn't have to be an external trigger (??)

Could

> be because of the genetic suseptability. (I wish I'd been there to

> quiz her more fully about genentic epidemics.... ) Could be

> environmental trigger too, but from what I was told this was not

the

> favoured explaination. No mention of mercury, toxic load, detox

> problems, methylation issues etc etc etc.

>

> So what about medical treatment? Not much of substance here. She

> highlighted the lack of research studies and the difficulties

getting

> big enough samples to get statistically signifcant results. Dr

Baird

> said they'd tried to get a controlled study off the ground to look

at

> the gfcf diet but couldn't get funding (!). Until there is a

proper

> study the jury remains out. My friend thinks she said secretin

> doesn't work. Gut issues were focused around constipation.

>

> Please do add or correct this if you were there. Wish I had been -

a

> missed opportunity.

>

> Sharon

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> DISCLAIMER

> No information contained in this post is to be construed as medical

advice.

> If you need medical advice, please seek it from a suitably qualified

> practitioner.

>

>